Reviews of Balaia Plaza Apartments, Albufeira, Portugal

We went on our first holiday...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

xpinkbra21x

Comments:

We went on our first holiday abroad in sept '07, we chose to fly with First Choice, and we think we got an extremly good deal.We stayed for 7 days, self catering.

The inflight meals were absolutely delicious, highly recommend them when flying with First Choice. The transfer from Faro Airport to the Balaia Plaza was about 45 minutes.We were about 500m from the nearest beach, a 15-20 minute stroll (although we had to walk through other hotel grounds , to get to the beach, you have to walk down quite a few steps near the cliff edge).

Our hotel was a 4* but likened to a 5* . The hotel was extremly clean and tidy, and our bed linen and towels were changed 6 days a week also, the maids were very friendly, polite and courteous, they always knocked before entering our room.

It has a lovely outside area with a large pool for the adults and a lovely little pool for the children (which our 2yr old loved).Also a heated indoor pool, which was fab.A gym, sauna and turkish bath were available at a local charge. The hotel staff were nice and friendly and receptionist was available 24 hours. There was also a small convienience store based within the hotel, open 8am til 7pm. There was also a restaurant ( although quite expensive) in the hotel and a games room for the kids.

We were told about the main high street, a long row of shops, bars and restaurants called "The Strip", this was a long but lovely stroll of about 30-40 mins from the hotel.

The hotel offered a minibus free of charge to various destinations such as "The Strip" and the local town of Albufeira. We did find that it was cheaper eating out on "The Strip" than buying food in.

While staying at the hotel, we took the opportunity to visit Zoo Marine (offered to us by First Choice) although a little expensive (coach travel included) it was worth every penny. Our little boy loved it, as we saw dolphins, sealions and other marine creatures, and a wonderful 4D cinema.

All in all our holiday was brilliant, we would love to go there again and would highly recommend both the resort and the Balaia Plaza to all.



Katie, David and Ethan

Myself, wife and our 2 children...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr A Simpson

Comments:

Myself, wife and our 2 children (aged 5 & 2) have recently returned from a 2 week holiday, we requested a quiet room on the booking and when we arrived from a night flight was given a room we discovered the next morning which was overlooking a main road and the Algamar Apartments new building extension and because it was full had to wait 3 days to be moved. The room we moved to had a sea view and was quiet. The apartments are vast and are well eqipped although the television had only one English speaking channel when i questioned it they said the satelite reciever was broken and were awaiting an engineer?. The major plus points are a tremendous heated indoor pool you have to wear swim caps which are cheap to buy, well equipped Gym good out door pool, playground and a decent pool bar. The minus points are the location is a fair walk to albuferia and if you book a taxi the hotel charge 75 cents to book it. We walked to the Balaia golf village where there is no charge to book a taxi and also found the food there was a better choice and reasonably priced. Zoo Marine is excellent as is Algarve shopping 1 mile from each other we went after Zoo Marine and went back just to shop , Villamora Marina is also a must. We personally used taxis to everywhere 4-5 euros locally max fare cost 17 euros. I liked the Algarve especially the old town a restauraunt to try is Cais Velho it was excellent in every way. We used a great company www.taxisabroad.com for our airport transfers which i would also highly recommend.

Apartment was vast, quiet and...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Apr 2008

Tour Operator:

broadway

Submitted By:

Mr Rg Kemp

Comments:

Apartment was vast, quiet and quite comfortable. Kitchen modestly equipped. The public areas are huge and there is a restaurant in the adjoining sister hotel which served an excellent breakfast, reasonably priced. We found the staff helpful, particularly when we needed to contact Faro Airport to arrange a flight home brought about by family illness in UK. The nearby beach at Eulalia is beautiful and well served by a couple of nice places to have a snack. The best places to dine are in Albufeira old town, about 10 minutes drive away. We were very disappointed to have to leave early but we'll be back!

This was an absolutely fantastic...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss K Stalker

Comments:

This was an absolutely fantastic holiday. The rooms were very clean and the reception were very helpful. They helped book you taxis when there were not many avliable. The rep was absolutely brilliant. The exercusions by first choice were great also. Albuferia was lovely. The beaches were great and the nightlife and resturants to. There was plenty to do and the taxis were very cheap. The hotels snack bar food was really good and the staff were very friendly. I would highly reccomend this holiday to young couples or groups, will definately be going back again.

We've just come back from what...

