Janelas Do Mar Apartments

2 readers found this review helpful

before going on holiday,i, like many others read the reviews for these apartments and became increasingly worried about what unearth i was going to. four of us stayed here 2 adults 2 children, aged 15. we arrived to be told our room was not ready and had to wait 2 hours. we booked a 2 bedroom aprt had a tiny balcony with 2 chairs. apartments were spacious but the whole complex is in dire need of serious refurbishment and modernisation, yes you get what you pay for, basic, very very basic accomodation. most of the staff were helpful and friendly, the pools were disgustingly filthy never cleaned at all the large pool downstairs was terrible it was so fillthy you couldnt see the insides of the pool, dirt, rubbish, spillages of god knows what, just disgusting. the coffee shop food was not bad we ate here a few times. as for location this could hve been 100% better you are a good 20 mins half hour walk from the strip which is full of alsorts, drug dealers hen/stag dos, the courtesy bus which costs just over 5 euro for 4 people everytime you used it and was available so be very prepared to be out of pocket for that and taxis which cost about 4 before a tip to and from the strip and albuferia. as for stayin here again a definate no and as for recommending it to friends also a definate no!

I stayed at this hotel just recently with 3 friends and I can't believe some of the bad reviews I have read about this hotel! I honestly can't see what there was to complain about! For the money that we paid I thought it was a lovely hotel. The rooms were clean, comfortable and very spacious and the staff seemed very friendly. We had a huge living area. bedroom and a balcony in our room and 2 other friends who shared had two balconies and a lovely sea view in their room. The pool area was lovely and although yes there were a few cats and dogs occasionally wandering around they were no bother and I can't see how they could have been contolled. The animals were never in the eating area and I'd also like to say the hotel cafe was really nice, get the full english or the omelettes, they were really nice and well priced.
Albuferia itself is great, very pretty and with lots to do. The beach is lovely and i would certainly recommend doing some watersports when your there. We went parasailing and it wasn't too much at all, just 35 euros each which is cheaper than what i've seen on my holidays in Greece. Be warned though the sun loungers are quite expensive, it was 30 euros for four of us, so if your on a budget i'd think about just lying on the sand. I'd also recommend going to the slide and splash waterpark if you can, we had a fantastic day there. Theres a lot to do though and its quite busy so i'd recommend getting there as early as possible and havin a full day there.
The strip at Albuferia was really fun and lively when we went and it had lots of bars but if your really into your music and nightlife just be prepared bcos the bars are not very varied- i must have heard shakira 'hips don't lie', 'dirty' and black eyes peas about 10 million times! It was all pretty much commerical RnB music from about 2 years ago which is fine to dance to but can get a bit much after a few nights! We went to the Old Town one night for a break from it all, was a bit more varied with a few dancey bars and a rock bar and was also a bit more smart and up market, there was a lot of locals there. Didn't think the Old Town was as much fun as the strip though! On the strip I would recommend Cafe Del Mar which was very busy and lively and played some good music including some cheesy tunes and a karaoke bar just next door to it, we had a great time there one night, played some good music and the jugs of sangria are really cheap. Beware kiss club though, its the place to go at 4 after the bars shut but its 15 euros in each so you might need to budget for it!
Overall me and my friends had the best holiday and I would recommend the hotel and Albuferia to anyone.

Only complaint was the hill. But that me moaning..Haha.. It was fine..
To hear people complain they had to pay for the bus at 1 euro is a joke.. then a taxi 50 cents, this under a £1.. Mabey they should have gone Butlins
We walked out most nights to the strip and had a ball, i went with hubby and kids 3 and 9, mum sis and 2 15yr olds.. We all had a great time. Loads catered for near by and the hotel was great to. 3 pools to choose from. I have never been to a hotel WITH a lifegaurd so didnt expect one. For the price this place was great. I have been to worse. It was clean they had friendly staff.. What more do you want with a cheap hol.
PS walking to the strip took about 20 mins. I and my sis are disabled and managed it..

there were 6 of us staying in this aparments.this had to of being the holiday from hell,you are miles away from the strip it cost 50cent to ring a taxie,there was a curtisy bus which you had to pay for the pools are horrible health and safty were there and evrything,there are no life gaurds and they have four pools which never got cleand at night time.the cafe in the aparments are rotten there are cats all over the place and they let them in the cafe,there was no entertainment for children in the aparment and we were told to go to the strip which was full of stags and hens partys and full of beggers and drug dealers,id never stay there again or book a holiday with budget travel.

Hotel is no where near as bad as other people here make out, there were 16 of us (ages form 25 to 50) who came out here on a stag do on a budget and expected a budget hotel, but to our amazement it was excellant rooms were huge, enough space for 4 fully gown adults and more. The people were friendly and the pools were excellant, The little irish bar opposite (although in need of a refurb) was really good the owners couldnt do enough to make us welcome...
The strip was lively and only a 5-10 min walk depending on weather you find the short cut or not but for the sake of 4 euro taxis was alot easier..
The old town was nice and had finer places to eat and the beach was excellant so all in all a excellant place to go.
Booking up now to go to potimao with the missus for honey moon hope this one will be as enjoyable...
so dont get put of by the bad reviews i couldnt fault the place....

