Reviews of Perola Do Algarve Apartments, Albufeira, Portugal

Just got back a couple of weeks...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs L Robinson

Comments:

Just got back a couple of weeks ago and can't fault the hotel one bit. Our room was massive with a double balcony cleaned daily. The staff were friendly the hotel clean. Cardiac hill doesnt even put you out of breath! Don't be put off by the comments! Pool area lovley, could do with a few more sunbeds but we didn't struggle in peak season and never went down before 7.30am. Andy and Kate the reps were more than helpful. Kids club fantastic! Our little girl who is 4 had never been to one before and loved it. Would definatley go to aquashow it is a must! Zoomarine is good if you like to queue an hour just for your dinner. Wouldn't go there again. All in all Albuferia is a nice place, old town is worth a visit new town is wannabe benidorm.

Really enjoyed staying at Perola...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Select

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Miss S Keene

Comments:

Really enjoyed staying at Perola do Algarve, we went for 2 weeks and had a great time! I agree mostly with all the positive comments already written.



We preffered the old town as it had a great atmosphere...the new town is more just bars but still a good night out.



Staff at the hotel were all lovely...especially carlos our rep. :)



There is an indoor pool...its just very hard to find! we didnt use it but we came across it when exploring. Theres also a jacuzzi and fitness suite.



The only thing we didnt like about the hotel was the food in the restaurant! It was pretty bad! We only ate in there once! But it didnt matter cos theres loooads of places to eat that are only a 10 minute walk away in the old town.



Overall we had a great time...a fabulous holiday :D

Just came back from Albuferia,...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs M Langston

Comments:

Just came back from Albuferia, what a fantastic holiday.. Our stay at the Perola Do Algarve was faultless, rooms were lovely and clean, friendly staff, pool and sunbed area clean, although we didnt get a sunbed that often as were all taken, talk about the Germans grabbing the sunbeds the Brits are even worse 5.40am in the morning to put a towel on one!!!! Room was cleaned everyday and beds lovely and comfy.



Recommend the Old Town of Albuferia as the beach is lovely and clean and plenty of places to eat and not expensive either. Great pizzas and cocktails at Tonys Pizzas, also the Bank Restaurant had a huge variety of meals from around the World suitable for all ages, Doppbell Restaurant, great for brandy and coffee only 2.50 euros and the meals were lovely, kids meals were the size of an adults, great value for money.



The New Town (Strip) of Albuferia is lively and ideal for the younger generation.



Aquashow well worth going to, great rides and plenty for the younger kids even for the non swimmers, as the life guards catch them at the end of the slides so that they dont go under the water, which I thought was great as my younger daughter doesnt swim very well so this didnt stop her from going on the rides, my husband and I had a fantastic time we felt like kids again!!!!



I would recommend this place to anybody...



Just a small comment on looking at the reviews who goes go on holiday to look at the bathroom grouting!!! (sad people)...

We went here and received what...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Feb 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr D R Payne

Comments:

We went here and received what we expected, very friendly staff from top to bottom. The rooms were quite OK, I didn't expect a four star UK or North American style hotel. The place was kept clean by competent staff and the few problems we had were taken care of right away. The apt is in an area where you can walk to whatever you needs are, groceries, hardware or entertainment within minutes.

We had a good time for a month there.

I have rated this holiday as 6...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs E Kersey

Comments:

I have rated this holiday as 6 because we had a great time in many ways but there was no much that was not right .



Firstly the Thomson coach transfer was a mini bus driven by a local man. He forgot to put the coach number in the window and so caused delays in finding him, for us and others. He then dropped us off at the wrong accommodation and scarpered so quick we were left stranded. We had to seek directions at the nearby hotel and then drag our heavy luggage a good 5 - 10 minutes’ walk in a strange hot town . Having never travelled to the Algarve before this was not an ideal start .



