Janelas Do Mar Apartments

I really enjoyed my stay at Janelas Do Mar.
I found that it had plenty to do, and all 3 of the pools were very nice and clean, the jacuzzi was really nice to relax in.
The rooms were nice and basic which were kept clean by the maids.
Before going away I read some reviews and quite a few of them were really negative, which scared me because some of them did mention that the apartments were on a really big hill and that they were far from the strip, and some also said that they were really noisy.
But when I got there I found that the "big hill" was a really small one that was easy to walk up and down, and the strip was only a ten minute walk. And the apartments wasn't noisy at all.

The strip is really lively, great for younger people such as myself, but also there are some quieter bars as well.
The old town is really lovely and you can find some great restaurants right next to the beach, the food is really nice.
I would recommend anybody to go Janelas Do Mar because there is something for everybody.
I am definitely going back next year.

If you are looking for a cheap family holiday, then the Janelas Do Mar is for you, with 4 pools including a children’s and 1 indoor, mini-golf, table tennis, tennis, pool and game machines there is plenty to keep the kids occupied.
The apartments are located in the best spot in Montechoro, with excellent views of the sea and Albufeira town. Being in such an elevated position it can be quite a trek to get to the main shopping/bar/club area and to the beach, but the apartments provide a bus service for this purpose for a couple of euros.
The apartments do have evening entertainment but this is something to be desired (think club singer). Overall I would rate these apartments as very good and would definitely return.

I have to endorse the views of Mrs Noble and Mr Gray. This resort and accommodation make for a great value for money family summer holiday.
As a light sleeper I was worried before hand after reading some of the earlier comments about noise levels but I slept soundly (guess being on 8th floor helped but we were next to the lift and it didn't affect us).
The hotel's facilities were fine and we especially liked the pools (having a heated indoor one was useful on the couple of showery days we had).
The beaches are fabulous and the old town is lovely but undergoing a major renovation at present. Don't let that put you off though as a wonder around the pedestrian side streets is a joy both day and night. The Strip is a fun place and gets quieter towards the top end. Taxis are only Euro3-4 wherever you go and are easy to find at the designated ranks.
Our best excursion was Aqualand (a water park) which made for superb family entertainment and was quite close by. We found that the independent outlets and hotel itself provided better value than the tour operator on the two trips we booked.
We found restaurant prices varied a lot but due to the intense competition there is always a bargain to be had without compromising on quality. The bigger supermarkets offer very fresh food at good prices (watermelons for Euro 1!).
The Portuguese were nice and helpful on the whole and their command of English is excellent. The World Cup was on while we were there which added a further splash of colour to our holiday - not that it needed it! Highly recommended holiday choice for families, couples or singles. 7/10

I would like to comment on these apartments, unlike the previous holiday maker, I find these apartments lovely, a nice location away from the hustle and bustle but only a 5 minute walk away from the Strip if you want it, the beach being at the bottom of the strip. The staff are very friendly and cant do enough for you to make your holiday a nice one. They are fluent in English so no need to worry on that score.
The apartments are ,yes basic but very clean and all you need. They have 3 pools, Jacuzzi and a small gym. They have an on-site supermarket, newsagent, 2 poolside bars one of which is a restaurant in the evening. They have free entertainment every evening and again the bar staff are very friendly and cant do enough for you. What more can you want.
I have been holidaying at these apartments for approx 12 years and I have no complaints with any of it. I will continue to holiday there for as long as I am happy.

I was a bit worried reading the previous review from Miss Smith re the noise however my fears were unfounded.
The football stadium is visible (on the horizon) but it''s so far away you don’t hear a peep out of it and lets face it who goes to bed at 9.30 on their holidays anyway?.
Regarding noise from other holiday makers, this may well have been a problem at the height of the season but we went in October which turned out to be perfect timing. We heard a bit of noise on one night from a drunk Irishman out of the 14 days we were there and that didn’t last long.
The accommodation is fairly basic but it's clean and is kept very clean by all the Russian cleaning ladies.
Cutlery and cooking gear was adequate, basic but clean, however we never cooked the whole fortnight so who cares!.
The staff speak good English, I hardly had to use my Portuguese at all!.
The TV was expensive, 50 Euros for 2 weeks, however I sussed a way to get it to work without the remote so a result there.
There are 4 pools including a kids pool and an indoor pool and small gym. All were clean and well maintained.
The Portuguese in general were great, very friendly and helpful, including the taxi drivers.
Janelas do Mar is 10 minutes walk from the strip and the old town, 5 minutes from a sizeable market.
Taxis are dirt cheap though, 4 euros to any part of the town so we never walked once.
The resort was great, not too British if you know what I mean, plenty of atmosphere in the old town and dozens of excellent restaurants of all types, which is what we like when we’re away.
There is a really good shopping centre in the town, on the way to the old town and an out of town one also which you can get a taxi to.
We all very much enjoyed this holiday. Great weather, great place, ideal time of year, not too many kids (except for the odd under 5 for our 3 year old to play with) and not too many British people.
I would definitely go back (in October).

