Riu Falesia Mar Apartments, Olhos D Aqua, Portugal
Hotel Information
Recent Price: £135
Hotel Class:
Hotel Description:
One of the first things you’ll notice about these apartments is the stunning clifftop setting – be sure to take a moment when you arrive to admire the views over Falesia Beach and out to sea. Such views make lazing by the pool even more enjoyable than normal‚ while you’ll find the beach is just a short‚ if steep‚ walk away. loading...
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Rating: 8 / 10
Club Maria Luisa Apartments
Olhos D Aqua, Algarve, Portugal
Distance: 0.5 km / 0.3 mi
Riu Falesia Mar Apartments Reviews
" Negatives: There are NO lifts in... "
Submitted By: Mr Ralph Anderson
Negatives: There are NO lifts in these apartments so I had to carry 3 suitcases up 3 flights of stairs. Self Catering is NOT an option, the Apartment kitchen only has 2 electric hob rings ( no grill or Oven). The layout for sleeping was no good, We had to have 2 Adults and a 3 year old sleep in the same room. The food was excellent although mostly geared to the Eastern European Guests,therefore my 3 year old son ate very little, so if you have children of the same age, I am afraid that they will not be happy. If wanting to book request block A or C.
Positivies: 50 meters to the pool, 500 meters to the beach although there are 200 steps to climb down to the beach and 200 to climb up again. The staff were great, friendly and helpful. Olhos de Agua is a new and up and coming resort, dont expect to see loads of British Pubs and Restaurants, there are 3, the best being the Pickwick Arms at the bottom of the resort near the beach and there is a great Chinese at the bottom of the hill called Chef Peking. Make sure you hire a safe, its 30 euros for a week 15 of which you get back when you hand the key back.
Positivies: 50 meters to the pool, 500 meters to the beach although there are 200 steps to climb down to the beach and 200 to climb up again. The staff were great, friendly and helpful. Olhos de Agua is a new and up and coming resort, dont expect to see loads of British Pubs and Restaurants, there are 3, the best being the Pickwick Arms at the bottom of the resort near the beach and there is a great Chinese at the bottom of the hill called Chef Peking. Make sure you hire a safe, its 30 euros for a week 15 of which you get back when you hand the key back.
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:TRAVEL REPUBLIC
" Unfortunately I was in Olhos D'agua... "
Submitted By: Mr P Dickie
Unfortunately I was in Olhos D'agua on business you could say, rather than pleasure. I had heard many great reports from my parents who had been there 5 times in 4 years, staying in the Riu Falesia Mar Apartments each time. Sadly my dad passed away there whilst on holiday in July 2007 and of course I had to travel out to get my mum. I wasn’t sure what to expect when I got there as their apartment safe had been stolen the year before, so not a great deal of luck in that resort you could say. I arrived on the 6th of July and with each hour I was there I started to see why they kept coming back. The first thing was the view from the balcony of the apartment, to my mind I’ve never seen anything more breath taking. The apartments are spotless and have everything you need.
After sitting looking out over the ocean with a few sagres beers I actually felt like I never wanted to leave the place.
That night we went for dinner in one of the restaurants in the town, the food was superb and nearly all the restaurants offer a wide variety of fresh meat, fish and seafood. In the few days I was there I ate everything from monkfish, squid, sardines, huge prawns to cataplana and steak. For the less adventurous there are a few english bars who provide good quality home cooked british style food.
The one I would recommend is Tracies bar in the small square at the bottom of the hill. This was more or less my parent’s local and all staff are very friendly and can never do enough for you. TJ in the kitchen cooks the most amazing breakfasts and all staff including TJ, Rob, Sandy, Dave and Amanda really add to your holiday in Olhos D'agua. My mum went back in October and has booked for April 2008 which says it all really.
I, myself am going to Albufeira in 7 weeks and I will certainly be spending a couple of days there as it’s the best and one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. I would certainly recommend the Riu Falesia Mar Apartments and Olhos D'agua to anyone.
The whole place deserves 5 stars +.
After sitting looking out over the ocean with a few sagres beers I actually felt like I never wanted to leave the place.
