INATEL Albufeira

stayed at this hotel last week , perfect position for quiet holiday within easy reach of both old town and the strip . stayed bed and breakfast and though basic theres enough choice with cereals bacon eggs tomatoes beans etc and ham and cheese, yoghurt juice . the rooms are spacious and clean (odd numbered rooms have sun all day and face the beach ). There is free wi fi all through hotel and safety deposit box in room is free . The tv doesn't have any English TV channels but cnbc and eurosport are on. There is an also an extension part on the beach itself and looks very clean and has café which is very reasonable and fantastic place to sit in the sun , although only open till 5pm this time of year . All in all great value for money with very reasonable bar prices too , bottle of lager 1.50 euros .

A very good value hotel . Booked with Mercury Holidays and the price paid for a week's half board and flights etc. was less than for a week's b and b in the UK. The rooms are spacious and well maintained with free safe, aircon and fridge.. The hotel is very large and whilst we were there there were only about 70 guests staying at the hotel. The food was often lukewarm but well cooked. Remember don't expect 5 star service when you pay 3 star prices. What you do get is great service and value.

The Inatel on the beach was very clean with great view of the beach. Located on the beach and close to the old town. Staff were friendly and service was good. I would recommend this hotel to anyone staying in the Algrave area.

HOTEL LOCATION. We stayed for 2 weeks half board at the beginning of October at the original Inatel Hotel, not the blue coloured beach site (Inatel Praia). It was perfectly located for all our needs, close to the old town, new town - the strip (15 minutes), beach (5 minutes), shops, supermarkets, bars and restaurants (10-15 minutes). All times are walking times. RECEPTION. We arrived at 14.00 and were lucky to find our room ready for occupation (check in time is normally at 16.00). Yes, English is not spoken proficiently by some staff at reception, however together with our limited French & Spanish and their excellent French & Spanish we were able to make ourselves easily understood. We were issued with 2 room cards and a free safe key on request. There is a good selection of complimentary books available for your holiday read in the reception and large lounge areas. MERCURY DIRECT. We booked through Mercury Direct who were very good. Our Rep was at the hotel every couple of days, visit dates are shown on the Mercury Direct notice board in the reception foyer along with your return flight details and pick up times. ROOM. We had requested an upper floor room with sun on balcony in the afternoon and this is exactly what we were given. Our room was at the rear of the building with side sea view to our left. The full sea view rooms are at the front get the sun in the morning. We found the hotel lovely and quiet. It is set in its own grounds, with long drive way to the entrance and car park to the side. Our room was large with plenty of storage space and twin beds. Free fridge, no kettle or iron, so take your own. Bathroom was a reasonable size with a large shower, no bath. Towels changed on request, shampoo, shower gel and soap provided. The only quibble was the positioning of the TV, it was on the wall by the sofa bed and not in front of the twin beds. TV channels were the usual holiday ones. The free air con was very good, it was needed as during our stay as temperatures were in the 30’s. Balcony had usual table and 2 chairs. No washing line. The free key operated safe was in the wardrobe and was a decent size. Housekeeping /cleaning throughout the hotel was very good. RESTAURANT. This is on the first floor. The restaurant is large and well organised. Both hotel sites use the restaurant for evening meals, the beach hotel has breakfast facilities only. The hotel was fully booked during our stay but never had any problems finding a table. The hotel caters for large coach parties and tables are reserved for these groups. The food was excellent no complaints at all. There is a small room at the back of the servery which contains a microwave and kitchenette area where you can leave open bottles of wine purchased for your evening meal so that they are ready for the next day. Water was free from the fruit juice dispensers by the coffee machines. You are issued at check in with a credit card size card stating your name, room number and dates of your stay. You are required to show this card for evening meals. Breakfast 08.00 until 10.15. Evening meal 19.00 until 21.00. POOL. There is an outdoor pool within the grounds of the Inatel hotel, no indoor. It was always clean and tidy and we never had any problems getting sun beds/shades at any time of the day. There was no 6am pool dash to towel reserve beds. No free pool towels. There is a pool bar serving drinks and snacks. No loud annoying pool music. The Pool area is closed on Monday mornings for a deep clean/maintenance. The hotels beach site (Inatel Praia) does not have its own pool and guests share this pool area. ACTIVITIES. No animation team. EVENING ENTERTAINMENT. Mainly geared toward the older age group. During our stay the hotel guests were 95% retired, 3% middle aged, 2% families and 1% younger age group. No 18-30’s groups or hen parties. The majority of guests were Portuguese and French with a small proportion being British. BUS STOP. On the roundabout at the entrance to the hotel. This is where the local buses, tourist train, all coach tours and airport transfers pick up from. The local bus routes are identified by colour, not route number. A map can be obtained free from Tourist Information Offices and the Main Bus Terminal. TOURS/TRIPS. We used Follow Me Tours which had on board guides as well as driver. We also used Last Minute Tours who were a lot cheaper because they did not have an on board guides, only a driver who gave advice and limited commentary. The majority of the inter-town buses go from the bus terminal with a couple stopping outside the Albufeira shopping centre. We downloaded bus timetables/fare prices before leaving UK which we found helpful. All bus fares are payable on the bus to the driver. We like to get out and about during our holidays and were able to visit the whole of the West/ East coasts of the Algarve plus the Foia mountain area. EARLY BREAKFAST. If you have an early tour/trip start time, you can request a breakfast pack from hotel reception. This is collected the day before your tour/trip after your evening meal, placed in your room fridge ready to eat in your room before leaving on your tour/trip or to take with you. SUPERMARKETS. Walking - 15 minutes away is the Continente (this is in the Albuferia shopping centre) and Pingo Doce , 20 Minutes away is a Lidl and Aldi. Local bus takes approx 5 minutes from the hotel roundabout bus stop to all supermarkets. HOTEL STAFF. We found the entire hotel staff friendly, helpful and total professional. CONCLUSION. We had a very enjoyable stay at the Inatel Hotel. We encountered no problems at all, felt it was excellent value for money and would definitely return. Our preference would be to stay again at the original hotel building and not the more modern blue coloured beach site (Inatel Praia), as we felt the original Inatel Hotel was quieter and had a more relaxed feel about it.

