Janelas Do Mar Apartments

Mum with two girls aged 13 and 14 from Hertfordshire.
Just returned from Janelas do Mar after 3 weeks. We had a fantastic holiday and the accommodation was excellent, room 304, block 3. The room was spacious and clean. The kitchen had a microwave combo which if you turn the dial to Combo 2 or 3 it becomes an oven. The maids came in daily and provided clean towels and toilet rolls. There were 3 main pools; one indoors next to the jacuzzi; one outside block 2 which was nice and quite big with plenty of sun loungers; and the other, well ... it is great. In block 3 go down to level -2 and you discover what we called the secret pool! Very large with a small childrens pool next to it. A poolside bar for drinks, great chips, ice creams etc. Loads of sun loungers and for a small fee you can hire a lounger mattress and parasol. Reception staff were very helpful and gave us a free map. There is a shop on site but the prices are double to the supermarket down the road which is a 10 min walk. The beds in the room weren't great but acceptable. Really handy was that the TV got BBC1 and ITV really clearly!! The Algarve is lovely and the local beach (which is a bit of a walk) is really nice. You can walk along the cliff top, but be careful, from Oura Beach (at the top of the Strip) to a small beach (which was our favorite) then further on until you get to Fishermans Beach which is where Old Town is - with market streets - really nice!
What they call 'The Strip' is just up from the supermarket (about a 12 min walk) where the restaurants and shops are. We also visited Aqualand which is well worth a visit or two. We hired a car and drove there whereby you can get two days quite cheaply, especially if you pick up a leaflet from the airport when you arrive which gives 4Euros off the price for 4 people each. I must admit the hotel beat all expectations after reading reviews. We would certainly return one day. OK, there is a bit of a walk to the beach etc, so if you don't like walking maybe re-think. If you hire a car it's ideal. Driving there is really easy, Im not the most confident of drivers, so if I can do it anyone can! Along the coast to Gale and Bengal beaches which are beautiful. There are plenty of caves and great beaches to find. Parking is free and quite easy.

They are of for the price but the local area is very unsafe u have to get a taxi if u wont to go anywhere just to be safe. Our view outside our appartment was a gyspy camp

2 readers found this review helpful

My partner and I have just returned from a 6 day long holiday from the Albufueria and stayed at this hotel.
Its cheap and cheerful, room was clean and spacious as was the cooker/microwave and fridge. Beds were made and towels were changed daily
People complain a little too much about the distance from the strip or town, it was around a 10-15 mins walk from the hotel but the weather was stunning so we didnt mind-drink is cheap on happy hour but food is fairly expensive so the self catering option is the best idea unless you want to head into town.
There was a few stereotypical british tourists that checked in on the thursday of our stay who were loud and have plenty of cackles and noise from the moment they woke up onwards but thats not the hotels fault!
Pool is freezing but its refreshing after lying in the sun for a day
Overall I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a cheap stay on a budget and albufueria is lovely!!

2 readers found this review helpful

Stayed at this hotel for two weeks. Nice place plenty of friendly people. Entertainment fine. All staff very helpful. Rooms clean and tidy. Was a bit noisy at times with youngsters. Would go back again.

3 readers found this review helpful

Have stayed here in Sept. 2009 and Sept 2010(going in 2011 all being well). Great apartments,basic but clean. There are 3 blocks in total, I guess it would be very busy in peak season here. Having always stayed in Sept., all the rooms are not all booked so plently of room round the pool.
Have always found the staff to be helpful ( try smiling at them instead of moaning, find this helps to get good service). The complex has two outdoor pools and one indoor pool. Stayed in block 3, has lift straight down to pool area.Food and drink at apartments reasonably priced.
Its a 15 minute walk to the 'strip', the new town, and a good 25 minute walk to old town. A taxi is only 3.80 euro to either. The taxis have a 5 euro limit within the local area.
I find the resort very appealing to both young and old.
Have stayed in the Algarve in July, found it very hot... reached 110F, Sept time is a nice 75-80F.

3 readers found this review helpful

Just returned from a great 10 day stay at the Janelas Do mar. After reading some of the reviews we did wonder what we were letting ourselves in for. We were in block 3 on the 8th floor, great sea view, room very big loads of wardrobe space, kitchen with plenty of utensils, and very very clean.
Our room was cleaned 9 out of the 10 days, with clean towels every other day, and sheets changed 4 times. We could not fault a thing.
Great pool area 2 outdoor pools and 1 indoor pool with excellent jacuzzi.
Hotel bar and shop not that good, but two local supermarkets near by. Entertainment in hotel was karaoke every night!!!
The hotel is a little away from the main resort, but you can walk to the strip in 15 mins and the old town in about 30 mins. Bus stop right outside, buses very reliable. Taxis service excellent, 50 cents for reception to call one and they are there within 5 mins.
Old town is excellent, strip can be a bit loud but still OK.
Overall for the price you pay very good basic accommodation.
Ignore the bad reviews and go for it!!!

