Eurotel Altura Hotel

All is not what it seems in a good way!! Before heading off my friend and I had a last minute panic attack that Altura would be too quiet for our tastes, even though its been a long time since we have seen the inside of a night club!!! We were pleasantly surprised by how much choice there was. On this hols, you can make it as active or chilled as you want. From wandering out to the pool, to sauntering to the beach or even leisurely walking to the restaurants - everything is in easy reach. There is plenty of choice locally and it is all at a very good standard. For those in search of more adventure there are lots of things to explore on foot, in the car or on an organised tour. The beach stretches for miles, and at this time of year, was hardly used. I must say that the staff are incredibly helpful and even handled me being slightly stressed on arrival really well. On initial judgement the decor seemed dated and yet it grew on me. The room is spacious and are well maintained with all the conveniences I would expect. Above all, no matter where we went, the hotel is clean, well run and friendly, which is just what we needed in order to unwind. The beach lives up to its promise as it is literally a 2 min walk. A tip would be to negotiate if you want to buy an umbrella on the beach, the more days you book, the better rate you will get. If you do fancy a little venture out, I HIGHLY recommend Tavira, it has to be seen and experienced. If you like a little bit of English Gastro with a Portuguese twist then the restaurant near the castle is really worth the walk. I liked the hotel so much I told some of my friends, some have booked for later in the year, others have already popped out, and enjoyed it as much as we did. Oh and I will be going back soon........too!!!

We have recently returned from a two week stay at this hotel, absolutly brilliant, The food was excellant and plenty of it, if you want a holiday with a lot pf nightlife then you will be dissapointed but if you want to totally relax and take it easy then pay it a visit. the beach is only a stones throw away out the back gate, and a superb snack bar selling alsorts on the beach. the pool was always kept really clean . the rooms were spotless at all times as was the hotel itself, there was some entertainment a few nights but not every night, mind you the little village outside the hotel has some nice little glop shops ( bars) and it was lovely in the evenings to just go and sit with the locals and watch the world go by. The portuguese people were very friendly and made you feel really welcome were ever you went. The staff at the hotel were always very friendly and helpful. We will most definitly be making a return visit in the not too distant future.

This hotel is certainly a nice place to stay, and you are guaranteed to have a relaxing time - so long as you remember that it is only a 3* and is, therefore, not particularly luxurious. To be honest, there are 4* hotels in other parts of Europe which are better and cheaper than this one. The best bit is being so close to the beach and having great views from the balconies. The worst bit is probably the food which is just dull and the village of Altura which is small and quite forgettable. I've rated it above average though because overall we had a great time chilling out at the pool / beach etc. or drinking wine on the balcony - and the weather was beautiful.

We went for a quiet, relaxing week.... and that is exactly what we got! This hotel mainly caters for the older generation, and as a couple in our 30s, we were easily the youngest there!! However, we enjoyed our stay. The hotel was very clean in all areas, inc the poolside. The hotel overlooks the beach, which was one of the nicest we've ever seen. The food was the only downside. It was very mediocre and basic. We are not fussy eaters, and manged to eat our fill; but don't expect culinary delights!! Don't let the food put you off, as this hotel was great in all other aspects. The village of Altura is very small, and very quiet. We walked to Monte Gordo (and hours walk each way) which is the nearest large town, as we were getting a bit bored! If you're looking for a very quiet break, then this is ideal. Otherwise, you're best to look elsewhere....

For a quiet holiday, this resrot represents really good value. If constant buzz and nightlife is what you want, you may be disappointed. The hotel is clean and extremely well run with friendly and efficient staff. All rooms face South and the sea and the position of the balcony tends to protect the room from direct sun, while giving full sunlight to the balconies. Air conditioning is standard and is very quiet and efficient. Bathrooms are small but have baths/showers and there is copious hot water. Satellite TV offers Sky News, BBC1 and BBC2 with a selection of Portuguese and Spanish channels. There is a stocked mini-bar in the room. All meals are served buffet-style and tend to be simple, well presented and very good value. Breakfast has cooked and continental options, with fruit, meat, cheese, breads, croisants, scrambled / boiled eggs, bacon, sausage, etc., and these can be mixed as desired. Dinner has four courses with a delicious soup, hors d'oeuvres, a choice of two main courses and a desert. We found the deserts somewhat repetitive but there was always an option of fruit salad (mixed tinned and fresh) or fresh fruit. There is no information provided for allergy sufferers, although this can be requested. A reasonably priced and well-presented lunch is available in the pool-side bar. Evening entertainment is very limited in this resort and if you are looking for night-life, this may not be the resort for you. The hotel has a good bar and reasonable drink prices and provides some evening entertainment. Alternatively, there is a casino and plenty of bars, etc., at Monte Gordo, a short taxi ride away. Tap water was not recommended for drinking by the holiday representative, but bottled water is available at around 0.54€ for 5 litres nearby. We had no problems using the water for cleaning teeth. There are no tea/coffee making facilities in the rooms. There is an internet kiosk in the lobby charging 1€ for 10 minutes. The connection is fast and reliable and webmail applications or MSN messenger can be accessed and email sent with ease. We had a couple of problems with the room safe and the energy-saving electricity switch in the room, but once reported, these were rapidly fixed by the hotel staff who understood our English explanations perfectly. There are two supermarkets in Altura, one about 400 m from the hotel and a larger version about 1 km away. If you don't take the half-board option, or like to take lunch outside of the hotel there are at least 6 restaurants close-by. For beach-lovers there is around 15 km of clean white sand available just a short walk from the hotel. The sea is clean, although cold in May and the beach slopes fairly gently. There is quite a strong undertow particularly when the on-shore sea breeze is blowing. For those considering travelling with First Choice, the excursions are good value and well-organised. For the Seville excursion, we did not take the guided tour and most of those who accompanied us found this tiring and somewhat disjointed. The First Choice representative was available in the hotel at the stated times and contact information was available on the notice boards. Unless you are paranoid about needing to sit with your partner on the 2 hour flight home, don't bother with the pre-booked seats option. For 11€ each, you are offered the chance to relax with a coffee until the queues abate then to check in at leisure. For us, there were virtually no food or drink facilities in the departures hall and we watched the relatively small queue grow dramatically and although if we'd had the courage to wait until after the latest check in time, there was no queue; this caused the most stress of the whole holiday. Just join the queue and save your money. Overall a very good and relaxing holiday.