That night we went for dinner in one of the restaurants in the town, the food was superb and nearly all the restaurants offer a wide variety of fresh meat, fish and seafood. In the few days I was there I ate everything from monkfish, squid, sardines, huge prawns to cataplana and steak. For the less adventurous there are a few english bars who provide good quality home cooked british style food.
The one I would recommend is Tracies bar in the small square at the bottom of the hill. This was more or less my parent’s local and all staff are very friendly and can never do enough for you. TJ in the kitchen cooks the most amazing breakfasts and all staff including TJ, Rob, Sandy, Dave and Amanda really add to your holiday in Olhos D'agua. My mum went back in October and has booked for April 2008 which says it all really.
I, myself am going to Albufeira in 7 weeks and I will certainly be spending a couple of days there as it’s the best and one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the pleasure of visiting. I would certainly recommend the Riu Falesia Mar Apartments and Olhos D'agua to anyone.
The whole place deserves 5 stars +.
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2007
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Flyglobespan
" These apartments are quite basic in... "
Submitted By: Mrs S French
These apartments are quite basic in terms of facilities and equipment but are spacious and very clean. They easily sleep 4 between the bedroom and the sofa beds in the lounge. We paid for a sea view which was definitely worth the extra money as it was spectacular. The apartments have a nice pool and pool bar and even in August this was surprisingly empty always with plenty of sun loungers available.
The beach is probably the best we saw on the Algarve (and there is plenty of competition!) - you have to climb quite a few steps to get down there but it is well worth it although obviously not a suitable accommodation for people who are less mobile.
The resort is lovely - much smaller and currently a lot less developed than any of the other places we visited. If you hate karaoke bars, loud music etc you will love Olhos. It is a very family orientated resort with a good selection of bars and restaurants. In terms of restaurants we would particularly recommend a very good Italian called "I Fratellis" where they welcome you very warmly (and the tiramisu is to die for!) and "Tavertinos" which is more of a typical Portuguese restaurant.
If you want a place with beautiful views and plenty of sunshine to go to relax and unwind this is a great location and excellent value for money.
The beach is probably the best we saw on the Algarve (and there is plenty of competition!) - you have to climb quite a few steps to get down there but it is well worth it although obviously not a suitable accommodation for people who are less mobile.
The resort is lovely - much smaller and currently a lot less developed than any of the other places we visited. If you hate karaoke bars, loud music etc you will love Olhos. It is a very family orientated resort with a good selection of bars and restaurants. In terms of restaurants we would particularly recommend a very good Italian called "I Fratellis" where they welcome you very warmly (and the tiramisu is to die for!) and "Tavertinos" which is more of a typical Portuguese restaurant.
If you want a place with beautiful views and plenty of sunshine to go to relax and unwind this is a great location and excellent value for money.
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2007
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomson
" This was our first visit to the... "
Submitted By: Mrs L North
This was our first visit to the Algarve and was a last minute late deal from Thomsons. We stayed in Olhos d'Agua in a lovely hotel, very clean throughout, plus friendly staff all speaking many languages - even our favourite young waiter spoke 8 different ones!
My partner only wanted B+B but I persuaded him to go Half board and the food was excellent. We have never seen so many varieties of food for each meal -All meals were buffet style so we could eat as much as we wanted and everything was beautifully presented. The fresh fruit was delicious and the breakfast pancakes were a pleasant change from Sausage, Eggs & Bacon, which were also on offer, plus many meats, cheeses, breads, cakes, cereals, fruit juices, chocolate milk shakes etc etc. My favourite were the sweets for the evening meal - the most I had were 8 different (VERY small) portions as I wanted to try them all but there were too many to do that, even for me! The Portuguese rice pudding was surprisingly delicious, and the mousses were wonderfully light. All evening drinks had were added to the bill, even bottled water. After eating all that food (dinner was at 6pm or 8pm) there was music and entertainment every evening. There was even Bingo in 6 different languages one night and a Flamenco show another evening! There was also an Internet point so I could send news home to the rest of the family. That cost 1€ for 10 minutes - make sure you have a Hotmail or similar account before you leave home and you know your password!
