Paraiso de Albufeira Apartments, Albufeira, Portugal
Hotel Information
Recent Price: £59
Hotel Class:
Hotel Description:
The most recent and valuable tourist development in the Algarve, Aparthotel Paraiso de Albufeira is one of the most prestigious 4 star aparthotels within a closed condominium, with its imposing, dynamic and bold architecture. Paraíso de Albufeira stands out from the others due to its luxury finishing's, original design, contrasting colours and use of exotic wood. A dynamic and bold building with large leisure areas highlighted with stained glass and panoramic lifts. Enjoy a cocktail while sitting in the refreshing blue water of the outside pool. Relax and have fun in the spacious health club, heated indoor pool, mini golf or one of the tennis courts surrounded by greenery. Aparthotel Paraiso Albufeira. loading...
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Paraiso de Albufeira Apartments Reviews
" greaat "
Submitted By: emmaalouise94
hotel, absolutley loved it!
i'm only fifteen but there was still loads to do.
the entertainment was for younger children from 7-8ish
but after that it became better for older children i thought :)
the apartment was huge, very clean, and unlike other reviws they beds were very comfy i thought !
the cleaners didnt seem to do much though, woke us up at 9ish and if you didnt answer, they would come in when you were asleep which wasnt to fun.
the day time entertainment was great!
over all i really liked it last year, :)
i'm going this thursday (23rd july 09) and am really looking forward to it, too see if i still like it.
i would defo recommend it, best holiday ive been on and weve been on quite a few :D
better for familys with 13-16 year olds i think
xx
i'm only fifteen but there was still loads to do.
the entertainment was for younger children from 7-8ish
but after that it became better for older children i thought :)
the apartment was huge, very clean, and unlike other reviws they beds were very comfy i thought !
the cleaners didnt seem to do much though, woke us up at 9ish and if you didnt answer, they would come in when you were asleep which wasnt to fun.
the day time entertainment was great!
over all i really liked it last year, :)
i'm going this thursday (23rd july 09) and am really looking forward to it, too see if i still like it.
i would defo recommend it, best holiday ive been on and weve been on quite a few :D
better for familys with 13-16 year olds i think
xx
Advice: lovely area, not to keen on the going out to the old town/new town so just stayed in the hotel
Activities: we just stayed in the hotel, nothing to complain about, you get what you pay for.
Good for: Beach
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" Would not rate rooms or food 4* "
Submitted By: jane20
We just got back from the Paraiso in Albufeira and had a thoroughly good holiday. Bit disappointed though as we normally go 3* and thought we would get a better quality hotel etc by going 4*, unfortunately this was not the case. The beds were so uncomfortable hard and lumpy, we ended up putting blankets beneath us to try to get a bit of comfort. Food was a big let down, snack bar was good but closed at 6.30, 1st all inclusive i have stayed in that the snack bar didn't stay open. Breakfast was definitely not worth going for as in other 3* hotels we would have the chef making fresh omelettes and pancakes and a vast selection of fruits and breads this was not the case in Paraiso,big disappointment, the evening meal was in the restaurant which was accessed through the nightclub where the kids entertainment was, it was noisy like a cattle market and because of where it was(2 floors below ground level) it was very oppressive and hot. The food was very hit and miss and if you like pizza and chips you are sure to get something to eat every night otherwise be prepared to eat out which we have never done on all inclusive before. On the positive side, the Eva restaurant a la carte which all inclusive guests pay half price for was absolutely gorgeous. Be warned it must be prebooked. I would happily have paid more for my all inclusive holiday to have the food and service from this restaurant every day, as it was, this restaurant was always very quiet with few guests. But was of the quality I would expect of a 4* hotel and not the cheap cuts put out in the all inclusive restaurant. The hotel itself is very nice and the grounds are fabulous great for kids and adults, although could do with some maintenance in the pools.
Seville cathedral is a must see, beautiful building, although beware, if you go on day trip visit the shops first as for some unknown reason the shopping time allocated is mostly during siesta when all shops are closed.
Seville cathedral is a must see, beautiful building, although beware, if you go on day trip visit the shops first as for some unknown reason the shopping time allocated is mostly during siesta when all shops are closed.
Advice: Great location half way between old town and the strip
Activities: Enjoyed the seville cathedral.
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Nightmare Hotel "
Submitted By: tikka243
Just back from 1 week AI in Paraiso De Albufeira. The worst holiday i've ever had.
Too many complaints to list so have pin pointed a few, so here goes:
Location: Good. Half way between the strip and the Old Town.
Studio : too small for family of 3
Entertainment : Hotels very poor
Thomas Cooks kids club looked quite entertaining for young kids
Pool: not too bad, need to get up about 7 for any chance of a sun lounger.
