Stella Maris Hotel

Just returned (10th July).Stayed for two weeks,had a great time. Apartment spacious,large balcony.Overlooking the kiddie club and pool,very quiet.We found the service good,the rooms were cleaned daily and the staff were generally helpful. The Kiddie club was well organized,usually three sessions a day,"Orlando loved it". Pools were nice, though the usual problem of people sneaking down at night to put their towels down early,"how sad!". The restaurant was a bit pricey,18 Euros per person for dinner and it had no atmosphere.Beach was great and the ten minute walk is no real problem even with the hill. The local restaurants are a bit bland but in a nice little square,in the evening there are battery powered quad bikes for the kids and a "not very clean" bouncy castle. The Supermarket is VERY overpriced,go to Albufeira on the bus and stock up from the Modelo supermarket, and make sure you visit the Pasteleria across the road,,FANTASTIC cakes and very cheap. Aqua parks and ZooMarine very good . A nice quiet resort and overall a great holiday

We had a wonderful stay at the Stella Maris and they are by far the best apartments we have ever stayed in and deserve the 4 star rating. The resort is quite small but very pleasant with a small selection of shops and restaurants only a short walk away in the square, just enough for a 1 week holiday but i feel there may not be enough variety if you are staying for 2 weeks unless you are able to go a little further afield, there are more restaurants and bars about a 20 minute walk away. We would recommend the Flor Do Mar, we had three meals here all very good, service a little slow and some of the staff are a little forgetful but we enjoyed it all the same. The Pizzeria was very good too. We felt all the prices were very reasonable. There is a supermarket in the square which isnt cheap but has everything you could need, there are other larger supermarkets further away but i believe these are no cheaper. Our apartment was very large and extremely clean and modern, my only complaint with the apartment was that there was no mirror in the bedroom which made things a little difficult when getting ready, other than that it had every thing you needed, our apartment looked on to the playground and as we were on the ground floor our four year old only had to go down a couple of steps to play, which was wonderful. The complex itself was also very clean and well maintained but there was a lack of sunbeds, i dont think they could get many more around the main pool area but more could be provided in the lovely lawned areas or by the other childrens pool. We only ate on the complex once, on our last day we had some lunch which was very good. We would definately return to the Stella Maris for a weeks holiday or if we went for two would hire a car so we could get out and about more.

We stayed here for a week in June. There was my husband and I and our daughter who is 4 and our son who is 1. The hotel is great. Nice pool and a lovely little kids splash pool about knee deep, with little fountains and a little slide for the little ones that no one has mentioned on reviews - this is round by the kids club - the kids club was great and our daughter loved it, really gave us a break and will prob try to go on holidays with a kids club again - I was a bit skeptical but it was very safe and she loved it! Rooms were fine and balcony is massive! The beach is lovely - just down the road but beware of the steps (100 of them) with 2 buggies it was a struggle but worth the effort! A few minor downers.....hotel staff by the pool were a bit over worked and service a bit slow. Towels on the sunbeds early in the morning - prob be a problem in high season. People go on about the location but the little square down the road is rather sweet I thought - a few snacky type restaurants and a few shops. And the Chinese is great! For us as a young family it was ideal for a week....maybe two weeks and you'd need a car to go to some different restaurants. I loved every minute and wish were there a bit longer!

We enjoyed our stay at this hotel for the following reasons; - clean and very well maintained - friendly staff - excellent child facilities (dedicated child playground and child playpool) - quiet location, away from hustle and bustle - short walk to beatuiful Falesia beach - short walk to local shop/restaurants - reasonable price for hotel (approx. €80 per night) The only signifiacnt drawback of the hotel is that the pool area is not large enough for the amount of guests staying at the hotel; there was lots of competition for the sun-beds around the pool. Here are a few small gripes; - balcony door cannot be opened from outside when closed (our child locked us out on the balcony!) - room front door can be easily opened by child - no microwave in kitchen - no english language satellite stations on TV - stairs had to be navigated to get access to our "ground floor" room