The hotel was set on top of a cliff overlooking the swimming and paddling pools, and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. There were loads of sunloungers, despite the many Germans in the hotel, both round the pool and on a grass area near the edge of the cliff. At the side of the pool was a lovely clean smaller restaurant where you could buy drinks and snacks during the day. If you don’t like steps though there were 134 of them past amazingly colourful cliffs down to the lovely clean beach. The indoor pool in the basement was smallish but adequate and the Jacuzzi was fun. There was also a Sauna but we didn’t try that. The room was fine with plenty of wardrobe space and a safe but that cost an extra 11.50€ for the week. The bathroom was superb and both were cleaned daily. We didn’t touch any of the drinks in the room fridge, as they were expensive. Even the daily bag of crisps and peanuts were exorbitantly expensive, so be warned.
Our favourite trip out was to the Zoo Marine (despite the rain) where the Dolphin show was so good we stayed for the afternoon show as well. Get there at opening time if you can (10am I think) as various animal shows are running most of the day and each show starts 10 minutes after the previous one finished. These are announced over the loudspeakers and there is plenty of time to find the next show before it starts as the zoo itself is not enormous. There is also a small funfair plus a large swimming pool area but we missed that as the weather was unseasonably cool and very wet!
We hired a car and were very pleasantly surprised to find NO speed cameras and free parking everywhere we went. Even petrol was slightly cheaper than in the UK. The main roads are excellent - some of them brand new due to Euro 2004 - and not very busy. Rather like the M1 30+ years ago! Other couples from our hotel booked coach trips though Thomsons but said they were rather expensive and they didn’t have as much time in each venue as they would have liked - never more than 1 hour even in Lagos. They also tried the local buses which seemed fairly efficient, though there was some confusion about where to buy tickets.
Olhos d'Agua is a smallish village about 5 miles East of Albufeira and we preferred the location to the much busier town. There were a number of cafes/restaurants in the main street, presumably aimed at the holidaymakers from the near-by apartments, but we ate so much at our hotel we couldn’t eat anything else! Though we couldn’t resist buying 5 kilos of fresh oranges for 2 € from a roadside stall. We squeezed these and drank the juice - Delicious!
We were a bit disappointed in the weather - it rained on several days, which the locals assured us was very unusual and seemed to cover the whole of Europe - but it didn’t stop us going out to explore the area. There seemed to be steps nearly every where we went - we climbed down 194 to go on a death defying half-hour boat trip round the cliffs just west of Lagos at Ponta da Piedada, but it was worth it. All in all it was a wonderful holiday - even though it was a late deal with Thomsons and we had no idea where we would be staying - with super beaches for the family, large shopping areas which we mainly avoided, several zoos, water parks and fantastic scenery and we are looking to go again next year to revisit the dolphins and see some of the sites we missed this year.
My partner only wanted B+B but I persuaded him to go Half board and the food was excellent. We have never seen so many varieties of food for each meal -All meals were buffet style so we could eat as much as we wanted and everything was beautifully presented. The fresh fruit was delicious and the breakfast pancakes were a pleasant change from Sausage, Eggs & Bacon, which were also on offer, plus many meats, cheeses, breads, cakes, cereals, fruit juices, chocolate milk shakes etc etc. My favourite were the sweets for the evening meal - the most I had were 8 different (VERY small) portions as I wanted to try them all but there were too many to do that, even for me! The Portuguese rice pudding was surprisingly delicious, and the mousses were wonderfully light. All evening drinks had were added to the bill, even bottled water. After eating all that food (dinner was at 6pm or 8pm) there was music and entertainment every evening. There was even Bingo in 6 different languages one night and a Flamenco show another evening! There was also an Internet point so I could send news home to the rest of the family. That cost 1€ for 10 minutes - make sure you have a Hotmail or similar account before you leave home and you know your password!