Food: Absolutely disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Had to eat out in the evening as food was not fit for consumption.
Our 11 year old son was violently sick 36hrs after we arrived.
Never in a million years is this a 4 star hotel (try 2+)
Too many complaints to list so have pin pointed a few, so here goes:
Location: Good. Half way between the strip and the Old Town.
Studio : too small for family of 3
Entertainment : Hotels very poor
Thomas Cooks kids club looked quite entertaining for young kids
Pool: not too bad, need to get up about 7 for any chance of a sun lounger.
Food: Absolutely disgusting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Had to eat out in the evening as food was not fit for consumption.
Our 11 year old son was violently sick 36hrs after we arrived.
Never in a million years is this a 4 star hotel (try 2+)
Advice: Lovely place. dont go All Inclusive. Family 3 can eat out for 40 euros inc drinks
Activities: Old town lovely, beautiful beach. Strip is Blackpool in the sun!
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" Good but not Brillaint "
Submitted By: tonyk1903
This is our 2nd All inclusive so I will be partly comparing this hotel with the one in Alcudia last year.
LOCATION 7/10
Took about 3/4 hour from airport to get there. Good location generally as midway between 'The Strip' and the Old Town I think its a bit too far to walk though, but a 3.50 euro taxi gets you to either side quite quick. The beach is a hike (I reclkon a mile at least) regardless of what other people say so it is a taxi job. Very near to taxi stand, some shops and an excellent supermarket.
HOTEL GENERALLY 8/10
First impressions are excellent. Big front, very posh looking. very big foyer etc. Very clean and well maintained. Staff are quite friendly. It does have a mixture of areas, some obviously new and very smart, other areas needed a lick of paint and a make-over. The hotel layout is massive and is great fun to check out. Its layout is confusing though and I cannot fathom why some areas are where they are (Eg the main dinning room is accessed via the basement nighclub !)
There are lots of lifts (10), and a little experimenting will soon get you where you need to be. Lift 6 is the most popular as it is the only one that gets you to the infamous floor C.
CHECKING IN 10/10
Although we were told that you could only check in after 2pm, we got our room early at 12:30. Checking in was fast and efficient.
ROOMS 7/10
We had the 1 bed apartment. Good clean basic room. Very large, but again oddly laid out. Beds were really hard but no worse than other places. Good balcony and air con.
Kitchinette was excellent. Main bedroom had 2 single beds as usual. The remaining 2 beds were in fact the sofa seat with a pull out bed underneath. Adequate but not brilliant. Electricity in room was linked to key so when you left, air con etc went off.
FOOD 7/10
For breakfast and lunch there is only 1 main buffet style food hall. Food here was generally very good. Breafast being the better with a fairly good choice (no fried eggs though!) Lunch was OK but a bit restrictive and repetitive.
We opted for the snack bar nr the pool at luchtime as it has a good selection including the usual nuggets burgers, pizzas etc but it also did some damn good sandwiches as well.
Dinner is served in a buffet style restaurant on floor C. Access to this was via the night club - weird. Restaurant was large, looked good and was well laid out. Food quality I would say was very high, with a good choice for everyone. The main courses varied each night as well.
There is 1 more restaurant called EVA. This is the 'prime portuguese restaurant' that is apparently not included in the all inclusive bit. You can get 50% off if you book BEFORE 3pm the day before. Needless to say I saw at most 4 people in there every night at most - crazy They should allow 1 night in there per week like most other places, instead the place was just dead every night !. Booking before 3pm is pain as well as we did actualyy contemplate it but couldnt book as it was 4pm even though there was no one in there all night - Madness !!!
The main bar on floor 3 next to reception also serves snack based food just like the one near the pool, but as we found out - this isnt in the AI package and we nearly had to pay - crazy again !
DRINK 9/10
Usual stuff on tap but there are a few things to watch out for. Firstly local brand stuff is free. Branded stuff and cocktails are half price which I think is fair. We were getting long island iced teas with some good measures in them for 3 euros each - excellent. The AI bit finishes at 11pm, and after that all bets are off - full price for everything. Watch out for the 10:55pm rush - it can get nasty ! Bottled water is unlimited and free and well worth stocking up the fridge with. Note that the colour of your armband dictates how many main drinks you can get at 1 time. They are fairly strict about this.
There is a pool bar but for some stange reason trhe swim up bit would not serve you drinks from the pool so you had to get out to get them - odd ?.
POOL 10/10 and 5/10
The pool is great although not as big as the pictures lead you to believe but is still ample size. The deep end is 3m deep which is great. There is a 8ft wide kids pool which is good for the really small but it should have been bigger as it can get crowded.