My husband and 4 month old baby and I have just returned after staying at the Stella Maris in a 1 bedroom apartment for 7 nights. Having read many of the positive reviews before we booked, I am happy to say that the apartments lived up to our expectations. The room looked just like the photos, was very spacious, clean and well maintained. Our kitchen was one of the best equipped we had stayed in, having kettle, toaster, fridge freezer and good selection of plates, utensils etc. ( I had asked for a microwave in the room and it was also supplied). The safety deposit box works out at 2.50 euros per day, and if you want beach towels for the pool, there was a refundable 20 euro deposit. The TV in the room had only 2 English speaking channels, CNN and Euro sport, and a music radio channel. The towels and bins were changed daily and beds made. We found all the staff to be friendly and helpful. Top tip- if you want a sun bed at the pool, you need to get up at about 7am and get your towel down, or you won't stand a chance - there are definitely not enough beds. The Stella Maris is in a quiet area with the nearest supermarket and restaurants about a 5 minute walk. This said, the small square area had a few small shops, 2 local restaurants, a Chinese Restaurant and a Pizzeria, an ice cream shop and a cafe. The food was nothing to rave about in any of them, but the Flor de Mar was the better of the 2 local ones. We did walk the 20 minutes to the shops near the Sheraton, and ate in the La Lagousteria; the meal was good but dont order the chocolate mousse - it was still under cooked in the middle and my husband got food poisoning. I would definitely recommend thee Stella Maris apartments and we had a lovely quiet week, the only down side was the lack of any good restaurants nearby.

Spotlessly clean, very helpful staff, great value, generous self catering apartments Leisurely 10/15min walk to glorious beach – albeit with steep hill and many steps which were easily manageable 3min walk to Supermarket, several shops, six (?) restaurants and two bars– recommend friendly Bar33 for quite coffee or beer and “Flor do Mor” for simple food well done Downside – possibly too quite/remote Aside from shops and restaurants 3min walk – not much else around €12/15 Taxi to either Albuferia or Villamoura, although there is a limited bus service Plenty for kids, but not teenagers – or indeed party animals of any age Although there is a huge construction site close by, it in no way affected us – very quite and very clean Better TV would be nice – cartoon network and some English language station aside from CNN All in all great value for money Top Tip “Bar33” and “Flor do Mor” – see above Romantic 45min walk along beach to Vilamoura – at Vilamoura look out for bridge behind dunes to roundabout and Marina “O Marisco” at Vilamoura Marina, great food, friendly service and value for money, superb desert menu – ask waiter for recommendations “Adega Ticosta” opposite Sheraton – rustic Portuguese restaurant, although rough and ready, great food excellent value

I stayed at the Stella Maris for 1 week in a Studio w/c 29th May with my wife and 10mth son. With only a 30 min transfer from Faro airport the realitively quick journey after a 3 hour flight with a baby was appreciated! Check-in was very quick and the reception area very clean and modern. Our studio bedroom was on the 3rd floor of the hotel overlooking the gardens and childrens playarea. The open plan appartment was excellent and included an ironing board, hair dryer and toaster which was excellent. The bedrooms were splotlessly clean, as was the pool and restaurant areas. The pool area was pleasant but not overly huge - so be prepared to get up early to 'claim' your beds! Also do be aware of the parasols - as if the wind picks up they seem to easily fall over. My wife got a bang on the head - which whilst vaguely humourous could have been more serious. You have been warned! The beach is lovely, nice and quiet, and very safe. The sea was freezing though!!!! Still didn't stop me going in! We walked to Villamoura along a hillside path one day - well worth a visit - a lot more shops and restaurants than Praia De Falesia which only really had a handfull. We also visited Albuferia old town for lunch - 10 Euro in a cab - which was nice for a change of scenery. We ate at the Chinese restaurant and the Flor De Mer restaurant (nearby) in the main square by the hotel and both were very good! The hanging meat mixed kebabs at the latter were very good indeed! All in all, the hotel is very good and the surroundings very relaxed and low key - ideal for a family getaway. (PS for those taking little ones you can buy baby food in the local supermarket but not baby milk - remember to take your milk powders!)