Overall Rating:

2/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Dec 2007

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mr S Bruce

Comments:

We've just come back from what will definitely be our last visit to the Balaia Plaza. The hotel has really gone downhill. In the past we have received great service at this hotel, but not on this occasion.



The receptionist when we booked in was unbelievably rude - not only to us, but to others trying to check in, or requesting extra towels etc. for their rooms.



The room we were given was very grubby - even chewing gum stuck on the wall. We asked to move, but were told the hotel was full, so we wouldn't be able to. The bathroom was disgusting with really mouldy grout and broken tiles - fair enough, the tiles were repaired and the bath re-siliconed on our second day. The bedding smelt. There were hairs in the bath and basin when we arrived. All in all it was grim.



The Balaia has never been equivalent to a UK four star property - more like a three star with large rooms. On the basis of this trip, I'd say it only warrants two stars.



Also, if you are planning to go there, be aware that the Alfagar has started building its new hotel, so if you have rooms on the east side of the complex, you will have a view of a building site and little else - you'd be much better booking into the Alfagar!

I visited the Algarve at the end...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss M Green

Comments:

I visited the Algarve at the end of September with my boyfriend. The apartment was huge, with everything we needed, it was kept clean with clean bed linen and towels every other day.



The pool area was lovely, we never had a problem getting sunbeds, and the poolside snack bar was fine. The small shop/shed was handy for newspapers and magazines.



We walked down to The Strip a couple of times at the beginning of the week, which was ok but a bit 'tacky', for the rest of the week we got a taxi into the Old Town, which was really lovely, we particularly liked a couple of the restaurants on the beach front.



The only downside we found was that it was quite difficult to get a taxi into the old town, but fine getting one back.



Overall we loved the hotel, the receptionists were always very helpful, our first choice rep was great, but if we visit the Algarve again we would stay nearer to the Old Town.

I have just returned from a week...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr M Vernon

Comments:

I have just returned from a week at the Balaia Plaza and I must say I didn’t want to come home.



We were a party of 7 with a wide age range of 71, 68, 33, 31, 16, 9, 8 and we all enjoyed the holiday the same.



The apartment was very large and clean, it had everything you should need including microwave, fridge/freezer, TV, cutlery, ect. The beds are comfy, The balcony with table & chairs was nice for breakfast and an evening night cap, and the air con was a god send.



There is a onsite supermarket that is very convenient if not a little expensive.



The evening entertainment was basic but fun, the pool, and pool bar were both very nice and not too far to walk.



The first choice rep was great and was always ready to help with excursions, advice, or problems you may encounter.



The only down side was that the Algarve is very hilly so the walk to the beach or into the town is a bit of a trek, but this did not take away anything from a great holiday.



I would definitely go back to the Balaia Plaza again.

Stayed at the Balaia Plaza for a...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr S Holidaymaker

Comments:

Stayed at the Balaia Plaza for a week self catering. This is the best hotel I have stayed in on a package holiday. The rooms are huge and the facilities are very good in the room. You get hairdryer along with clean towels daily. No shortage of hot water for showers etc. The kitchen was well equipped too. The room was cleaned daily and the bin was emptied at the same time.



The staff are friendly and helpful and so were the reps. The downside was the sunbeds; people were putting there towels out at 7am but not coming back until 11am. This did lead to some conflict so watch out. The poolside bar is ok but it can get expensive if you are not careful. It is best to buy food at the mini market and make your own.



The old town is good late afternoon and early evening as all the street acts come out and perform in the main square. The food is good in the restaurants too. The strip reminded me of Blackpool and was not my scene but ok for a stroll one night.



Watch out for the weather as it can go very cold at night and can be windy. Taxis are only bookable through the operator, so do not try to flag them down. It is best to get a bar to book you one or better still walk back. Once it gets past 10pm it can take 2 hours to get a taxi. There are buses and the drivers can speak some English. Women do not take high heels as all the streets are cobbled so sensible shoes please.



I would definitely go back as I loved the weather, the Portuguese food and the hotel.

Just got back from Balaia Plaza...

Overall Rating:

6/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mr K Walker

Comments:

Just got back from Balaia Plaza and I must say that it was a very nice hotel with massive rooms, however its quite a slog to the strip about a 20 min walk down a hill and up a bigger one. We tried to book a taxi but were told we had to wait 2 hours.



We walked to the strip most nights, make sure you visit the old town it’s a must.