The reason i gave this 2 scores is beacause there are two disinct sides to the review. The pools are clean and big hence 10/10 but they designed them with sloping walls on the sides. Although this looks good, A lot of people nearly killed themselves getting into the pool as there is no edge just a 30 degree slope to kill yourself on - really annoying ! . Getting out is impossible except via the steps. The pool could also have done with a makeover as there were large areas where the mosaic tiles were missing.
One thing I really liked about the pool area is the grassy areas. Most hotels have tiles, this hotel had large areas of well kept greass areas, so there was no need for sunbeds if you didnt want them. It also added a bit of class to the pool area and were very impressed.
There is a second pool right next to the beakfast/lunch restaurant, but for some odd reason you had to were a swimming cap to use - hence I never saw anyone in there - crazy rules?
AMENTITIES 9/10
18 hole Crazy golf near pool was OK although parts were damaged and some holes were impossible.
SPA - not sure didnt use it but looked very modern and nice.
Games Room - 4 pool tables, one free for AI guests. Table tennis tables and usual games machines.
Overall very good I'd say
ENTERTAINMENT 9/10
An excellent team that worked hard all day and night to keep us amused. Really really good and made a difference to the stay. Most entertainment around the pool is geared to over 13s though. 8-10pm kids bit in night club is just fantastic and must not be missed I cant recommend it stongly enough for a laugh !
THey do have shows on after 10pm but to be honest they are better comedians than singers and it was pretty bad - they did try though.
KIDS CUB 11/10
Superb. Good hours (10-2pm then 4-6pm). Team were brilliant. This is the fist time my kids were convinced to join, and they loved it. Very proffessional and safe. THe team were spot on and I cannot thanks them enough !
MAID SERVICE 7/10
They would have got 9/10 but they did not do our room for the last 3 days until I asked specifically as wee needed new towels and loo roll. They did not seem to be able to empty bins either. Otherwise OK
OVERALL
I enjoyed my stay here and overall I would recommend it. It is easier to pick fault than praise the best bits, so I hope I have not put you off. If had the choice of going back booking the same hotel had I known what I know now - I would because we had a great time, great entertianment, good food, OK rooms and pool and overall the hotel was very good. You will have a good time here just dont kill yourself getting into the pool please !!!
LOCATION 7/10
Took about 3/4 hour from airport to get there. Good location generally as midway between 'The Strip' and the Old Town I think its a bit too far to walk though, but a 3.50 euro taxi gets you to either side quite quick. The beach is a hike (I reclkon a mile at least) regardless of what other people say so it is a taxi job. Very near to taxi stand, some shops and an excellent supermarket.
HOTEL GENERALLY 8/10
First impressions are excellent. Big front, very posh looking. very big foyer etc. Very clean and well maintained. Staff are quite friendly. It does have a mixture of areas, some obviously new and very smart, other areas needed a lick of paint and a make-over. The hotel layout is massive and is great fun to check out. Its layout is confusing though and I cannot fathom why some areas are where they are (Eg the main dinning room is accessed via the basement nighclub !)
There are lots of lifts (10), and a little experimenting will soon get you where you need to be. Lift 6 is the most popular as it is the only one that gets you to the infamous floor C.
CHECKING IN 10/10
Although we were told that you could only check in after 2pm, we got our room early at 12:30. Checking in was fast and efficient.
ROOMS 7/10
We had the 1 bed apartment. Good clean basic room. Very large, but again oddly laid out. Beds were really hard but no worse than other places. Good balcony and air con.
Kitchinette was excellent. Main bedroom had 2 single beds as usual. The remaining 2 beds were in fact the sofa seat with a pull out bed underneath. Adequate but not brilliant. Electricity in room was linked to key so when you left, air con etc went off.
FOOD 7/10
For breakfast and lunch there is only 1 main buffet style food hall. Food here was generally very good. Breafast being the better with a fairly good choice (no fried eggs though!) Lunch was OK but a bit restrictive and repetitive.
We opted for the snack bar nr the pool at luchtime as it has a good selection including the usual nuggets burgers, pizzas etc but it also did some damn good sandwiches as well.
Dinner is served in a buffet style restaurant on floor C. Access to this was via the night club - weird. Restaurant was large, looked good and was well laid out. Food quality I would say was very high, with a good choice for everyone. The main courses varied each night as well.
There is 1 more restaurant called EVA. This is the 'prime portuguese restaurant' that is apparently not included in the all inclusive bit. You can get 50% off if you book BEFORE 3pm the day before. Needless to say I saw at most 4 people in there every night at most - crazy They should allow 1 night in there per week like most other places, instead the place was just dead every night !. Booking before 3pm is pain as well as we did actualyy contemplate it but couldnt book as it was 4pm even though there was no one in there all night - Madness !!!
The main bar on floor 3 next to reception also serves snack based food just like the one near the pool, but as we found out - this isnt in the AI package and we nearly had to pay - crazy again !