We chose this place after reading that the accommodation was spacious, clean and well-equipped. We were aware that the location wasn't what a majority of people would consider 'good', but it was exactly what we wanted and we had a great holiday. We catered for ourselves the entire week after a trip to the hypermarket at 'Algarveshopping' in Guia. We made it there by taking the local bus to Albufeira bus station and another bus that dropped us off outside the shopping centre. We took a taxi back and that cost us 15 euro. To be honest, for more than two people it would be cheaper and a lot quicker to take a taxi there as well. We took the Aparthotel's courtesy bus to the centre of Albufeira for a morning of shopping but since the return bus was too late for us, we took a taxi back. Pricey at 14 euro, we thought. There is a complex of bars, eateries and shops a two-minute walk from the apartments. Obviously the supermarket was a bit expensive, but some items were actually cheaper than the larger supermarket on the approach road, near the Sheraton, so it's not necessarily worth the 15-minute walk there. There are also shops for beach gear and bijoux, and a newsagent. Praia de Falesia beach is beautiful, but the ocean looked too rough for swimming. We walked to Vilamoura marina along the beach - it took 1 hour, but a bit longer coming back because the tide had come in and it was difficult to walk on the soft sand. I've nothing different to add about the Aparthotel itself, except maybe that the reception staff were civil rather than friendly or particularly helpful. Any Portuguese we dealt with in shops were pleasant though - they're likeable people.

While the Stella Maris apartments are beautiful and exceptionally clean and well maintained, I couldn't possibly recommend to anyone that they stay here. This is because the hotel is just in the most dreadful location possible - don't be fooled when it tells you it's in Albufeira! It's actually about 5 miles out from the new town of Albufeira, and another couple of miles on from there to the picturesque old town. So if you're wanting to go to Albufeira, choose another hotel that is actually in the town. The Stella Maris is in the middle of nowhere, so be prepared to spend a lot of money on taxis if you want to go anywhere, eat in nice restaurants, etc. A taxi to Albufeira costs around 12 euro, a bit more to the pretty marina at Vilamoura, but both of these are lovely and worth seeing. While the general area is great, it's just a shame that this hotel is in such a terrible location, meaning that if you don't want to rent a car you're completely reliant on taxis. Albufeira old town and Vilamoura are both lovely though, and I would happily have stayed in either of these towns. One other word of caution - the cleaners stole some money from our room, so make sure you make use of the safety deposit box if you do decide to stay here! Overall I would not recommend you choose this hotel, unless you don't mind that there is nothing to do within walking distance, besides go the beach. If you like to be near to shops, restauarants etc, steer well clear of the Stella Maris.

My fiancé and I stayed in the Stella Maris aparthotel from 15th - 22nd May 2008. Positive points: Very clean, towels and bedding cleaned daily, spacious, great kitchen, good sized balcony, hotel staff were very helpful, lovely beach within a 10 min walk, relaxing atmosphere, nice grounds around the hotel. Negative points: The beds were very uncomfortable, I'm not sure if double rooms are available, but we ended up with a twin room and neither of us had a great night's sleep in 7 days! The food in the hotel is quite basic, as a veggie I could only eat off the snack menu as the buffet laid on each night was not suited to my tastes, but those eating from the buffet appeared to enjoy their food. The hotel is kind of in the middle of no-where - which is fine if the weather is lovely every day, however, if you'd rather not spend your whole holiday by the pool then you need to walk about 40mins or grab a cab - which costs between 10 and 15 euros depending or where you are traveling to. Trying to get a taxi from the hotel also proved quite difficult for us at times, one night we just couldn't get one and had to stay at the hotel to eat. I would not recommend eating at the square - which is a 5 min walk from the hotel. The food was not of a high quality and did not appear to be Portuguese, instead, like a lot of the Algarve, it was catered to British tastes, if you like that food fine ..., but I'd rather not have a roast beef or Yorkshire puddings on hols. We tried out one of the cafes and both sent our food back, it was not fresh and the veg looked like it had come out of a tin ... The two towns that are within a 15 min taxi ride are Vilamoura and Albufeira, however, they couldn't be more worlds apart if they tired. Whilst Vilamoura is classy, serves delicious local food and has great surroundings, Albufeira is tacky, cheap, full of undesirables and larger louts. We are a young couple - I love dance and house music and would have been happy to stay out until 4 or 5 in the morning, however, not in this area! If I returned to Portugal, I would be sure to stay at Vilamoura, but not until I have children as it is not geared towards young couples looking for a good night out.