The hotel was set on top of a cliff overlooking the swimming and paddling pools, and the Atlantic Ocean beyond. There were loads of sunloungers, despite the many Germans in the hotel, both round the pool and on a grass area near the edge of the cliff. At the side of the pool was a lovely clean smaller restaurant where you could buy drinks and snacks during the day. If you don’t like steps though there were 134 of them past amazingly colourful cliffs down to the lovely clean beach. The indoor pool in the basement was smallish but adequate and the Jacuzzi was fun. There was also a Sauna but we didn’t try that. The room was fine with plenty of wardrobe space and a safe but that cost an extra 11.50€ for the week. The bathroom was superb and both were cleaned daily. We didn’t touch any of the drinks in the room fridge, as they were expensive. Even the daily bag of crisps and peanuts were exorbitantly expensive, so be warned.
Our favourite trip out was to the Zoo Marine (despite the rain) where the Dolphin show was so good we stayed for the afternoon show as well. Get there at opening time if you can (10am I think) as various animal shows are running most of the day and each show starts 10 minutes after the previous one finished. These are announced over the loudspeakers and there is plenty of time to find the next show before it starts as the zoo itself is not enormous. There is also a small funfair plus a large swimming pool area but we missed that as the weather was unseasonably cool and very wet!
We hired a car and were very pleasantly surprised to find NO speed cameras and free parking everywhere we went. Even petrol was slightly cheaper than in the UK. The main roads are excellent - some of them brand new due to Euro 2004 - and not very busy. Rather like the M1 30+ years ago! Other couples from our hotel booked coach trips though Thomsons but said they were rather expensive and they didn’t have as much time in each venue as they would have liked - never more than 1 hour even in Lagos. They also tried the local buses which seemed fairly efficient, though there was some confusion about where to buy tickets.
Olhos d'Agua is a smallish village about 5 miles East of Albufeira and we preferred the location to the much busier town. There were a number of cafes/restaurants in the main street, presumably aimed at the holidaymakers from the near-by apartments, but we ate so much at our hotel we couldn’t eat anything else! Though we couldn’t resist buying 5 kilos of fresh oranges for 2 € from a roadside stall. We squeezed these and drank the juice - Delicious!
We were a bit disappointed in the weather - it rained on several days, which the locals assured us was very unusual and seemed to cover the whole of Europe - but it didn’t stop us going out to explore the area. There seemed to be steps nearly every where we went - we climbed down 194 to go on a death defying half-hour boat trip round the cliffs just west of Lagos at Ponta da Piedada, but it was worth it. All in all it was a wonderful holiday - even though it was a late deal with Thomsons and we had no idea where we would be staying - with super beaches for the family, large shopping areas which we mainly avoided, several zoos, water parks and fantastic scenery and we are looking to go again next year to revisit the dolphins and see some of the sites we missed this year.
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- Date of Holiday:May 2004
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Thomsons
" We wouldn’t normally have... "
Submitted By: Mr S Levesley
We wouldn’t normally have considered staying in such a big hotel on a half board basis but after a disastrous first week in Spain we booked this place directly through the hotel booking agency for the second week of our holiday.
The hotel was very well sited - quite a few steps down to the beach, but the beach was very clean and had items of interest for children - rock pools, shells, etc. The snorkelling around the rocks was also spectacular. The hotel was only a five minute stroll down into the local village bars and restaurants.
The room we were given was a nice size with a put-up bed for our son. The room was thoroughly cleaned everyday and had a really good sea view.
The food in the hotel was excellent - it was served on a buffet basis but there was plenty of variety, some freshly cooked in the dining room (paella, etc.) and the empty serving trays were quickly replenished by the ever attendant waiting staff. Evening meals were served in two sittings, which again was something that I would normally have balked at, but it worked and despite the hotel being absolutely full (we had the last available room) the service was excellent.
Like most hotels there is always the hassle of trying to obtain sunbeds, but the attendants did monitor it and would help you to drag over spare ones from the gardens - they were also seen to remove towels from early morning sunbed grabbers (no not just by the Germans I hasten to add).
So, first time in a large hotel and yes I would go back even at the height of the season. <br>
The hotel was very well sited - quite a few steps down to the beach, but the beach was very clean and had items of interest for children - rock pools, shells, etc. The snorkelling around the rocks was also spectacular. The hotel was only a five minute stroll down into the local village bars and restaurants.