DRINK 9/10
Usual stuff on tap but there are a few things to watch out for. Firstly local brand stuff is free. Branded stuff and cocktails are half price which I think is fair. We were getting long island iced teas with some good measures in them for 3 euros each - excellent. The AI bit finishes at 11pm, and after that all bets are off - full price for everything. Watch out for the 10:55pm rush - it can get nasty ! Bottled water is unlimited and free and well worth stocking up the fridge with. Note that the colour of your armband dictates how many main drinks you can get at 1 time. They are fairly strict about this.
There is a pool bar but for some stange reason trhe swim up bit would not serve you drinks from the pool so you had to get out to get them - odd ?.
POOL 10/10 and 5/10
The pool is great although not as big as the pictures lead you to believe but is still ample size. The deep end is 3m deep which is great. There is a 8ft wide kids pool which is good for the really small but it should have been bigger as it can get crowded.
The reason i gave this 2 scores is beacause there are two disinct sides to the review. The pools are clean and big hence 10/10 but they designed them with sloping walls on the sides. Although this looks good, A lot of people nearly killed themselves getting into the pool as there is no edge just a 30 degree slope to kill yourself on - really annoying ! . Getting out is impossible except via the steps. The pool could also have done with a makeover as there were large areas where the mosaic tiles were missing.
One thing I really liked about the pool area is the grassy areas. Most hotels have tiles, this hotel had large areas of well kept greass areas, so there was no need for sunbeds if you didnt want them. It also added a bit of class to the pool area and were very impressed.
There is a second pool right next to the beakfast/lunch restaurant, but for some odd reason you had to were a swimming cap to use - hence I never saw anyone in there - crazy rules?
AMENTITIES 9/10
18 hole Crazy golf near pool was OK although parts were damaged and some holes were impossible.
SPA - not sure didnt use it but looked very modern and nice.
Games Room - 4 pool tables, one free for AI guests. Table tennis tables and usual games machines.
Overall very good I'd say
ENTERTAINMENT 9/10
An excellent team that worked hard all day and night to keep us amused. Really really good and made a difference to the stay. Most entertainment around the pool is geared to over 13s though. 8-10pm kids bit in night club is just fantastic and must not be missed I cant recommend it stongly enough for a laugh !
THey do have shows on after 10pm but to be honest they are better comedians than singers and it was pretty bad - they did try though.
KIDS CUB 11/10
Superb. Good hours (10-2pm then 4-6pm). Team were brilliant. This is the fist time my kids were convinced to join, and they loved it. Very proffessional and safe. THe team were spot on and I cannot thanks them enough !
MAID SERVICE 7/10
They would have got 9/10 but they did not do our room for the last 3 days until I asked specifically as wee needed new towels and loo roll. They did not seem to be able to empty bins either. Otherwise OK
OVERALL
I enjoyed my stay here and overall I would recommend it. It is easier to pick fault than praise the best bits, so I hope I have not put you off. If had the choice of going back booking the same hotel had I known what I know now - I would because we had a great time, great entertianment, good food, OK rooms and pool and overall the hotel was very good. You will have a good time here just dont kill yourself getting into the pool please !!!
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" Not the Best! "
Submitted By: Katcorky
Firstly, I agree with the previous comment, this is not a 4 star hotel, maybe a 3!
We arrived at 9.20am & you're not able to check in until 2pm (nowhere states this) which was a nightmare with 2 very small tired children (2 & 10 months!)
The rooms were cleaned to a high standard, but are very old, we spent a lot of our first day covering up the damaged plug sockets hanging from the wall to protect the children. The beds were so uncomfortable, none of us slept properly, baby was provided with a small cot, which was better than the travel cot, the mattress was a lot softer for her!
We were on the 3rd floor, which is the floor the reception & main entrance is on, so to get to the pool, we had to take the lift to get to the first floor - not all of the lifts in this place take you to every entrance on every floor - PAIN especially as people can't be bothered to take the stairs!
There is only one lift that takes you to the dinner hall, so my husband & I quite often carried the puishchairs down to this level!
We were All Inclusive, which i would recommend as people we met who were SC were spending 120-150 euros a day on food!
The food wasn't the greatest, there wasn't a lot of choice, breakfast was very limited & had the same thing every other day! (Varied from bacon/sausages) We have been AI before to other countries & have had so much choice so this was dissapointing! There is however a snack bar, which we ended up taking great advantage of!
The pool isn't as big as i thought & the children's pool in a larger paddling pool - not very impressed! It was also freesing cold even on the hottest days! Apparently, it warms up around August time! There was an indoor paddling pool, which you need to wear a swim cap for, you can buy these there!
The turkish bath is not a turkish bath, it's a steam room!
The Mini Golf was awful, broken in so many places, cracked pavements etc!!!