The Perola Do Algarve, our hotel, is supposed to mean Pearl of the Algarve but I can Guarantee they got that one wrong . As a 4 star hotel it was sorely disappointing . Our studio had a kitchen, bedroom, and lounge in one . With no headboard and just two single beds pushed together the comfort was negligible .



There were various maintenance issues such as broken tiles , large pan burns on the kitchen unit , wardrobes that did not close and lamps that were not working . A few of these were addressed .



We were situated on the 2nd floor whilst the reception was on the 3rd floor , bar on the 4th floor and outdoor pool , snack bar and restaurant on the first floor. Access to the pool and restaurant was through a large, dark, underground garage unless you wanted to go up and down the lifts all over the place. Staff were really friendly and so some compensation.



They had a ready supply of maps and directions when needed. A safe can be hired in your room but it is 15 Euros a week with an additional 15 Euros as a refundable deposit.



There are not enough sunbeds but the pool is good. There is no kettle but a coffee percolator in the accommodation. There are only two tiny cups and an assortment of other pots and pans etc. We ended up buying two decent sized mugs.



There is a nearby supermarket and nearby shopping. The hotel is situated behind Modelo Shopping Centre which is handy and not noisy. The position is central for the old town and the strip. If we had paid less or made a last minute booking perhaps we would have been happier.



However this hotel is NOT 4 star as claimed .



Albufeira was too commercial for us and have been better for this . Albufeira is family friendly and had many good beaches . It , in common with most of the Algarve , is fairly cheap . There are plenty of cash points .



Near to Brisa Sol hotel , only a short way from The Perola Do Algarve is the best cake shop in town . Two huge delicious cakes with two coffees will only set you back 7 /8 Euros . A little further along is the tourist train which goes from here to the strip and then the old town . It runs till really early in the morning and a day ticket is 3 Euros . For this you can travel on the train as many times in a day as you like . Children under 5 go free .



The local town bus stops near here also . At this central tourist train stop you can pick up a coach to Zoo marine . This was an exceptionally good day out and can be booked through your hotel or agent locally . Local tours are cheaper booked in the actual shops where you can find deals . Booking through the hotel may be twice as expensive . A little along from the tourist train stop is a restaurant called Dom Capito's . The service and food here is good, tasty, and reliable .



Albufeira will probably appeal to visitors who love plenty of bars , semi English cuisine, and beaches .

Perola apartments are great....

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

May 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mrs A Stanley

Comments:

Perola apartments are great. Wonderful hotel, very well situated for anything you need and run by friendly people.



Ok, the grouting in the bathroom looked like I had done it, but the room was cleaned every day, towels changed every couple of days, hotel was pristine, service was excellent.



Pools were great (and yes there is an indoor pool for when it rains - so you don't get wet!!), layout is lovely, facilities were great.



The staff were lovely, Sylvia, Selios, Carlos - all great and very very helpful.



Supermarket on your front door. Tip! Go thru underground garage opposite hotel entrance and use lifts to supermarket - or walk up the hill and get calves like Fatima Whitbread!!



Where the hotel is situated means the evenings are lovely and quiet. The bar provided entertainment every night. Prices to eat and drink inside the hotel were great; they did not take advantage at all.



Use the local road train around town and visit Old Town, beautiful. Lovely beaches and good restaurants there too. The strip is very touristy but far enough away that you don't have to see or hear it if you don't want too.



You MUST go to Slide and Splash Aqua Park and Zoo marine - fab days out. We took a 4x4 Truck trip into the mountains and villages and although it was a long day it was really worth it - wow.



Take it a trip to the local villages/towns - marina, fishing village - worth every second. Truly a lovely place would definitely go back with my hubby and son.



Only thing to mention, all three of us stayed in one living room/bedroom - discovered my son snores! Ask for a bedroom when booking.

First impressions of the Perola...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs B Derbyshire

Comments:

First impressions of the Perola were good. The receptionist was pleasant and the reception area was clean. Our room was ok, no cigarette burns and darned counterpanes, although I must agree about the pillows being lumpy.