The reps told us how expensive it was to use the hotel phone and your mobile phone, then proceeded to try and sell us phone cards, I used my mobile and it cost no more than any other country.



The reps said it cost to receive a text, which was not true, not on 02 anyway. We also got the feeling that the locals did not like the Brits, we also found drinks very expensive around 4 euros for a spirit and mixer in a small glass with loads of ice.



We did like the hotel but we wouldn’t go there again its a bit out of the way.

This was our first visit to...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs G Marchant

Comments:

This was our first visit to Portugal and generally overall was impressed with the hotel. Reception staff were friendly and helpful especially Sandra.



On site shop well stocked and obviously the things that Brits abroad seem to want to buy like Kellogs cornflakes, Heinz Beans were quiet pricey - but cans and bottles of soft drinks and ice creams very reasonable and 5 litre bottles of water nearly given away at 63 cents!!!



We loved the pool and terrace area - only one major complaint - apparently only 57 sunbeds for a hotel with approximately 80 rooms - you do the maths!! - Had to be up really early before 8.00 to get sunbeds.



Thought the pool-bar was really good offering a good selection of snacks etc and at a reasonable price, staff very friendly.



Although we were not impressed with on site Oscar restaurant - looks can be deceiving as the building and decor very attractive - we rejected the couvert ie bread, olives etc was then offered a spoon of carrot puree to "welcome us to the restaurant" and then charged 1.5 euros each. Three of us had nearly finished our main course before the other two even got theirs - and the waiters constently hovered waiting to top our water - made us feel very uncomfortable.



We had a two bedroom-two bathroom-two balcony apartment which we thought was very spacious with comfortable beds.



Was really surprised at the amount of building works going on around the hotel - as no mention of this was made in the First Choice brochure.



The walk to the strip took approximately 10-15 mins but was uphill in places. We thought the strip was a bit tacky with lots of restaurants having staff outside trying to tempt you in.



Our favourite restaurant was Casa Velha located on the left-hand side of the main road leading to the strip just before the roundabout. Staff very friendly, good with children and very reasonably priced.



Used the hotel bus to the old town - the beach was stunning - but was a bit disappointed as there were loads of tacky tourist shops and had to wait over 30 mins for taxi back although it was only 5 in the afternoon - hate to think of the queues during the evening.



First Choice rep Natalie was friendly and helpful.



We didn't prebook our seats and all 5 of us were seated together on both journeys - so save your money. As First Choice do seem to put pressure on you to do so - saying your party will be split up - considering we were on a First Choice aircraft surely they can offer this service free of charge.



We took the trip to Aqua Show was a good day out but didn't get there until 10.45 and had to be back at carpark for 4.20 and at 120 euro's for 5 of us would have liked longer. But was really impressed with short queuing times for rollercaster. Food outlets also reasonably priced - didn't think it was a rip off unlike most Uk theme parks.



We all really enjoyed our holiday - but the hotel doesn't offer lots of entertainment, kids clubs etc so if that's what you are after its not for you - but we did think it offered value for money.



Weather glorious - take high factor sun cream.

Great hotel- really big...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss J Smith

Comments:

Great hotel- really big apartments, clean pool, air conditioning, friendly staff- happy days!



It is quite far from the strip, but that's okay if you're a family and you just want to be by the beach and away from the tacky area! My boyfriend and I spent most days at the beach about a ten minute walk from the hotel- the path is quite steep though so not for people with buggies! The beach is fantastic- clean, not too busy and plenty of spaces for people who need shade.



The Balaia Plaza itself was great- entertainment was typical holiday/package fare, karaoke etc and did the job, though I think 2 weeks of it may get a little nauseating. Drinks at the bar were pretty expensive (though beer was cheap), but the restaurant was fab and the food was really good- especially the seafood, which was delicious.



The hotel shop is moderately priced- obvious things like sliced bread and tea bags are probably most expensive, but things like beer and wine are cheap as chips!



Highly recommend this hotel- it was fab- the room was great, comfy, clean and welcoming!

We are a young couple and we...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss B Horscroft

Comments:

We are a young couple and we just got back on Saturday from a week in Balaia Plaza and we loved it!



The apartments were lovely (although maybe not a 4* - the bathroom was a bit brown where it should be white!) but the place was great.



The old town is good and the "Strip" is very buzzy - Matts bar is a must if you love great old school tunes!



The staff in Balaia Plaza were friendly and the pool is very clean, the indoor pool was nice if a bit small. There are 100's of beaches around.