AI finishes at 11 o'clock, you then have to pay full price. You're not entitled to everything either, but you are able to get most things not included half price!
The entertainment through Thomas Cook was great, although could get boring, but they really tried especially with the kids! Our kids loved it! They certainly made up for the rude hotel staff, i don't think i come across any of them that were friendly, or even smiled!
Overall, we had a good holiday here, after our first few days, we decided we'd have to make the most of it! But we wouldn't go back!
I'd recommend looking at other people's pictures if you can rather than the brochure!
We arrived at 9.20am & you're not able to check in until 2pm (nowhere states this) which was a nightmare with 2 very small tired children (2 & 10 months!)
The rooms were cleaned to a high standard, but are very old, we spent a lot of our first day covering up the damaged plug sockets hanging from the wall to protect the children. The beds were so uncomfortable, none of us slept properly, baby was provided with a small cot, which was better than the travel cot, the mattress was a lot softer for her!
We were on the 3rd floor, which is the floor the reception & main entrance is on, so to get to the pool, we had to take the lift to get to the first floor - not all of the lifts in this place take you to every entrance on every floor - PAIN especially as people can't be bothered to take the stairs!
There is only one lift that takes you to the dinner hall, so my husband & I quite often carried the puishchairs down to this level!
We were All Inclusive, which i would recommend as people we met who were SC were spending 120-150 euros a day on food!
The food wasn't the greatest, there wasn't a lot of choice, breakfast was very limited & had the same thing every other day! (Varied from bacon/sausages) We have been AI before to other countries & have had so much choice so this was dissapointing! There is however a snack bar, which we ended up taking great advantage of!
The pool isn't as big as i thought & the children's pool in a larger paddling pool - not very impressed! It was also freesing cold even on the hottest days! Apparently, it warms up around August time! There was an indoor paddling pool, which you need to wear a swim cap for, you can buy these there!
The turkish bath is not a turkish bath, it's a steam room!
The Mini Golf was awful, broken in so many places, cracked pavements etc!!!
AI finishes at 11 o'clock, you then have to pay full price. You're not entitled to everything either, but you are able to get most things not included half price!
The entertainment through Thomas Cook was great, although could get boring, but they really tried especially with the kids! Our kids loved it! They certainly made up for the rude hotel staff, i don't think i come across any of them that were friendly, or even smiled!
Overall, we had a good holiday here, after our first few days, we decided we'd have to make the most of it! But we wouldn't go back!
I'd recommend looking at other people's pictures if you can rather than the brochure!
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2009
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" I have just returned from 2 weeks at... "
Submitted By: Mr P Wareham
I have just returned from 2 weeks at the Paraiso with my wife and 2 kids aged 5 and 4 months. We have stayed in 4 star AI hotels before (mainly in the Canaries) and I have to say that this is not a 4 star. Anyone who awards this 10 out of 10 has clearly not stayed in other 4 stars. Having said that, we had a great holiday (helped by the amazing weather)
On a positive note, the hotel is well situated between the old and new towns. We went to the beach in the old town which is hard work with pushchairs but there is an excellent land train which is cheap and stops just down the road. There is a large supermarket nearby which stocks anything you could want which is handy when you have small children.
The hotel food was good on the whole but the selection was sometimes limited and there was not a lot in the way of sea food which was disappointing. I was tired of it by the end. The AI was also limiting as cocktails were extra and some items were included in one bar but cost extra in another (why I don’t know) The room was well maintained and clean (but a bit dated) and had a massive balcony. There is a good size swimming pool and a nice indoor pool. The crazy golf course is fun if a bit run down.
The Thomas Cook Reps were as good as any I have seen and very helpful. They entertained the kids in the evening. We did not see much of the evening entertainment so not really fair to comment. The Soccer school which was running while we were there was excellent and I highly recommend this if you have kids who are in to playing football.
On the negative side the hotel looks a bit dated and many areas look like just the minimum was being done to maintain it. We had cockroaches in our room on quite few days which freaked out my son (don’t have a ground floor room is my advice) The hotel could not seem to stop them. Getting around the hotel is a pain if you have a push chair as the lifts are awful. There is only one that goes to the evening restaurant for example and it was annoying when people too lazy to walk down stairs could not get out of the lift for someone with a pushchair. Some of the staff needed to go on a customer care course. For example, we were told we could not play crazy golf because we had played already that day and the guy in the pool hut then looked through 50 tickets to show us we had played despite NO ONE being on the course. Just one reason why I would not go back. Finally, to get the best sun beds you have to be up at 6am.
Top tips:
1.. If you want a sun shade, go to the supermarket and buy your own for 20 Euros as the ones by the pool a few and far between and are rubbish.
2.. Get down to breakfast before 9am otherwise you queue for ages.