Oh my god! I am absolutely shocked how anyone could post bad comments about Janelas Do Mar!
Just me and my boyfriend went on 3rd June and absolutely adored it. When we first arrived the staff were lovely and helpful, we checked in our room and was gobsmacked at the size of the apartment!! It was so spacious and clean and had everything we would need. For people to say that the apartment was basic I dont understand! We payed to go on holiday Self Catering which basicly means either buy your own food and look after yourself, or just eat out all the time!!
The pool area was gorgeous! The pool itself is absolutely freeeezing which I enjoyed, which my boyfriend didnt! To go to the Fishermans beach you can catch the bus from outside the apartment which runs every 30mins, or get a taxi for around 5 euros. The beach is out of this world, however if you want to buy 2 sunbeds and a parasol (which you need) is 15 euros which I thought was quite expensive, but to be honest well worth it! Also chinese ladies walk round and offer massages- which was amazing!!
The Strip is around 10 mins away from the apartment and to be honest in heels quite tricky!! the pavements are cobbled and quite uneven so tred carefully!! I loved the strip! Great places to eat and drink. The old town is quite authentic portugal and quite family orientated but still great!!
Theres loads more to say, and I cannot speak highly enough of the place!! we enjoyed every single minute of it and really didnt want to leave! I will definately be there next year! Missing Portugal already

My boyfriend and I (aged 20 and 21) have just returned from janelas do mar and I have to say we were pleased with what we payed for. We stayed in block two on the third floor, the rooms are very spacious, clean and basic. The maid service was excellent, 6 days out of 7, we had our rooms cleaned, beds made etc and fresh towels and toilet rolls. Reception staff are very helpfull, they recomended restaurants for us to eat in and are fluent in english (which always helps!) Pools were great to cool you down when sunbathing, they are very cold though at first, be warned!!
The hotel is about a 10 minute walk from the strip with all the bars and restaurants. 5 euro for a taxi if you dont feel like walking.Note for the girls: if you are planning on wearing heels on your holiday, get practising walking on cobblestones in the strip!!!
We went on lots of the trips, we booked these through our rep. I would reccomend the Jeep Safari to younger people or anyone who doesn't mind a very bumpy journey!! Was a great day up the mountains in our open top jeep. (not your typical safari with animals though)
Overall we had a fantastic holiday, the apartments were great and portugal is a lovely country :-)

i stayed at these apartments for the 2nd time in 4 yrs.
the second time just by chance we got these apartments as we went for allocation on arrival. the maid was in 4 times during out wk long holiday. and towels were changed everyday. we go our rooms straight away when we got off the bus and it was spotless. With 3 big pools to choose from there was never any need to rush for a sunlounger. it may not be the best for people with walking difficulties as it is up a slightly steep hill. there is a supermarket close by which was perfect for us as we stayed self catering and 8 bottles of the local beer was 2 euro which you can't complain about as it tasted pretty good. The layout of the supermarkt reminded us of Lidl.
entertainment wasn't the best but the town is only a 5 min walk away if you cut through the car park which is straight across from the bottom of the hill; just keep going straight. there is a great irish pub there too which did the best frys after a hard night of drinking!
Overall my boyfriend and i loved both stays here and was definitely recommend to both families and anyway looking for good nightlife but with a quiet enough distance from the centre of things!

After reading all of the bad comments i have to say i disagree! my boyfriend and I stayed here in September 07, I am 19 and he is 21 and we loved it, it was basic but everything you needed was there, I am abit of a clean freak myself but it passed my standards, the room got cleaned 6days out of 7 with fresh towels every day. There is a shop located on the site, which is slightly overpriced but is ok if you need something quick! There is a bus service which we used on a daily basis to the strip beach etc which is only 1 euro return! Theres internet access which is 1 euro for 20mins which isnt bad! We went to the strip every night to eat as it was quite cheap, but the lower down the strip you got the more expensive things got! - It isnt the newest most classiest of apartments, but your not exactly paying mega money to stay there are you!? you deffinatly get what you pay for!
The only thing i didnt like was when we checked in we couldnt have our rooms for about 3 hours, which wasnt nice at first but there was a room for our lugage so we just got changed and headed straight for the pool. I would definatly go back! also right opposite there is a lil irish bar which is great for brekie and cheap too!!

This is my second post about these apartments, my previous a few years ago. I have recently been back to Janelas Do Mar and had a lovely time. I take umbrige to the previous holidaymaker saying the place was dirtly and smelly. I would like to reassure anyone who might be going there in the future, this is not the case. Yes it is a little older than some of the new places recently been built but everything you need is there and it certainly is not dirty. The staff are lovely and will help in anyway you need. They are fluent in English, no worries there. I certainly will be back.