The room we were given was a nice size with a put-up bed for our son. The room was thoroughly cleaned everyday and had a really good sea view.
The food in the hotel was excellent - it was served on a buffet basis but there was plenty of variety, some freshly cooked in the dining room (paella, etc.) and the empty serving trays were quickly replenished by the ever attendant waiting staff. Evening meals were served in two sittings, which again was something that I would normally have balked at, but it worked and despite the hotel being absolutely full (we had the last available room) the service was excellent.
Like most hotels there is always the hassle of trying to obtain sunbeds, but the attendants did monitor it and would help you to drag over spare ones from the gardens - they were also seen to remove towels from early morning sunbed grabbers (no not just by the Germans I hasten to add).
So, first time in a large hotel and yes I would go back even at the height of the season. <br>
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2005
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" We stayed at Riu Falesia Mar... "
Submitted By: Mrs k Sanghera
We stayed at Riu Falesia Mar Apartments for 7 days in July. (I had wanted to book the Riu Falesia Hotel next door but this was a maximum occupancy of 3, instead of my required 4 in a room.)
First impressions: the apartments were clean & tidy, consisting of one bedroom (2 beds), a lounge area (with 2 sofa beds...ideal for the kids!), and a kitchenette with a hob/cupboards and fridge (a godsend!).There was also a balcony with sea view.
the apartment blocks are 3 storeys high. We stayed on the 3rd floor , and there is no lift so it was a bit of a drag with the suitcases on the first & last day, but we did get fit going up & down those stairs each day!
Big disadvantage: no AC, but good breeze could be obtained each night leaving the balcony door slightly open and leaving the bedroom window (and door) open allowing good air circulation.
Apartments ( 3*plus) are right next door to hotel (4*), all in its own complex, where entertainment is available each evening. Apartments have their own facilities: i.e. separate dining area/ own pool/own kids pool/kids playground and own tennis courts, separate to hotel.
supermarket about 1 minute away, though not very big so better to walk 5 minutes down road towards bars and shops and other supermarkets.
The beach is just “ down below” via 139 steps!...ok going down there, but my want to re-think getting back up with the towels, the lilo, the parasol, the deckchairs, the buckets & spades, the inflatables, and worst of all the 3 year old who demands “ pick me up!!”
Location is in a quiet fishing village, but only 8km away from Albufeira (the strip), and 8km from Vilamoura.
middle of July but surprisingly quiet in bars locally, depending on what one is used to.
Half board at hotel entailed breakfast and dinner, though is at set time of 6.30 or 8.30pm, which was a bit restrictive.
Food ok/ good choice but more or less a similar choice each day. Waiters friendly & efficient.
Overall, perfect base to stay....beach and pool within easy access. Clean & comfy and we had no problems. Maybe would have preferred a livelier resort, but had hired a car so were not restricted and easily able to go out & explore.
First impressions: the apartments were clean & tidy, consisting of one bedroom (2 beds), a lounge area (with 2 sofa beds...ideal for the kids!), and a kitchenette with a hob/cupboards and fridge (a godsend!).There was also a balcony with sea view.
the apartment blocks are 3 storeys high. We stayed on the 3rd floor , and there is no lift so it was a bit of a drag with the suitcases on the first & last day, but we did get fit going up & down those stairs each day!
Big disadvantage: no AC, but good breeze could be obtained each night leaving the balcony door slightly open and leaving the bedroom window (and door) open allowing good air circulation.
Apartments ( 3*plus) are right next door to hotel (4*), all in its own complex, where entertainment is available each evening. Apartments have their own facilities: i.e. separate dining area/ own pool/own kids pool/kids playground and own tennis courts, separate to hotel.
supermarket about 1 minute away, though not very big so better to walk 5 minutes down road towards bars and shops and other supermarkets.
The beach is just “ down below” via 139 steps!...ok going down there, but my want to re-think getting back up with the towels, the lilo, the parasol, the deckchairs, the buckets & spades, the inflatables, and worst of all the 3 year old who demands “ pick me up!!”