3.. Use the land train to get around, fun for kids and cheap too
4.. Don’t have a ground floor room and take the stairs if you can otherwise you lose a day waiting for lifts.
5.. Make sure you go AI
6.. Make sure you have ice cream every day as it is really good.
7.. Complain about the guy in the Pool hut, that way he might get fired.
On the whole we had a good holiday but the hotel could be better with just a little more effort and customer care. 7/10.
On a positive note, the hotel is well situated between the old and new towns. We went to the beach in the old town which is hard work with pushchairs but there is an excellent land train which is cheap and stops just down the road. There is a large supermarket nearby which stocks anything you could want which is handy when you have small children.
The hotel food was good on the whole but the selection was sometimes limited and there was not a lot in the way of sea food which was disappointing. I was tired of it by the end. The AI was also limiting as cocktails were extra and some items were included in one bar but cost extra in another (why I don’t know) The room was well maintained and clean (but a bit dated) and had a massive balcony. There is a good size swimming pool and a nice indoor pool. The crazy golf course is fun if a bit run down.
The Thomas Cook Reps were as good as any I have seen and very helpful. They entertained the kids in the evening. We did not see much of the evening entertainment so not really fair to comment. The Soccer school which was running while we were there was excellent and I highly recommend this if you have kids who are in to playing football.
On the negative side the hotel looks a bit dated and many areas look like just the minimum was being done to maintain it. We had cockroaches in our room on quite few days which freaked out my son (don’t have a ground floor room is my advice) The hotel could not seem to stop them. Getting around the hotel is a pain if you have a push chair as the lifts are awful. There is only one that goes to the evening restaurant for example and it was annoying when people too lazy to walk down stairs could not get out of the lift for someone with a pushchair. Some of the staff needed to go on a customer care course. For example, we were told we could not play crazy golf because we had played already that day and the guy in the pool hut then looked through 50 tickets to show us we had played despite NO ONE being on the course. Just one reason why I would not go back. Finally, to get the best sun beds you have to be up at 6am.
Top tips:
1.. If you want a sun shade, go to the supermarket and buy your own for 20 Euros as the ones by the pool a few and far between and are rubbish.
2.. Get down to breakfast before 9am otherwise you queue for ages.
3.. Use the land train to get around, fun for kids and cheap too
4.. Don’t have a ground floor room and take the stairs if you can otherwise you lose a day waiting for lifts.
5.. Make sure you go AI
6.. Make sure you have ice cream every day as it is really good.
7.. Complain about the guy in the Pool hut, that way he might get fired.
On the whole we had a good holiday but the hotel could be better with just a little more effort and customer care. 7/10.
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" Stayed here for the 6th time and yet... "
Submitted By: Other Kerry W
Stayed here for the 6th time and yet again did not disappoint. The hotel Bar and public areas have all been refurbished, and are so much better for that.
The hotel is clean and close to everywhere, would 100% recommend this hotel to anyone.
Just wondering if anyone is going here in september/october 08 if you are can you message me please cos need something passed onto a member of staff at the hotel that I forgot about at the time. Thanks.
The hotel is clean and close to everywhere, would 100% recommend this hotel to anyone.
Just wondering if anyone is going here in september/october 08 if you are can you message me please cos need something passed onto a member of staff at the hotel that I forgot about at the time. Thanks.
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" My Boyfriend and I have just returned... "
Submitted By: Miss J M Ives
My Boyfriend and I have just returned from a near perfect two week Holiday at the Pariso Hotel in Albuferia Portugal.
The Hotel is lovely airy and modern, with a good size Swimming Pool with plenty entertainment around the Poolside daily. Staff very friendly and helpful. My only bad comment on the Hotel would be the Beds, fairly narrow and uncomfortable. But apart from that spot on, and would definately stay there again!
The Hotel is roughly in the middle of the Old Town and the "Strip" New Town, approximately 15 to 20 mins walk either side. Both parts boasts some Lovely Restaurants, our favourites being in the Old Town "Bravo" and New Town "El Rancho", definately worth a visit.
I cant fault the place and will definately be visting again, although word of warning, it does get a little chilly at night so Ladies take a Cardigan!
The Hotel is lovely airy and modern, with a good size Swimming Pool with plenty entertainment around the Poolside daily. Staff very friendly and helpful. My only bad comment on the Hotel would be the Beds, fairly narrow and uncomfortable. But apart from that spot on, and would definately stay there again!
The Hotel is roughly in the middle of the Old Town and the "Strip" New Town, approximately 15 to 20 mins walk either side. Both parts boasts some Lovely Restaurants, our favourites being in the Old Town "Bravo" and New Town "El Rancho", definately worth a visit.
I cant fault the place and will definately be visting again, although word of warning, it does get a little chilly at night so Ladies take a Cardigan!