i must say that if i did not stay in Alvor before i reach tis hotel i would not visit Portugal again. This hotel 1st the staff do not smile and they are just not that pleasant at all they seem to think that you are begging to stay the night and nit remembered that you have paid. 2nd. you need to pay a deposit to access tv crap and the lil 14" is so battered and destroyed.... they are cleaning servuce available but you need to pay to get the towels change and all that ...3rd the outside looks great but does not make up for the inside and everywhere is really far out.... never again i would go to this hotel .. i would strongly advice read all reviews before booking.. as you nearly have to pay a deposit for everything ..ooh sorry no not for using the toilet!!

6 readers found this review helpful

Myself and two girl friends had literally booked a late deal one week before we flew to the Algarve. None of us had ever been to Portugal and therefore were all a bit apprehensive of what to expect.
The Janelas Do Mar Apartments are cheap, basic but do the job. They were clean and towels and sheets changed regularly. You will even find a cleaning rota within a pack left in your room. Regarding the apartments themselves, we couldn't find a single fault, except for the pillows, which are a little bumpy, but the beds are perfectly fine. There is plenty of space and a good sized balcony area also. We had a faulty toaster on arrival and this was sorted straight away after mentioning it to our Thomson Rep. Entertainment was a bit bland in the hotel with Karioke each night, however the main centre of Albuferia is excellent. The only grumble we had was that the Apartments were further out of the resort than we initially thought, and therefore you need to get taxis to the Old Town (also this is where the beach is located) and to the Strip. You would also need to taxi between the Old town and the Strip. Taxis cost around 4 Euros whereever you travel within the resort. If you order them with the reception at the apartments expect to pay 50cent euro for the cost of the call, and the taxi firm all have numbers on them, in which you will be given to ensure you are safe and know your taxi is legit! Very good system. Watch out for taxi number 68 however, he tried to rip us off a few times. And dont expect change from 5 Euros if your taxi was say 3.90 euros - they like a good tip!! We would recommend giving them the exact change!!
For first timers there are plenty of areas to the resort. We are aged between 23-24 yrs and really enjoyed the strip where the majority of the clubs and bars are located, however this doesn't tend to get busy until after 11pm, and therefore we would go the the Old town for our evening meals before hand. The old town is a little like Covent Garden in London with lots of trendy bars and nicer resturants with light entertainment from street performers - who were great with kids.
There are also bars which played live band music.
Some recommendations are as followed;
Old Town; Bank Resturant / Bravo / Pampers
Beach; First Two resturants on the main front serve beautifully fresh food and the service is fantastic - defo a must but I cannot remember either names
The Strip; Kiss for clubs, Bars = Matt's bar, La Bamba, Patcha, Mambos, Food = La Bamba & Grilled Kitchen defo the only two places to eat along the strip
Date of visit; June 20 - July 1st (11 nights)

2 readers found this review helpful

when we arrived to the appartment we had no rep. he got off at the stop before and said the driver will take ye to your place. when we got there they wernt very nice. The room we got seemed nice but really it wasnt, it had mouldy food under the cupboards, cracks in the celings, creepie crawlies in the sofa beds, we then had to ask for clean towels as they didnt change them, they didnt change the bed sheets once, the beds were like concrete and the pillows was like sleeping on golf balls very lumpy. it was also very noise as it is across the road from a school. the paint is peeling off the out side off the building and by the inside pool there was also 3 broken windows that havent been replaced. i honestly think it was a disgrace and would not advise anyone to sleep here as it is a dump... when we were leaving i handed the key into reception and he girl didnt even say hello or goodbye she was very ignorent.. i would not go back here if i was paid money!!

3 readers found this review helpful

Janelas do Mar is located on the top of a desolate hill surrounded by scrubland, a school and (when we were there) a construction site.You need to enjoy walking on rocky pavements, and uphill, to access local supermarket and restaurants ,about 20 minutes away.Taxis at 4 euros a trip were essential. The onsite bar, restaurant, newsagent, snackbar, minigolf, bicycle hire were all closed. The mini supermarket had minimal stock and seemed to open and shut when it liked (probably due to lack of customers).Plenty of sun loungers but all the mattresses were locked away in the closed snack bar!Pillows all lumpy and very used. Paint peeling in some areas outside. Apartment was spacious and clean but had seen better days (in block 3).Small old battered portable TV you pay 20 euros deposit to access. Maid service efficient and reliable.Indoor pool good but jacuzzi is annoyingly on an automatic timed cycle so if you get in near the end you have to wait 15 mins for it to restart.The Strip is cheap and tacky, typical tourist rip off area. we have been to much nicer locations and accommodation in The Algarve- wont be returning to this one.