A kettle would have been nice for us non-coffee drinkers but we managed ok by boiling water in a saucepan so not really a problem, bigger cups or, even better, mugs would have been good too.



£15 euros a week for the safe key was worth it.



Entertainment was ok what we saw of it, (the usual karaoke, bingo, dancing, quiz and a parrot show was all we sat through), although the entertainments manager wasn't very happy one night when the offer of another quiz was declined, he seemed to be offended and quickly wished us all "goodnight".



Good location, between old town and new town, good for self-caterers who want to use the supermarket which is very close by, although as "The Strip" is also close by you can eat out reasonably cheaply every day, anything from a full English breakfast to the locally-caught sardines, providing you like chips with everything you should find something to suit your taste.



Our rep Dave suggested we read the notice board to find important information but failed to tell us where it was, (it is in the room next to the luggage room - maybe he wanted us to use our initiative and go looking for it). He had a book on the table in the reception area for guests to write in, it was a very thin book as it seemed to be that he ripped out the pages that had complaints on (I was going to number each page just to test this theory but that would have been childish.) Luggage storage for those with an evening flight was good - no carrying your cases round on the last day.



We didn't use the restaurant, laundry, pool or gym so I can't comment on these facilities. For those of you who need to check your emails every day there is a Pay As You Go internet connection.



For anyone like us wanting a cheap self catering break only using the apartment to rest their weary head at night this place is ideal. Next time I'll remember the travel kettle though (and will probably buy a couple of mugs to use too!)

As retired hoteliers after 25...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2006

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs K Gardner

Comments:

As retired hoteliers after 25 years of dealing with tourist boards, we know how stringent the checks are made on holiday accommodation in England are. We can come to only one conclusion regarding the Perola. It must have awarded its own star rating as no four star hotel in England could have such lowly and depressing standards without their rating being withdrawn altogether.



Dire - the whole complex from its tacky location to the grotty and dirty facilities should not be allowed to advertise itself as having any stars!



The pool is unheated and it's too cold for most people. The health club is so dirty I wouldn't risk using the facilities. The laundry facilities eat your tokens and destroy your clothes but it's your fault (according to the receptionist) British people don't know how to use washing machines! Contrary to the advert, there is no second pool in the health club. Parking is on the street.



The iron I was given to use (for which you have to pay a deposit of 15 Euros) has a frayed cable and would fail any electrical test in an English hotel. The management are so mean with light bulbs that fittings designed to hold two bulbs have only one low energy one making putting on makeup impossible.



15 euros per week to get a lock for the safety deposit box in your room (but it does not tell you that in the hotel directory)



We never felt we wanted to eat in the hotel so I cannot comment on the food.



Towels are replaced every THREE days which is disgusting .I wash towels after use at home and expect the same wherever I go. The grouting in the bathrooms is filthy and the whole place needs gutting. It's a shame because if Luna Hotels spent any money on the place, there is potential. The apartments could be nice if drastically improved.



On our last day, our two apartments were crawling with ants and had to be fumigated before we could go back into them.



The satellite TV for English channels works intermittently. The beds were cheap and hard, pillows full of lumpy foam chippings. (Surely a fire hazard) the furnishings old and tatty and burned by cigarettes in places .Old, dirty and darned counterpanes complete the bedroom furnishings.



Entertainment was noisy karaoke and brawling in the street outside. My teenage girls were offered drugs whilst washing their clothes in the ubiquitous laundry room.



The staff? Mostly rude and abrupt. If things were wrong, we were always made to feel that it was our fault so we gave up saying anything and prayed for the end of the two weeks to come.



I may go back to Portugal one day but the Perola will not be on my list and nor should it be on anyone's who wants a relaxing holiday in clean surroundings even on a most basic level. These are core requirements from any hotel or block and they are just not present in the Perola.



Good things? There was always hot water and the maids cleaning the rooms were very nice even if the job they attempted to do was an uphill struggle.