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" We have just returned from a 2 week... "
Submitted By: Miss S Keaney
We have just returned from a 2 week holiday at the Paraiso. Overall we had a good holiday but this is not a 4 star hotel.
The hotel is a great location. 15 mins from the old and new town. Many restaurants to choose from. Old town restaurants and entertainment were excellant.
My children aged 9, 7 and 6 enjoyed the hotel entertainment. Thomas Cook reps were great. A bit too 'butlins' for me. Long queues for bar. (We only went down 4 times).
We had a one bedroom apartment with a pool view. Broken tiles on our terrace. Very noisy during the night. Maid service excellent. Fresh towels daily and sheets changed twice a week. Beds were hard.
The hotel is on a main road. If we had been allocated an apartment at the front of the hotel it would have ruined our holiday. You are looking out on an extremely busy road. Ring and request ground floor pool view apartment (Rooms 110 - 113 are good). The hotel has 8 floors!
Pools were great but dangerous. Broken tiles and the plastic around the pool kept breaking.
Reception area huge and very helpful.
Did not eat in the hotel so can not comment. Tried to buy breakfast one morning but was not allowed! Drinks and hotel shop very expensive.
The hotel is a great location. 15 mins from the old and new town. Many restaurants to choose from. Old town restaurants and entertainment were excellant.
My children aged 9, 7 and 6 enjoyed the hotel entertainment. Thomas Cook reps were great. A bit too 'butlins' for me. Long queues for bar. (We only went down 4 times).
We had a one bedroom apartment with a pool view. Broken tiles on our terrace. Very noisy during the night. Maid service excellent. Fresh towels daily and sheets changed twice a week. Beds were hard.
The hotel is on a main road. If we had been allocated an apartment at the front of the hotel it would have ruined our holiday. You are looking out on an extremely busy road. Ring and request ground floor pool view apartment (Rooms 110 - 113 are good). The hotel has 8 floors!
Pools were great but dangerous. Broken tiles and the plastic around the pool kept breaking.
Reception area huge and very helpful.
Did not eat in the hotel so can not comment. Tried to buy breakfast one morning but was not allowed! Drinks and hotel shop very expensive.
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- Date of Holiday:Aug 2008
- Board Basis:Self Catering
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" We opted for the all inclusive option... "
Submitted By: Mrs H Watts
We opted for the all inclusive option which was overall excellent value for money! Quality and variety of food and drinks were good! Spacious rooms and bathroom was a good size! Only downside would be the beds which were very hard and uncomfortable!! You will have to reserve your sunbed by 8am as pool gets VERY busy! Great for families with both young and teenage children.
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" Just returned from a two week holiday... "
Submitted By: Mrs T HILLS
Just returned from a two week holiday at the Paraiso this is our second visit having stayed here 4 years ago. We had a fantastic holiday, weather was perfect and would definitely recommend the hotel. We stayed all inclusive and the food was very good especially at the poolside diner, although we did find that the breakfast was not very good. The hotel staff were very friendly and helpful and the reps put on some brilliant entertainment during the day and evening. The reps were the best we have ever had they were helpful when you needed them but never hassled you if you did not want to join in with things. The hotel is very well situated between the old and new towns and if like us you hire a car it is in a very good position to explore the rest of the Algarve. The hotel looks amazing from the outside and we heard many passers-by commenting on it. We had an apartment and it was enormous with two patio doors leading onto a large balcony. The only faults we found were the furniture is getting a little worn and we were very surprised that there was no maid service on a Tuesday and the towels were only changed every three days, which we found was not very good for a four star hotel, you don't expect to go to a hotel and have to make your own bed. Also the beds were very hard. Having said this we had a lovely time and would definitely go back.
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- Date of Holiday:Jul 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" Just returned from a 2 week stay at... "
Submitted By: Mr S MORRISON
Just returned from a 2 week stay at the paraiso with my fiance and 18 month old son.
We all thorughly enjoyed it and would definately return. The place is huge and is always spotless including the rooms. The selection of food was excellent and we didn`t have the same selection of buffet twice the whole fortnight. I will say however if you are not AI it can get pretty pricey as we found out that most people were paying to upgrade to AI once there as the prices for SC was quite expensive.
The entertainment staff were spot on and deserve a medal as they didn`t stop all day and night.
Ideall situated between the old and new town it reall was a most enjoyable holiday,
If I had to make one complaint it would be that the beds were really rock solid and uncomfortable, however after a couple of vodka and cokes I managed to doze off.
Brilliant time
We all thorughly enjoyed it and would definately return. The place is huge and is always spotless including the rooms. The selection of food was excellent and we didn`t have the same selection of buffet twice the whole fortnight. I will say however if you are not AI it can get pretty pricey as we found out that most people were paying to upgrade to AI once there as the prices for SC was quite expensive.
