Stella Maris Hotel

1 reader found this review helpful

We stayed in Stella Maris Hotel at the end of May 2009 and had a fabulous time. My husband and i took our daughter with us who is 18 months old, she had a fantastic time in the kids pool. The hotel is very clean, the cleaners call everyday and change towels, etc as needed. The food in the hotel was very good too, we found it best to eat in the hotel rather than go down to the square in falesia as the food was not that great in the restaurants in falesia. The staff in the hotel were very pleasant and were very good with kids. The hotel was an alround winner with us and we could not fault it. We will definately return in a few years time when our daughter is a bit older, so she can enjoy it more and attend the kids club, which looked fantastic as all the kids were really enjoying them-selfs.

3 readers found this review helpful

Hotel- 10/10
Location- 1/10
Overall- 5/10
I am staying in the resort as i type this review as you can tell how boring it is to be here ive resorted to going on the internet to pass my time.
Do not get me wrong the hotel was gorgeous and the rating is justified and if u like going to bed at 9pm with the rest of the fellow guests then maybe this holiday is for you.
However, there is nothing to do in this resort, it is a ghost town. it appears that they are trying to drag people out to this area with flashy hotels but no entertainment after the sun goes down. The only entertainment the hotel provides is a mime singer 3 nights a week.
There are two restaurants nearby worth eating in but you do not have alot of choice. we ate in them everynight we have been here.
There is a small supermarket nearby, whom the owners of must have more money than the beetles as the prices were extortionate. Although you do not have any other choice but to go there unless you fancy a 20 minute hike to another one that is slightly cheaper.
Would not come back to this resort again as i would have had more to do sitting at home for a week.

4 readers found this review helpful

If you read only one review then let this be it!
We decided at the last minute to get away for a week. We have previously visited Portugal a few years back and we knew we were guanteed to have a great time. There were four of us travelling - Myself, My Wife and our two boys aged 4 and 2. We hunted the web and this hotel/apartment from First Choice stood out mainly because of it's decor/facilities looking more modern/stylish and at a very reasonable price. We paid £898 for a week S/C for 4.
We took on board feedback from reviews and booked a car via First Choice. During the booking process you have the option to cancel the airport transfers which will save you £60, and therefore if you are planning to hire a car strongly suggest you collect from the airport and drive to resort. The car cost £78 for the week (that includes insurance!) which proved the most competitive rate. Those people that later decided to book a car, not only paid the £60 transfer fee but also £150 per week for car hire.If you are concerned about finding your way - Don't be! The roads are easy to navigate and the Algarve/Albufieria is connected by the straight forward motorway with all resorts fully sign posted.
The tickets arrived in good time and contained the usual information you need about check in etc.. However, first choice did not stipulate which terminal the flight was departing from, which caused some confusion as most of us went to the south terminal opposed to the north terminal! The flight time was perfect at 2.5hrs - with 2 kids that enough. We collected the car and made our way to the resort easily without getting lost. It took about 25 minutes and saved time without having to drop all the other holidaymakers off first. As the flight was early, we arrived at the hotel at 1p.m but the room was not ready. It's useful to have some swimming clothes ready so you can enjoy the facilities and start your holiday opposed to being sat in reception for hours till your room was available - Changing facilities and a locked luggage room are free for you to change and leave your belongings.

The hotel staff were friendly and helpful and the rooms were cleaned daily. The apartments were perfect for us. We had a seperate bathroom and kitchen, twin beds which we pushed together and a sofa bed along with dining table and etc seating....The decor was modern and classy. We had a ground floor room but all balconies were large and spacious - Safety deposit boxes are FREE to use in your room. The hotel was every sense of it's 4 stars*!
During the day we ventured out - The car gave us the freedom to explore beaches, water parks and other cities. Some we recommend are Santa Eualia beach as it long and narrow and ideal to keep an eye on wandering children. A small walk along the beach takes you to rock pools - The kids loved crab hunting! Zoo Marine was great - You get to see dolphins, seals and birds shows. There is also a few rides for the kids and aquarium. The slide and splash waterpark was great but better for older children over 12. Fiesa is amazing at night - They are sand sculptures of your favourite characters/movies etc... One thing we noticed was that for all these attractions, children
under 5 go free! The prices at the venue were cheaper than going with your tour operator and having a car you can come and go as you like- avoiding queues!
We didn't spend much time at the hotel but from our observations, the main pool area had sunbeds with towels sprawled on them from stupid o'clock in the morning. I'm sure everyone just left them out from the previous day and there were no German's in sight!!! - Yes that's right - It was our fellow Brits!! If you take a stroll around the back of the hotel there is a play area for the kids and grassy area which was always empty and if you continue around even further around the rear of the hotel (onsite) there was a mini water park for the kids with slides, water shoot etc. again, this was often vacant! There is also a kids club that runs -We didn't use it but it had regular time intervals throughout the day and lots of different actvities.. Opposite the hotel was a running track with your typical athletic events including long jump,high jump. There is also a football pitch.The facilites are shared with the hotel opposite but often not used. We often took the boys over for a game of footie. run etc.... They thought it was great!
We would definately go back to this hotel and the Algarve again - Albufieria can be a little loud,ladish so it was nice being out of it to relax, unwind and rejunvenate.