Dreadful!!!

We booked our accommodation...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2006

Tour Operator:

Sunshine.co.uk

Submitted By:

Mrs J Ivison

Comments:

We booked our accommodation through Sunshine Holidays on the internet and flights with Jet2.com and saved ourselves several hundred pounds and got better flight times than going through a travel agent.



We had a 1 bed apartment for 2 adults & 1 teenager and a studio for 1 ('independent') teenager. The accommodation was excellent. Very spacious and tastefully furnished and decorated, with plenty of storage space. The catering facilities were basic (2 electric rings and an oven and grill.) We had read there were no kettles so we took a travel kettle which was fine. We enjoyed having the coffee maker and toaster. The air conditioning was excellent in the living room but temperamental in the bedroom. There were no instructions so it was a bit of trial and error. Our teenagers appreciated the satellite TV.



The apart hotel is tucked behind a large hypermarket(Modelo) and shopping centre but was very quiet and all the views from the apartment are towards the coast. We found it very convenient to have Modelo on our doorstep open from about 9am until 11pm. Our teenagers liked having shops and fast food outlets nearby.



The pool was great - never enough sun beds until late afternoon. We just bought drinks and ice creams from the pool snack bar but the snacks looked quite good. There are a few pool tables and an excellent gym, a laundry with washing machines and a lovely peaceful garden area with sun beds below the pool with palm trees to give shade.



The apartments were cleaned most days and towels changed every couple of days. All the staff were very friendly and helpful. We hired a car but didn't use it much in Albufiera. You can walk to the Old town or the Strip in about 20 mins from the hotel or get the tourist train from just outside the Brisa Sol a couple of minutes walk away. 3 euros for a day pass. It's not really easy to get to a beach from the hotel without a car but we were told that taxis are usually only 3 or 4 euros within the town.



For a family with teenagers albufiera is a great choice. They liked the strip - we preferred the Old town. There are plenty of restaurants and bars but the menus are all pretty much the same. If you want to splash out on a cocktail the Vegas bar in the old town has spectacular presentation and good live music.



We would recommend the Riviera coffee shop near the Brisa Sol for excellent coffee and cakes. We didn't visit any of the town beaches but preferred praia da oura. Also nice beach at Gale and the Praia Grande at Armaco de Pera. Definitely worth a visit is the sand sculpture park at Pera just of N129. If you get your ticket stamped you can go back at night when all the sculptures are floodlit.



We spent a day at Aqualand - buy tickets at the kiosk inside Modelo to get a discount and save queuing. Take your own food and drinks as all are expensive there. If you think you want to swim with dolphins at Zoomarine book well ahead (4 - 5 weeks at least) if it is in school holidays. Zoomarine has a website where you can book.

Silves is a historic old town about 40 mins drive with interesting castle and excellent archaeological museum.



It was our first holiday to the Algarve - we would definitely return and would recommend Perola do Algarve.

This holiday was wonderful...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs L Williams

Comments:

This holiday was wonderful Perola do Algarve is an excellent hotel, very clean and great accommodation.



Situated right in the middle of both the old and new town a great location. The Rep for First Choice Dave was excellent and very helpful, as were all staff in the hotel. The accommodation was very spacious although lacked a kettle.



The only downfall was the entertainment in the hotel, put it this way if you like karaoke you’ll be ok. There is loads to see and do in Albufeira, a must is the Zoomarine and book as soon as you get there if you want to swim with the dolphins as very busy but worth every penny.



All in All an excellent holiday and would love to go back.

Just returned back from a weeks...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr L James

Comments:

Just returned back from a weeks stay in the Perola do Algarve apartments and whilst we would not fully disagree with most of the previous reviews we do feel they were slightly misleading in some respects.



Outside the hotel is a rating board of 4 star, now this may well have been an acceptable standard of hotel rating in 1986, but now 2006 it is in need of a makeover to bring it up to the first choice 3+ star rating, including a few new sun beds as most of the beds had been pop riveted back together when broken and then rather uncomfortable to lay on (although mattresses for them are available at a price!).