The entertainment staff were spot on and deserve a medal as they didn`t stop all day and night.
Ideall situated between the old and new town it reall was a most enjoyable holiday,
If I had to make one complaint it would be that the beds were really rock solid and uncomfortable, however after a couple of vodka and cokes I managed to doze off.
Brilliant time
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" My friend and l have just returned... "
Submitted By: Mrs A Bain
My friend and l have just returned from holiday staying at the Paraiso albufeira Hotel, l would recommed this hotel, we had a nice room didn't use facilities in room which were immaculate because we were all inclusive.Staff were very helpful and sociable when asked something, enjoyed the food,if we go back to Portugal again that's were we will stay hotel lovly surrounding area around hotel kept nice,no complaints what so ever from my friend and my self.
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Airtours
" Just returned from our one week... "
Submitted By: Mr B.G. Wilson
Just returned from our one week all-inclusive stay at the Paraiso. This was our first all-inclusive holiday and, quite frankly, it blew us away. Hotel was excellent throughout - I agree it shows it's age in some of the furnishings but the overall experience far exceeded our expectations.
Our party comprised of myself and my wife, our 2 girls (aged 16 & 11 years) and my mother-in-law. We all agreed it was THE best holiday we have ever had.
Our apartment was large, spotlessly clean and well-equipped. The hotel's facilities were superb. The food outstanding with a huge choice of excellent quality food and drink throughout the day. My wife and children are notoriously difficult to please when it comes to food, yet even they found lots of good quality choices which they all enjoyed thoroughly.
All of the staff employed by the hotel were helpful, courteous and could not do enough to please.
The entertainment provided by the Thomas Cook entertainment staff was excelllent and we all felt was pitched at just the right level - if you wanted to join in fine - if not you didn't feel bullied and could sit and enjoy it at arm's length. Special mention must go to 2 of the Thomas Cook entertainers - Wesley and Catherine Kane (sic!) who were brilliant throughout. Thomas Cook really do have 2 stars in the making with these 2!
I had read some reviews of the Paraiso prior to our visit which really filled me with trepidation. Suffice to say that having stayed in lots of very good quality hotels all over Europe and the U.K. (including some 5 star rated) the Paraiso was by far the best holiday accomodation we have ever stayed in.
Those people who posted negative comments about the Paraiso must have been either extremely unlucky, impossible to please or both!!!
An excellent choice for a fantastic holiday for all the family.
Our party comprised of myself and my wife, our 2 girls (aged 16 & 11 years) and my mother-in-law. We all agreed it was THE best holiday we have ever had.
Our apartment was large, spotlessly clean and well-equipped. The hotel's facilities were superb. The food outstanding with a huge choice of excellent quality food and drink throughout the day. My wife and children are notoriously difficult to please when it comes to food, yet even they found lots of good quality choices which they all enjoyed thoroughly.
All of the staff employed by the hotel were helpful, courteous and could not do enough to please.
The entertainment provided by the Thomas Cook entertainment staff was excelllent and we all felt was pitched at just the right level - if you wanted to join in fine - if not you didn't feel bullied and could sit and enjoy it at arm's length. Special mention must go to 2 of the Thomas Cook entertainers - Wesley and Catherine Kane (sic!) who were brilliant throughout. Thomas Cook really do have 2 stars in the making with these 2!
I had read some reviews of the Paraiso prior to our visit which really filled me with trepidation. Suffice to say that having stayed in lots of very good quality hotels all over Europe and the U.K. (including some 5 star rated) the Paraiso was by far the best holiday accomodation we have ever stayed in.
Those people who posted negative comments about the Paraiso must have been either extremely unlucky, impossible to please or both!!!
An excellent choice for a fantastic holiday for all the family.
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- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Board Basis:All Inclusive
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
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HOTEL - first class & very clean (we were 4 adults & 2 kids in a 2 bed apartment-great roomy apt with 2 bathrooms seperate kitchen/dining)
POOL - first class (one large outdoor and one indoor) - great
ENTERTAINMENT - (finishes 1/11/09 for winter season)-
Thomas Cook entertainment team fantastic and kept everyone entertained from 8am through to 11pm (they worked their heart out and could not have done more)
FOOD - disappointing - upset stomach twice (the weak point of the whole holiday)
LOCATION - Little out of the way a mile from the nearest beach and similar distance from decent shops (although hotel did provide a free bus service to & from the old town & beach
STAFF - friendly and helpful
Generally a first class hotel let down by the food
PRICES/COST OF EATING OUT - Very Expensive (lucky we were AI) even the local supermarket prices were 50% higher than UK (If your not AI go to spain - far cheaper)
Advice: expensive nice beach & old town
Activities:
Good for: Beach