Oura Praia Apartments

3 readers found this review helpful

I made a reservation to Oura View beach Club (OVBC), one of the three hotels managed by Peychey Leisure in Praia da Oura.
Arriving at OVBC I was informed that I had to stay at anoter hotel, Oura Praia Hotel, as I had no room available (!).
Oura Praia Hotel was away from the beach (10 to 15 min walk, if you have no kids), and instead of a sea view, I got a view to a busy street, facing another building, just above several coffee shops...
As I was travelling with tho young kids, I've asked for them to try to fix their mistake and get me back at my original hotel, or at least to the other hotel near the beach. The staff was unable to take care of my request - I just had to come everyday and ask to the clerk if that was possible to do in that day, and if I was unlucky, I would have to try again and again each and every day of my holidays.
On the second day one of the staff members tried to convinced me that my situation was regular: Their reservation system could not guarantee to any guest the hotel where they are gonna stay - even if that is stated in your confirmed reservation voucher - we can only make an indicative reservation, and only n the arrival we could be sure which of the three hotels we would be staying in. Odd, and I believe, false. Never saw that kind of reservation system.
I had to take breakfast in a small cafe room with 8 tables, as only three days later they've opened the main room for breakfast. The problem was that they have LOTS of apartments, so we had to wait in queue, standing, in order to get a table for breakfast.
They have a customer support team that is in fact a time sharing sales team. The costumer support member that contacted me told me that he could easily transfer me back to my original hotel if I'd agree for me and my family to have a sales meeting with him. Shame on the "costumer support" member.
The rooms were nice, you have to pay for the safe rental and have no animation for kids. The hotel is in a busy location, facing two main roads, and away from beach - a long walk, to long if you have small children.
Paulo Mateus

1 reader found this review helpful

We have just returned from our 2 week holiday in Praia Oura (Algarve). This holiday was booked in Aug 07 requesting a pool view. We had been there in Apr 07 staying in Club Praia Oura (CPO) and decided to go back again this year. On arrival at CPO we were informed that we were not staying in CPO as they had no apartments available, we had to stay across the road in the Oura Praia Hotel (OPH). CPO is a self contained complex with its own bars, restaurants, pools, access straight on to the beach etc, OPH in contrast is on a busy road and is used as a time share headquaters for interviewing prospective time share clients. It has no atmosphere whatsoever, you constantly have to walk past people being interviewed, even as you go out to the pool! Our apartment in OPH was overlooking the busy road and above a karaoke bar. After 5 nights suffering karaoke until 2am we requested a room change, we were moved to the other side of the hotel, away from the karaoke but still on the main road. On request to move down to CPO we were still told that no apartments were available. In CPO last year we were approached to attend time share presentations which we declined. We feel that in doing so we were treated rather shabbily this year and we also feel that as we showed no interest in a time share they showed no interest in us. We were extremely disappointed with the whole experience and while we will both definetly be back in Praia Oura it will not be in accomadation provided by the Petchey Organisation.

The Oura Praia is a lovely hotel. It has changed hands in the last 3 years. We went for a meal to Susan’s in the Oura Praia, the staff are very rude. The owner as bad.
We went to Netto’s beside the hotel. The chips we got, we counted about 20 and they were the meanest chips ever.
The Chinese restaurant across the road the food is lovely, we would recommend a visit.
Had an enjoyable time we will go back.