The rooms themselves are clean but again need some updating, old shower curtains, horrible bath and strange tiled dressing table space? Rusty fridge and re grouting of the tiles wouldn't go amiss.



On the up side, good air conditioning unit and television and beds are comfortable, slept like a log (When our baby allowed!)



Staff are all friendly and helpful no complaints there. The resort itself was quiet and a lovely getaway for us with a small baby, but if you wanted a rowdy drinking holiday I’d say go to Benidorm! We will return to the Algarve but to a different resort.

Brilliant holiday. Excellent...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr A Massicks

Comments:

Brilliant holiday. Excellent hotel with everything in a room you could want for self catering.



Big enough pool area, problem it was hard to get a sun bed if, like me, you didn't bother getting out of bed till well gone mid day. Plenty of excellent nightlife on the strip, especially mustang, garage and Delmar.



Fully recommend Albufeira to anyone around my age, 18, and will definitely be returning in a few years.

Perfect! As I am not a...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss S Jenkins

Comments:

Perfect! As I am not a professional complainer I totally agree with the other positive reviews about this hotel, and the holiday overall, it was fantastic.



Main thing was the hotel was perfect. pool outside was lovely and freezing but trust me - you needed it and nobody was bothered by it. Snack bar is reasonable for hot food but slightly expensive for drinks crisps chocolate and ice-cream but you can get all these from modelos for cheap and keep them in the fridge or freezer. Lovely sunbathing area away from and by the pool. Indoor pool was like having your own private pool as most people were out in the sunshine but there is a massive gym, Turkish baths, sauna, and Jacuzzi (its not manned so you can just pop down and sit in the lovely hot Jacuzzi or pay a small price to have it on)



modelos supermarket 2 seconds up the road so perfect location - you could bring an empty suitcase and get everything you need from modelos as it is a big shopping mall with a supermarket inside, absolutely fantastic so don't worry if you realise you've forgotten something - unless it your passport!



You can book all the excursions through your hotel rep it may be slightly cheaper to book it separately yourself - there’s a place in modelos that books them too and you can get open tickets for something’s so you can just go on the day you feel like. They include transport which picks you up right by modelos main entrance.



Things you must do:

Zoo Marine (take your cozzy too though - they have lovely pools) Reasonable for food and drinks. lovely day out well worth the money.



Slide and Splash Water park - brilliant but make sure you haven't got any plans for the next day as you'll be shattered. Quite expensive for snacks, drinks and ice creams.



The Cabaret Club - Orville the Duck and Cuddles the money show with Keith Harris and Billy Pearce - fantastic for the kids and adults my friend and I (18 and 21) thought we were sad going to see it but it was the most entertaining show lasting well over 2 hours. Fab! With karaoke at the end too and you get to meet Keith and Billy and have a photo if you want! Located in Montechoro park - top end of the strip. when visiting, you must go to Valentines restaurant, the food was so good we ate there about 4 times, a lovely salad bar included in the meal price, reasonable and lovely decor, ooh and the waitress Mandy was lovely!



Other things we enjoyed were the jeep safari - interesting day out if you fancy seeing the other side of Portugal rather than tourism and tourists. And Algarve shopping about a fiver each way in a taxi has a cinema, food court, bowling alley and loads of nice shops.



The bar crawl on a Sunday night is fantastic. We went and there were people of all ages getting involves so seriously consider it. For 5euros which is £3.50 you go to five bars in five hours and get free entry to kiss nightclub at the end which would usually be 15euros, loads of games and a raffle to get you in party mood. We were impressed to see a lady over 50 getting involved in a drinking game, good for her, a good way to get to know people who are staying the same hotel and ones near to you and a way to get to know the strip which has shops and things going on until late night early hours which is a novelty if you're like me. Bar crawl starts in Linekers - about 10min walk from the hotel, then to cafe del mar, paradise ( a lovely barman in there who is also a p.e teacher haha) and lovely cocktails then on to the garage where you can dance to good music, then matts bar which has a bucking bronco and finally onto kiss. Brilliant night, we were there for 2 weeks so went to the two bar crawls, not to be missed. Stop in la bambas on the way they have a variety of 50 homemade ice-cream including oreos and fereo roche! Open late too.