Unless you are a heavy sleeper, Janelas Do Mar is not the right place for you to spend your holiday.
Our apartment was just feet away from a heavy lift door that gets slammed day and night (like a mini earthquake every time). With 8 apartments on each floor you are bound to be near either the lift door or one of the two staircase doors / fire doors that also get slammed throughout the night by children using the corridors as a playground. Some parents seem to have an "out of sight, out of mind" attitude to children during their holidays.
There is no double-glazing so we could hear all outside noise.
There was noise from other families throughout the night. Twice there were domestic arguments. Twice I had to ring reception (at 1.30 am one night and at 5am another night) to ask security to sort it out.
Block 3 has no staffed reception area, so apart from a CCTV camera linked to the main reception in another block, you are isolated from any physical security presence.
With tiled floors and wooden chairs, we heard constant scraping noises from the apartment above. This is rather like nails on a blackboard. The only apartments that do not suffer this annoyance are on the 9th floor. It is highly irritating when people return from a night out at 3am and start moving furniture around.
Dustcarts empty the 5 huge wheelie bins at 3am most days, which is a noisy activity at the best of times.
A few hundred yards away, a new football stadium has just been completed. The first match was Friday 22nd July. This is nice for football fans but not for anyone not wishing to listen to the music and announcements from the loud speakers during evening matches. There is also noise from football supporters leaving the stadium after the match (with a 9.30pm kick-off, shouting and chanting fans were returning to the site after 11pm).
Our First Choice rep offered to move us but all the apartments were subject to the same noise from people coming back from The Strip between midnight and 6am (drunk). This leads to lots of door-slamming, lots of loud conversations echoing up the corridors, the inevitable arguments as to who has the door key (!) etc.
Some of the transfer buses take holidaymakers back to Faro airport at 6.20am, so we got disturbed several times by people vacating apartments at 6am.
There are no lifeguards at pools, so it’s not wise to leave kids unattended even if they are confident swimmers. The pool at the lower level had a problem with very smelly drains during our stay.
The cutlery was so rusty I had to scrub it when we arrived.
The tea towels were too filthy to use. Even the washed tea towels were heavily stained.
There was no microwave or grill (or sieve, or colander). There is just an oven, a hob and a toaster.
The fridge was adequate, but hums and rattles all night struggling to stop the butter from going runny. If you are sleeping (or trying to sleep) in the living area section this might get on your nerves after a while.
The beds were rock hard. If you are lucky enough to fall asleep, the pins and needles you get 20 minutes later will probably wake you up again before too long. The pillows were so lumpy they felt like they were filled with marbles. I ended up using rolled up blankets instead.
The lock on the toilet door was very fiddly to use. This would be problematic for small children or anyone with difficulties using their fingers, such as the elderly.
I was not allowed to use my Switch card to pay the First Choice rep for excursions (I had to play hunt the ATM).
TV rental was very expensive (20 euros for 1 week, 30 euros for 2 weeks).
The "entertainment" on site in the evenings was pretty dreadful, which is why most people opt to go to The Strip at nights.
In Albufeira, the cobbled streets are made from white flint, shiny side up, and are like an ice rink. I slipped over injuring my wrist and side. I met several other people with arms and ankles strapped up due to falls.
Beggars hassle you in the streets, especially in The Strip. Women with bare feet carrying babies at night are on every street.
Taxi drivers were miserable, to the point of downright rude!
The on-site shop was ok for essentials like bread and milk but quite limited in choice. There was a supermarket 10 minutes walk away but do not expect the same variety as you would find in your local Tescos or Sainsburys.
There WERE a few good points during our 2 week stay at Janelas Do Mar, including a trip to Zoomarine, a bus excursion along the West coast, and a boat trip from Fisherman's Beach, but the lack of sleep totally ruined the holiday for all of us.

The apartments we found to be very spacious and clean, basic cooking utensils but adequate.
The facilities like the pool areas, snack bar and main bar were always spotlessly clean. Although on our information pack it said linen changed twice a week, ours wasn’t changed at all and the towels changed every other day, ours were changed when they became unusable and we just dropped them in the bidet. Yes there was a bidet in the bathroom.
The hotel provides a very efficient bus service that drops off at the strip and then goes onto Albufeira, this runs all day till 20.45 and once you purchase the ticket (from reception) you can use the bus as many times in the days as required.
Excellent value for money for cheap and cheerful holiday. We would recommend it to friends with older children, a little too much walking for toddlers and steep hills for elderly, but then there is always the bus.