Location is in a quiet fishing village, but only 8km away from Albufeira (the strip), and 8km from Vilamoura.
middle of July but surprisingly quiet in bars locally, depending on what one is used to.
Half board at hotel entailed breakfast and dinner, though is at set time of 6.30 or 8.30pm, which was a bit restrictive.
Food ok/ good choice but more or less a similar choice each day. Waiters friendly & efficient.
Overall, perfect base to stay....beach and pool within easy access. Clean & comfy and we had no problems. Maybe would have preferred a livelier resort, but had hired a car so were not restricted and easily able to go out & explore.
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2005
- Board Basis:Half Board
- Tour Operator:Lowcostbeds.com
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On arriving, our apt was not ready, to be expected, as was said by so many.
The Apartments are very roomy with a very small TV on the wall, and the heating in ours was ok. We had heaters in the walls, but one couple, had to use their air conditioner as a heater??? It was so cold the last week in Feb 2009,just like being at home, and it brightened up on our last day.
The facilities here are not suitable for four,and I feel that four would suffer here due to the inadequacy of the fridge space to keep enough things cool for four in summer.
The Mini Market on the site is very poorly equipped, just cakes and biscuits,with no real food on sale here, and high prices too compared with the town, that were also really over the top with the Pound on a Par with the Euro.
The nearest, proper shop, is 1km walk, and not as they say 500m away, it is a small branch, of a large well equipped supermarket, sited 1.5km away,quite a hike through the town.
You will need to take a back pack, and a good sized carrier bag, or hire a car.
The Apartment was equipped with the minimum in cooking utensils, no kettle, no mugs, just a coffee maker,with small little coffee cups, great if you like to steam or fry everything, in their high grade stainless steel utensils, two nice deep pans,and two small frying pans, but just two hot plates to cook on, no oven, no microwave, and nowhere to hire them either.
You will have to take things to use, cooler box, and ice makers, will be needed if you like ice, as Ice is not on sale anywhere, also a sharp knife, a chopping board, a peeler, oven bags to steam things in, as oven bags are not on sale in Portugal, and the fridge is only just suitable for two in the chill of spring, not a family of four or three people sharing in summer, sorry to be repetitive, but I do need to stress this, as I had to defrost in in the two weeks we were there.
These Apts should be equipped with a proper fridge freezer, if you intend to pursue the art of true self catering, the prices in the 4 Star hotel are 22 Euros a night, per meal with a deal of 16.50 if you book for five nights, and there is an Italian place in there too.
We did not go out to eat at all as prices were average 18.50 Euros each for A La Carte, Just too expensive, and the food bill, there for self Catering... was astonishing, enough. The cuts of Turkey, and chicken strange, Chicken Breasts, 6 Euros for four, but taste of nothing...And veggies from the market by the supermarket was twice the price in England.
But the thing we really missed, was English TV, they only have CNN, Sky News, BBC News, the odd TV show in Portuguese shown in English, but with Portuguese Subtitles,were good.
There was nothing on in English, though the German, French, Spanish people all had entertainment channels on the TV in their languages in the apartments.
The resort was full of retired Spanish people.
I really caught up with current affairs...Just wished for the Hallmark Channel....And a Micro Wave oven for heating up food, we got so bored, read a few books, thank the lord for the Chess board, cards, and Dominoes, that we took.
The maids were very efficient and friendly, and cheered us through the doldrums of our two weeks there, and the reception staff and reps were very understanding, and caring.
Sad to say that anyone with an eye allergy will suffer, the resort is built in the middle of a Pine Forest, and the wife caught conjunctivitis,in both eyes there, only getting better now that we are home away from the place, the air was full of the pollen and small insects, so beware if you have those problems,
The steps to the beach were steep, and many, but there are chairs to rest in on the way up or down, perhaps too taxing for the frail, not so bad for younger folks, but the beach is not that beautiful by any standards, reminiscent of West Bay in Dorset with sand not pebbles.
In all I sum up and say this holiday was not represented properly at the travel agent, and I would never have booked it had I know what I now know.
Advice: It is a nice very quite town, but very expensive and out of the way.
Activities: Could not afford any, prices were just too high to justify the expence.