Hotel was spacious and spotless, kitchen doesn't have a kettle though so if you like your tea and coffee try and sort something. They even had tea towels and a table spread. you can hire an iron or a hairdryer and use the laundry services but clothes dry in about half an hour on the balcony. You already have an ironing board and clothes horse in the apartment. Loads of storage space too. The rooms have a safe but if you want to use it you have to pay I think its 15 euros and then 15 euros refundable deposit. The upstairs bar is lovely although we didn't use it much as there is just so much to do. Reception staff are lovely and friendly, especially if you come across as friendly to them on your first meeting. Carlos is particularly nice!! Maids are friendly although they struggle with English but make your beds and fold your pjs for you too. We were staying in an apartment instead of a studio so I think we had a bigger room.



Taxis have set prices 3.90 euros in the evening no matter how many of you and where you're going. And 3.15/25 in the daytime!



Old town is lovely to go to fisherman’s beach, they have boat trips and banana boats on the beach during the day and lovely restaurants. jojo's bar if you fancy feeling like you're at the local at home and for a nice reasonably priced meal. Being at the perola you're right in the middle with the strip to your right 10min walk if that and old town to your left a 10min walk.



Anyone who finds fault in this hotel or holiday must be either old or bitter. Have a good time! I can't wait to go again!

Having read other reviews about...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr N Close

Comments:

Having read other reviews about this hotel on other web sites I was sceptical how they were going to be when we arrived (we only paid £167 each so wasn’t expecting all that much)



On arrival you go down behind a shopping centre and the hotel is located at the back, from the outside your first impressions are oh my god! However appearances in this case are definitely deceiving.



You walk through the door and you can instantly tell the place is clean well looked after and organised and the hotel owners have thought of everything, entertainment, lifts to all floors, restaurants etc.



We checked in and were give 2 remote controls one for the air con and one for the satellite TV (another surprise we weren’t expecting to get for the money)



We arrived at our room and were shocked at the cleanliness and spaciousness of it (we had a 1 bedroom apartment which sleeps 4).



All rooms have a balcony pool view and they all get the sun coming in at some point day. TV as a lot of English channels too and air con was much needed.



The following morning we went to our welcome meeting only to find that the hotel had a gym on the lower floor with Jacuzzi, sauna and steam room as well as other facilities on offer.



The situation of the hotel is perfect, its half way between old and new town, has a shopping centre with full ASDA sized supermarket inside, McDonalds over the road, a bus stop where you can catch a Tourist train which takes you to old and new town (3 euros for a day pass - well worth it)



Anyone that doesn’t rate this hotel highly is a professional complainer as there is absolutely nothing wrong with this place and we would highly recommend it, if you do visit you have to go on the Jeep Safari trip its well worth it.

We have just arrived back from...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2006

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs S A  Colebrook

Comments:

We have just arrived back from staying at the Perola Apartments and found them very nice. They were clean on our arrival and well stocked (although we had a coffee percolator and no kettle!). The reception and bar staff were very friendly and helpful and the swimming pool, although cold, was clean and tidy with plenty of sun beds.



When we arrived at teatime we went for a walk onto the main road and didn't know where we were, thinking we were stuck with just a few bars and shops around but when I went to the reps meeting I was given a map of the area with everything that I needed highlighted (very helpful).



The resort is fantastic for both young and old from nightclubs to quiet bars and I would recommend this resort and apartments to anyone.



If you are going then you must go on the tourist train and also go to Picapau for a full English Breakfast (behind McDonalds on the main road), it is brilliant.