The hotels courtesy bus into the old town 4 times a day, 5 times a week was very handy and there is a big supermarket called Modelo where you can buy your bread, milk, bacon, eggs, beer etc for a bit cheaper than the Mercado in the hotel. Basically their version of our Tesco’s.



The cocktails in the hotel bar are great - happy hour is 6.30-8pm.



If you do have kids though, it may be tricky getting down to the beach over the road, I suggest going to Maria Luisa beach instead (come out of the hotel and turn left).



Overall rating 9/10. We'd definitely go back.

I recently visited the Balaia...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Miss H Stidolph

Comments:

I recently visited the Balaia Plaza in June 2007; I stayed with my boyfriend and parents in a very spacious apartment.



I had a wonderful time and am certainly going to return you the Balaia Plaza, the receptionist was always very polite and helpful, and the First Choice rep was always there when needed.



The only downside that had taken affect on the holiday was the lack of sunbeds!



Everyday all the sunbeds were taken up by the time we went out to sunbathe also the lack of umbrellas to accompany the sunbeds. The cafe at the pool was handy but abit on the expensive side.



The supermarket was very useful as we went self catering as you could get everything you needed to eat and drink, also they baked fresh bread rolls which we had as sandwiches for lunch.



To get to strip and the old town you need to book a taxi from the reception which costs 0.75 cents, the taxi to the old town and the strip will cost around 4-5 Euros



The nightlife is very good in Albufeira the main area is called the strip where they have some very nice places to eat and some clubs which are good for people my age as the music is up to date and the cocktails are gorgeous. The bars that I recommend are Matts bar and the garage bar which both play good R&B music (try the Big Dick cocktail in the garage bar) they both have happy hours which finish at 10:30.



The old town is also very beautiful and there is also many lovely places to eat there



The weather we had was very pleasant for the duration of our stay and we all come back with very good tans. There is no fault that I could say for the apartment or any other aspect of the holiday



We also did a boat trip while we were there this cost 38 Euros each and included a boat trip from 9.30-4.00 and you get to see many beautiful parts of Portugal that can only be seen by boat. You also get a barbeque on a private secluded beach which is beautiful and you can also go in a cave. We booked this through our rep and all enjoyed it.



Hope this information is of use and enjoy your stay in Portugal!



The four of us enjoyed ourselves so much we are returning in September and next year. We loved and would recommend going to Portugal to anyone!

I am very fussy when it comes to...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mr D B

Comments:

I am very fussy when it comes to accommodation. It needs to be clean and well presented. Before booking the trip, I had a look at reviews from this site and others too which at the end persuaded me to go for it.



I was happy I did. Had a wonderful time. Hotel rooms were very spacious, lean, and tidy. Couple of tiles were cracked in the bathroom, but not a major issue, only cosmetic. Good customer service, first choice reps were very helpful too.



We were there for two weeks and room was cleaned 6 times a week. I do agree with those who say the hotel is slightly out of the main area. It can be difficult for those with kids and the elderly.



We didn’t book a taxi at all on our stay. To get to the strip it took 15-20mins to walk, which is nothing really. To get to old town it took a further 20mins from the strip (tip: just catch the Touristic Train from the strip which is 3 Euros for a day pass, it will get you to old town and you will enjoy the ride.



Alternative if you wish to go to old town for free then there is a courtesy bus (compliments of the hotel) that goes there 4 times a day.



Beach is a few mins walk away, but it is very steep, take your time going down it.



Overall, happy with hotel. Oh yeah, don’t forget to buy a key for the safe to put your valuables, well worth it (15 Euros for a week).

Just come back from a week’s...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2007

Tour Operator:

First Choice

Submitted By:

Mrs P Wheeler

Comments:

Just come back from a week’s stay at the Balaia Plaza Hotel. Overall it was a very pleasing holiday.



The room was very spacious, and the air con was a real treat!



The location of the hotel is about half an hour to the strip, so I wouldn’t recommend this hotel to anyone with young children or anyone that has trouble walking.



The entertainment is very limited, they really could do with having far more especially for the younger children and maybe some pool side activities; they wouldn't go a miss!!



We found a really nice place to eat, it is called Annabells, it is on the right hand side of the first roundabout, and it is run by English people, who serve real homemade food, with a friendly smile and great value for money.



We did enjoy the holiday but to be honest we wouldn't travel back to Portugal again.



This is the second time that we have been, and it really has gone downhill, could do updating.