2 readers found this review helpful

DATE OF STAY: 17.6.07 – 1.7.07 (Weeks 24/25)
We stayed at this resort via Club La Costa and hired a car at Faro and drove to the resort. You can pull up right outside of the main reception area, and if you are lucky park here. There are numerous parking spaces off the road here and a small parking area behind specifically for hotel guests. We always managed to find a place.
The reception area is quite nice with a large fountain and atrium with white sofas. The check in staff were pleasant, and as we had arrived at 12.30ish we were advised that the room was not ready but the maid would do her best to have it ready by 1.30pm (official check in is 17.00).
There is a luggage room for the storage of suitcases. You are given two room keys plus an identification card that allows you to use the facilities of the sister hotel Club Praia da Oura (CPO) and the Oura View Beach Club.
A 100 Euro deposit for breakages is also required on check in and is refunded on departure. All the usual facilities were available here and the exchange rate offered was good (within 1 Euro of the outside bureau de change).
Prior to arriving I had requested a quiet room overlooking the pool. Unfortunately, we were given room 217 that overlooked a very busy road. Reception stated that there were no other rooms available and as there was nothing that could be done there and then, so we decided to unpack and get on with it.
The apartment was spacious, clean with a large balcony that looked directly on to a very noisy street with no view, other than other apartments, shops, travel agents, bureau de change and a Chinese restaurant.
Our thoughts at this time were that it was a lovely apartment but had the worst balcony and position we have ever had and the noise was horrendous even with all the windows & doors closed. After the first sleepless night, I asked at reception if there was any possibility of a room change to a quieter position.
As usual there was nothing available and to ask each morning at 10 am. This we did for 6 days but to no avail and in the end gave up as a result of the reception staff’s indifference and we did not want to spoil our holiday . We tried to sit out a couple of times, but it was just too noisy and you couldn’t relax at all. Also there was no sun other than a thin strip in the late afternoon.
On stepping into the apartment you came directly into a small hallway where there was a large telephone table with various information sheets and charity envelopes and one to put a tip in for the maid.
KITCHEN AREA: Recently refurbished with a good standard of units and plenty of crockery, cutlery, glasses, and utensils. New toaster and kettle, a two electric halogen hob unit that did not look as if it had been replaced when the kitchen was refurbished, microwave, and large free standing fridge/freezer (both recently upgraded). No complimentary sugar, teabags, coffee sachets, or water provided. Table with 4 chairs plus a large storage cabinet.
LOUNGE AREA: Good quality furniture, curtains, and upholstery, with large bed/settee, free standing armchair, coffee table, and side table. Built in unit with shelves and local ornaments. This housed the small portable type TV Plenty of storage space, but no hanging space. A cupboard housed the ironing board, iron, and general cleaning materials.
The resort info sheet states that an iron and board is available at reception, however, I was advised that all apartments have one in the room (dry iron only). BBC 1 was available as well as the usual CNN and BBC news channels. The coffee table and side table were upgraded during our first week, although there was nothing wrong with the ones already there. Air con on the wall – quiet but not that efficient.
BEDROOM: Large king sized bed with two side table that had bedside lights on. Small dressing table, with plug and two drawers, stool and large double wardrobe and within a small cabinet with 4 drawers. This also housed the safe. A hotel type table for suitcases. Double patio door that lead out on to the balcony (white PVC table, 3 chairs and clothes dryer).
This was the only way to get out to the balcony which was strange. It would have been better off the kitchen area. I did notice that some of the other rooms had two sets of doors leading to the balcony. Again the air con was high on the wall – quiet but not that efficient - adequate for the time of year.
BATHROOM: Good quality sanitary ware in white with toilet, bidet, wash basin in a marble vanity unit, bath, and shower over bath with curtain, fully tiled. There was a good jet spray and always hot water. The hairdryer was wall mounted and had a blow dry nozzle. The only toiletries supplied were 3 small soap sachets.
There were plenty of prints on the walls depicting the architect's impressions of the hotel. They looked really good, but unfortunately not exactly as the final result.
MAID SERVICE: Every other day with towel change. Bed linen once a week.
POOL TOWELS: Available reception for 5 Euro each. Not many people seemed to have these and they were not very big.
SAFE: In room for a charge for 2 weeks 35.70 Euro (non refundable).
POOL AREA: Clean but very crowded whilst we were there (may not be at other times). The sunbeds were packed together like sardines and you could hear every word the people next to you were saying. Although there was a notice stating ‘no reserving of sunbeds’ this was ignored and by 10 in the morning there was hardly a sunbed to be had. We only sat here for one day as we thought it was very noisy. However, that was our choice and there were plenty of people having a lovely time, especially the children and this is what holidays are for after all. There was a small gym and sauna located on the ground floor.
FOR CHILDREN: A small round pool next to the main one. I didn’t notice any separate play area, but there is a good one in CPO. Kid’s Club held twice a day for 2 hour sessions (Barney Bee Club – over 4 yrs only).
GROUNDS: None – there are tennis courts adjacent to the car park at the rear of the hotel.