Stayed for 5 days centrally located but far enough away from nightlife guarantee a good night sleep approx 10 min walk to the escalator. The pool was a nice slze and bar opened during day a big thankyou to celia who allways greeted u with a big big smile Rooms were cleaned daily but sheets were not changed which was a pity Breakfast was standard quite repititive And allways served luke warm standard of coffee substandard and same as juice Staff were very attentive and freindly

This Hotel is within walking distance to the Beach. Very friendly staff, very clean, pool area is across the road with lots of sun beds and shades. Lovely pool. Food adequate but lacked variety. Music every night which was very good and lots of people up dancing. The bus stop is very near. The 0ld town is a 10 minute walk away. Hairdryer in room..

We recommend this hotel as it was only a 3 star but was very good. We had a balcony room with stunning views of the sea and the hotel pool. It was very relaxing and the old town at night was amazing, busy but still enjoyable. Our only critisim is the staff didn't seem to be so friendly towards us being Brtish to other countries. They only needed to smile! We arrived at 13.30 but not able to get into our rooms until 16.00 which we were not aware of and there was no English speaking receptionist on duty which made it slightly awkward. But overall we had a great holiday and would go back to Portugal to explore more if this lovely area.

There are a lot of positives but also a lot of negatives, I want to write a fair & honest review. Initially the welcome was awful the man on reception spoke no English (not a problem in itself) but he also didn't smile at all and acted as if we were a major inconvenience. He was not all welcoming or forthcoming with any information. The rooms were basic and clean but need updating, no baths only showers, poor wifi & only 2 lifts for lots of rooms. The breakfast was fine, lots of options in a clean dining room with very attentive staff. The evening meal however was much more hit & miss & if you are vegetarian or don't like fish you will struggle. Generally this hotel is for French people & if your kids want to join in the entertainment they will miss out. The bar entertainment is full of old people waltzing & also not very welcoming. The pool is clean & nice with plenty of loungers, the bar is open as & when with no notification re closing for lunch etc. The hotel is in a good location right on the beach & only 5-10 mins from Old Town. So to summarise if you are a joiner and want to participate in entertainment etc then this is not the hotel for you however if you just want a basic base in a good location then go for it.

Superb location near to the pedestrian town of Albufeira. Sit on the decks on the beach and get drinks and food from the little cafe. Amazing breakfast was included in the cost - which was amazingly reasonable. Our room had a private balcony and overlooked the ocean. Rooms were clean, beautifully appointed with great facilities. Above all a quiet and delightful location if you wish to stay away from the activity of the local town and celebrations. The whole beach offers optional topless bathing and is so expansive you feel quite safe and peaceful. Would highly recommend this hotel and the location.