1 reader found this review helpful

any 1 who complains about this hotel has nothing better to do, my wife and i spent a week here, 29 january to 5th feb 2008 and we had a great time.
hotel staff were more than helpful and cleaning staff done there jobs as you would want them to. we stayed in a 1 bedroom studio and thought it was ideal,everything was supplied and it was very spacious and spotlessly clean.
some nice bars and restuarants a few minutes walk from hotel helped pass an evening or 2 and prices were very reasonable.
Try to avoid the supermarket beside the hotel as they should be wearing masks with there high prices !!!
A car would be advisable as hotel is a bit out of the way and it is as cheap to hire a car when you consider price of transfers to and from the airport.

2 readers found this review helpful

We found the hotel location perfect for a quiet holiday. If you want nightlife in walking distance then you should stay in a busy resort. The hotel was spotlessly clean and well designed, even the basic rooms had everything we needed. The hotel is just over a year old, set in a pine forest. The staff were helpful and friendly. The maids were brilliant. If only we could live in a apartment hotel all year round! The only downside was it was a little noisy at night if your not used to neighbours, due I would say to the tiled flooring.
The cliff top walks and beaches were stunning and within 10 minutes walk from the hotel. The square of shops and cafes 5 minutes away served gorgeous food especially the cafe/pub owned by Paulo and his wife. The little supermarket was good but we discovered an even nicer one on a lovely little row of shops 10 minutes away that had home made cakes, bread and a tempting deli section. All the food was very cheap and delicious. We ate out every night and had snacks and breakfast in our apartment.
Alberfuira was a 10 minute cab drive away at the cost of 7.50 euros each way. The famous Strip and Old Town were great to browse round. We also took a taxi into Vilamoura a little further, which was well worth the 12 euro cab fare. I figured that it would be cheaper and easier to take a taxi if we needed it rather than hire a car and in our case it was.
We had 3 days of gorgeous sun and a few days of rain but we are English and could cope with that and we went at Christmas.
Portugal itself had the wow factor for me and I can see why the Algarve is so popular. Travel republic offered us a flawless service and I would recommend them for a tailor made holiday. The airport shuttle is well worth including in you holiday booking being much cheaper and simpler than trying to find your own way when your tired and a little unsure of new surroundings.
We paid a little over £300 for 2 people inc flights the hotel, transfers and taxes. I thought it was well worth the money.

2 readers found this review helpful

I and my boyfriend have just returned from a week at the Stella Maris and it was fantastic!
Upon arriving we were checked in quickly by the Reception staff that were friendly and helpful. The rooms were lovely and spotlessly clean with a large lounge/diner, kitchen, bathroom, and huge balcony!
The pool area of the hotel is good and you can always get a sunbed even at midday, which I thought was pretty good. The pool bar has a great selection of drinks and food. Staff can be a little moody at times, but I think it's because they were a little short staffed!
There are a selection of bars and restaurants in the Square which is to the right of the Hotel, but be warned, as the staff in Frango Real & Flor De Mar are very rude and completely ignored the tourists.
We found that the Portuguese got great service whilst we and the other Brits were still waiting to order our drinks 30 minutes after arriving! After our bad experience we ended up walking to the neighbouring resort of Acoteias which is about 10-15 minutes’ walk from Praia De Falesia. If you go to Acoteias you must visit La Lagosteria which is an amazing restaurant just off the main road through Acoteias. The food, staff and setting is great and they do the best fish dishes.
All in all we had a great week at the Stella Maris and would recommend it to everyone.