There is a bar and restaurant within the hotel (Jackie’s). We did not eat here so cannot comment. There is also a nightclub with entertainment most evenings that is not under the management of the hotel. Very noisy at times with people sitting outside in the foyer and the noise echoed up into the apartments directly overhead. Did not venture in here, so again cannot comment on the food or entertainment.
Also plenty of daytime entertainment/activities laid on for those who want it, ranging from water aerobics, ballroom Latin dancing, salsa, tennis, Portuguese lessons, darts, ballet dancing, hip hop dancing and the list goes on. Most if not all were laid on at CPO.
The area surrounding the aparthotel is busy and commercialised, but well situated for bars, restaurants, shops. There is a very good supermarket just outside that seemed to sell everything you would need, if you wanted to self cater. The fresh bread and pastries were delicious. I only bought basics as we tend to eat out most of the time.
There was also a good little shop that sold the usual beach stuff and daily newspapers, plus a good travel shop that a ‘deals of the day’ trips advertised at very good rates. There is also a smaller supermarket in CPO that had most of what you would need. The sun lotion sold here was at least 4/5 Euro cheaper than in the shops in the surrounding area.
The hotel is about 5/10 mins from the anglicised notorious ‘Strip’ that is full of noisy bars and restaurants. The locals nicknamed this ‘English Street’! During our stay we had occasional forays into the ‘strip’ but it wasn’t our favourite area, so much of the time we spent in the ‘Old Town’. The one and only meal we did have here was awful. That is not to say that other restaurants were as bad as the one we chose and was probably a bad choice on our part.
Having said this there are plenty of bars and restaurants away from this area that offer better value for money. However, it was always busy, so obviously we were in the minority in our dislike.
Albufeira Old Town: Plenty of life and there is still areas of authenticity to be found. The square is lovely with cafes, shops, street entertainers and all the usual razzamatazz of a busy resort. Lovely to sit and be entertained over breakfast or coffee and cake. One night we saw a fashion show that showcased Portugal’s finest fashion houses. Didn’t recognise any though, but the atmosphere was good.
There is also a ‘bar street’ here as well and in the early evening it is quite pleasant, however after 12.00 it is very different with each bar competing with each other on who can make the most noise. Quite often we had a pre dinner drink listening to a very good couple of guys singing, blues, jazz, and the usual classics – they started about 8.15 and did two stints. We then went for dinner so don’t know when they finished. It’s near the top and close to the main square. It’s a 4 Euro taxi fare each way from the hotel. There is also a little tourist train that runs into town. Reception would book a taxi for 40 cents payable there and then.
We hardly ever had to wait more than a few minutes for one to arrive. You could walk down to the taxi rank, via the ‘strip’ or about another one about 5 mins away if you wanted to. To get a taxi home you had to queue at a designated spot sometimes for about 30 mins depending on what time it was.
This hotel is owned by Petchey Leisure, who also own Club Praia da Oura and Oura-View Beach Club (formerly Montechoro Beach Club) in the immediate area and you can use the facilities of all three. Oura View Beach Club had a fantastic pool area with slides for the kids and looked very popular with families. It must have been the weeks we requested as the hotel was very busy and fully booked with a large proportion of school age children from Ireland and I am assuming that they had broken up for their school holidays.
I would not recommend it for a quiet holiday at the time of our visit, but would definitely recommend it for families with children. The hotel is very clean and there was always general maintenance being carried out around the resort. Three sides of this hotel are facing the road, with one area facing the tennis court and car park. There is an ‘L’ shaped configuration of rooms that overlook the pool and I would guess that these are in the minority.
However, I was impressed with the CPO complex, just over the road. Although large, it had lovely gardens areas, with water features and plenty of space for children to play and also had quiet areas to sunbath. The beach below CPO was clean and safe for children and reminded me of Devon and Cornwall only much hotter. Luckily for us on our way down to the beach, we found a quiet patio area with sunbeds (above the bowling green and small café/bar).
There was never a problem in getting a sunbed here at any time of the day and this is where we went for the rest of our stay, when not out in the car . There were at least two more quiet patio areas within CPO that we came across but didn’t use. We were told that it was 13 Euro for two beds and parasol – seems very expensive if this was true.
The weather during our stay was hot in the day but got very cool when the sun went down and there was nearly always a brisk wind blowing. A jacket or wrap was definitely required. There wasn’t a problem with mozzies as it was too cold for them. Although I did manage to get 3 bites on the same night – may have just been the dreaded midge.
The guests we talked to either own an apartment, came via a high street travel agent, or booked direct with Petchey, so not strictly a timeshare resort. There were timeshare touts out and about, however we were only stopped a couple of times and they were always from Petchey. I did notice that there were a lot of tours and the sales tent and offices seemed busy.
What I can’t understand is how they manage to keep on selling timeshare apartments over and over again – there must be a lot of people just walking away. We received a telephone call during our second week from the customer services department asking if everything was OK – as soon as I stated we were not happy with the noise, it went very quiet, and she couldn’t get off the phone quick enough.
I think that both this resort and CPO are excellent for a family holiday with children but I feel that CPO is in a better position, although there are a number of rooms there that do not have good views and are not very private.