The apartments themselves were rather basic, with very few cooking utensils and crockery, but were reasonably spacious. The reception staff were all very helpful and pleasant. The facilities available here were excellent, with crazy golf, pool and table tennis tables, and nightly entertainment in the bar area, there was something for everyone. Both the outdoor pools were lovely and clean, with garden as well as terrace areas available for sunbathing.
The location was excellent for access to the strip, the best nightlife in the Algarve, but was also close enough to the Old Town to visit by bus or taxi.
The holiday reps from first choice were fantastic, always with a cheery smile in the morning and ready to help as best they could. This is a great location in Albefuira, and would be great for couples, families or groups of friends.

The apartments were brilliantly located. 10 mins to main strip ( the main street, with bars and restaurants and shops).
To get to the strip. Head out of apartments to the bottom of the road. Going straight across the road. Head forward. You will come to a small round about. Go straight across, heading towards a small piece of waste ground. There you are on the strip. Head right to the rest of the strip and the beach.
20-25 mins from beach ( praia da oura).
Apartments offer a shuttle service for about £1.75 per day. To be used as often as you like that day. Drops you off at the strip and old town. Operated 9am - 8.30pm. But we found it nice to walk. Obviously depending on what you really want to do.
Set on a quiet hill side, the Janelos Do Mar, I think it is perfectly located for all types of holiday makers, families and couples.
The apartments have everything you will need. Supermarket, souvenir and paper shop. 3 pools including indoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room.. Pool tables, kids room and small play ground. Tennis court. Bar inside and bar and snack place by one pool. And snack bar at other pool. And other things that I have probably forgot to mention.
Maids come about 4-5 times a week to clean apartments. Linen changed 2/3 times a week. The apartments are spacious, with plenty of storage space, clean with all your basic needs for s/catering.
Staff on reception very helpful and speak very good English.
Safety deposit keys are about £10.00 per week + a £10 refundable deposit.
We loved the walk from Praia Do Oar beach to the old town. Its along the beaches and coves and takes you along some cliff walks. Please do not go this way with young children, elderly or with people finds walking hard. It is about 2-3 miles. But so worth it. Going along this picturesque coastline. I used about 50 photos on our first walk along the cliffs.
Montechoro is the new part of Albufeira. Which is were these apartments are situated. But you must go to the old town several times both day and night. It has such a lovely atmosphere. With entertainment, good places to eat and drink, in the small streets of the old town. And in the main square. Check out ‘‘tampas’’, which is located on one of the corners of the square. For great food at great prices. A mixed meat grill is served on a chopping board. Different I guess, but beautiful. And also try there chicken kebabs, which come on a dangling scure, with onion and peppers. Very tasty.
There is also a Wally train, which takes you from mid way on the strip to the old town. It operates from 9am - 1am. Costs £2.00 for all day ( under 5's free, I think!, over 65's less than £1.00),to be used as often as you like. Great if you want to go in to the old town at day and night.
Taxis from the old town back to apartments in the early hours were about £3.75. Not bad to get you straight to the door.
I think most things were averagely priced. But warning on the strip at the loud noisy bars and also at some of the noisy bars in the old town, down the small streets. Don’t be surprised to be charged nearly £7.00 for a bottle of Smirnoff ice and a large 'Portuguese 'Super Brock' beer. Ask first, then its less of a shock!!!!!!!!.
We only went on one trip. It was Zoo marine. And it was brilliant. With Dolphin, Sea lion, Parrot and wild bird shows. It has something for everyone. Costing about £17.50 for an adult. It fills in about 6 hours. It also has a kid’s playground with rides and a big well. And there is also a pool area too.
I think if you like to be a little out of the way. So you can get a good nights sleep. But close enough. To just have 10 mins to walk to main strip for bars etc. And not too bothered about the beach being on the doorstep.
Families or couples will love these apartments.
I don’t think you will be disappointed. We booked this holiday last minute. And looked at reviews on the internet to help us decide. And I think it was better than we expected.
It’s only about a 55-minute transfer from airport. Obviously this depends on the amount of drop offs there are on the way.

Well, I stayed at Janelas in '03 and '04 and it was a top holiday because the strip is wicked where you can go 2 shop and the beach isn’t too far away either.
A bus will take you there every hour, I love football so the fact that euro 2004 was on in Portugal, well I was LOVIN IT! But the Holland team were apparently training near the block just as we were going home!! Don’t no if it was true but.
The bar is class because I know the bar men so that was good crack. All the jerseys were on the roof of the bar which I was loving too, Rui the bar man supported sporting Lisbon, and loved talking footie. Liverpool are my team.
Nightlife brilliant along the strip. If anyone is going to go there tell them all Emma said hola, they will remember! I’ll def go back...some day... xxx