My wife and I stayed there for a week in early March. It was for my wife's 50th and apart from one family we were easily the most youthful there! I use a wheelchair and the one 'disabled room' on the 1st floor was superb, with a very large shower and plenty of room to manouvre a wheelchair. Getting to the beach is difficult for a wheelchair, if going through the security gate and straight to the beach - the sand blows over the path! But, go through car park next to the hotel grounds and it's easy! Do mind your bags on the beach - it's probably an isolated thing but my wife did feel rather spooked by a couple of guys hanging around us on one occasion, though the area is very quiet and has a very low crime rate. We found a local papershop/gift shop with a friendly female owner which suited our needs, along with several small cafes and restaurants The hotel itself is clean and the room comfortable. Staff are very friendly, and approachable. They couldn't do enough for us, especially me, but did this without once being patronising or condescending. Their standard of English made me embarrassed not to have learnt a little more Portuguese! Breakfasts (buffet style, as is dinner) are very large. though the hot food seems limited to scrambled eggs, bacon and hot dogs. Evening meals consist of soup, salads and h'ors d'euvres (copious enough to be a meal in itself) and two hot food choices. Coffee/tea was also served free of charge in the balcony/pool area mid afternoon - a little touch of English high tea!? All in all a very high standard of accommodation, great staff, and a quiet resort, perfect for a couple to get away from the rat race and relax in good weather for a week.

I stayed here with my wife and 2 young children (age 6 & 2 ) during the 1st week of the summer holidays. Altura is about a 45 minute drive from Faro airport and is a very quiet resort with little nightlife, although there is a parade of shops and there was a mini fun fair when we were there. It is classed as 3*+, but i would say it is 4* without question. Our kids had a fantastic time. There is a kids pool and adjacent to that is a childrens playground, absolutely perfect for our 2 as they alternated between both. The real beauty was that we chose sunbeds between these 2 areas and so could watch them in the pool and playground without having to move a muscle! The beach is beautiful, a wide stretch of sand that is less than a 5 minute walk from the pool areas. There is a little beach bar/eatery that was great for an afternoon sundowner. There were lots of locals who used the beach, but this was great because it felt like we were actually in Portugal!! The room we had was great had enough space for us and our kids, with modern decor, the hotel feels very new. Breakfast at the hotel was plentiful, we were on B&B, people who were on half-board weren't wowed by the evening meal, so i would stick with B&B option. There is also a kids club, and my 6 year old had a great time there doing various kiddie activites after her lunch. Altura is small and quite isolated, its's about 5 miles away from Montegorde, and we did venture there on a few nights. A car is a good idea. One night we drove to Albufeira, and boy am i glad we didn't stay there - it's like Blackpool! A couple of areas that the hotel could improve on, no beachtowels, we had to purchase some on our 1st day, which was a pain and there was no waiter service at the pool area. All in all a great place to stay for a peaceful, relaxed holiday, with plenty for young kids to do. We would definitely go again.

Really good hotel with lovely clean rooms great pool and fantastic beach very close. Locale very quiet with limited shops (eg no pharmacy) but next town 4km walk along beach has more and the walk is fantastic. Cheap taxi alternative. Food good quality but a bit limited. Recommended as a base for golf or a quiet beach/pool break.

I stayed for a week from Feb 25th with my partner on a half board basis. The hotel itself is situated a short walk from a fantastic sandy,clean beach that you can walk along to the next towns. The Eurotel is the only hotel in this small town with good facilities. We were not brave enough to use the outdoor pool as the weather was cool (and the water cooler). The hotel was clean and the staff polite. The only minus was the selection of food that was buffet style and limited in the selection of hot food. There are a number of local bars in the area but as it was out of season a lot were closed. We are in our 40's and were easily the youngest guests! Played Benamore and Castro Marim golf courses and found them to be challenging but not too difficult.

writing this review only because there isn't one already and there ought to be ! The hotel is situated on a fantastic long sandy beach, you can stroll along the beach to Monte Gordo, about an hour. The rooms are fine, all with balconies and fantastic views, very clean throughout. Good pool area though too cold to go in pool while we were there. Suit older people at time we went, there is not a lot of entertainment.It's a pretty and quiet area. There are good walks to be had laid on by hotel, we made a lot of friends that way. Food is good, usual buffet fare, we had no problems with it. Well positioned for doing a day trip to Seville and not too far from airport for transfer. Multi-national clientele. We'd be happy to go back.