I've just returned from the Oura Praia Hotel in Montechoro. The hotel itself was fabulous. Our one bedroomed apartment was the best I've ever been in. It was huge and everything in it was like new.
The pool area was great as it's not too big so you can keep a close eye on the kids at all times. Unfortunately, though, it was extremely cold all day. It never heated at any stage. Sunbeds weren't a major problem. Some beds were booked very early but you were always guaranteed a bed somewhere at any stage of the day. If beds were left unattended for a long period of time and someone was left without a bed, the porter went and removed all unattended towels from beds.
The restaurants on the strip were mostly nice especially La Bamba and Erins Isle at the very top of the strip. The chinese across the road from the hotel, Happy House, was magnificent and very cheap. A trip to Zoomarine was well worth a visit. There's a supermarket right next door to the hotel which is very convenient and normally priced. All in all our trip to Albufeira was fab but the night times get very very cool so bring a cardy!

Start with the good points first. Although we were booked into the Club Praia da Oura, we were put in the sister hotel the Oura Praia. The hotel itself is immaculately clean, and rooms are spacious. There is no rush for sun beds by the pool in a morning as the doors to the pool don't open till around 8.30. Good sized swimming pool for both children and adults.
Bad points.
Found most of the staff very rude, and walked around with a scowl on their face. This hotel doesn't cater for children either. There is nothing for the children on a night, and when we walked down to the Club Praia da Oura there was nothing there for the kids either.
The promise of a kids club and entertainment to suit, never materialised. Extremely disappointed, as were my children. The resort itself is not child friendly either and walking with a pushchair is a nightmare.
Will not be visiting this resort again and if we do, will be when the children are old enough to do adult things.

The good points first! - The communal areas, especially the pool were lovely and there were plenty of nice restaurants nearby. You could use the facilities of the Clube Praia D'Oura which provided nightly entertainment for both adults and children. My kids loved the mini disco. The walk to the nice beach was a good 10 minutes downhill (a bit tough on the way back especially in the heat!).
Bad points - although the rooms were large, they were quite grubby. There was a drain in the floor near the kitchenette which had years of food droppings built up in it. The rooms that did not overlook the pool were either overlooking a car park or a busy road. The laundry facilities were in the other complex and seemed to open whenever they felt like it. The staff were most unhelpful with regards to information on restaurants, buses etc.
They had a permanent scowl on their faces. For people working in the tourist industry, they were a most unhappy bunch.