Reviews of Club Alvorferias Apartments, Alvor, Portugal

alvorferias apartments book private owned ones they are much much better

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

tinkytoes

Comments:

I stayed at Alvorferies apartments in August everyone complaints about the apartments yes if you hire the ones through the reception or Thomsons you get the tired ones with the horrible furniture.but there are privately owned ones in this complex we got ours much cheaper from the internet and hired ours direct from the owner very reasonable. and budget airline the apartment was fantastic everything new bathroom , new beds sofas and what a view from the huge private terrace and two balconys o and satalite tv on a big screen it was brill!!!!!!!!!!!.It was a lovely walk into the stunning town and the food was great.We only dealt with the owners management company who picked us up at Faro four prople for 45 Euros and then showed us round we were at the quiet end across the road the location was really good apartment brill but i feel this apartmet complex gets bad reviews and we had a great time and are going back next summer to the same lovely apartment.the staff were nice at the pool bar so all in all the lesson is book private owned apartments they work out cheaper with easy jet flights and are heaven and enjoy your holiday !!!!!!!!!!

BEST VALUE APTS

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Room Only

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

irish sun seeker

Comments:

Having read some very bad reviews about the apts.. i feel i had to respond,i have stayed here For three years running,and feel i must have stayed in a different appartment than some of the reviews.I have Found the apts always clean tidy,staff friendly and helpful,food good and inexpensive,granted it is a Family complex..remember your kids want to meet other kids on holidays,if this doesn't suit..try the Himalyas..as for Alvor its a little piece of Heaven..What a better way to beat the credit crunch,than a cheap relaxing holiday in a beautiful resort..tip.. book block opp the supermarket at the main complex...p.s your kids will thank you for it,the Himalyas are too cold..

I have given a lower score then...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Oct 2007

Tour Operator:

MyTravel

Submitted By:

Mrs A Renshaw

Comments:

I have given a lower score then what I would have, purely because the changes they had made from 2006 were a big shock & they have spoilt it. Also, I think because they were building a new villa over the back, we did see the odd rat by the pool, this didn't really bother me, but some people I suppose would get a little upity about it.



That's about the only bad thing we can say really, oh apart from the restaurant closing, I really loved having a coffee there, while watching the kids in the pool.



If anyone from the hotel is reading this, please reopen the restaurant & revert the games room back to where it was.



We have been 3 times now, we have found the staff over accomodating if you are polite & not complaining. On our last visit in October of 07, we asked for a room change & was moved no problem, they have always upgraded out room free of charge.



Pools are cold but really refreshing, normally really quiet on the opposite side from reception, really lovely.



We love alvor & the village, it's busy enough with shops & restaurants etc, but not too over commercialized & if it did go that way, it would lose a LOT of people.



Definatly go & see zoomarine & go to slide & splash rather than aqualand because, in my opinion slide & splash is a LOT better.



Will be returning in July 09 & am really looking forward to catching up with the people we have met previously.



Hopefully there will be a lot more going on in July then in October.

If your reading this and you...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Sep 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomson

Submitted By:

Mr I T Russell

Comments:

If your reading this and you have recently booked to stay at this accomadation, please cancel make any excuse and get your money back ( feign an illness), now I was not expecting the Ritz bit I have just returned from the Club Alvor ferias and it's a tip, the room was smelly and damp, the kitchen equipment was something that I would have thrown out years ago, the bed linen was not changed during our stay ( 1 week ) the towels were changed once and the room was cleaned twice, if you call a dirty mop over the tiles as cleaned, the bed was no more than a camp bed, it's by a main road that resembles brands hatch all you can hear is brakes screeching and horns blowing, you take your life in your hands trying to cross the road,



Good Points; the town/village of Alvor is really nice, old cobbled streets that twist and turn revealing some fantastic restaurants, we ate at a different place every night and food fantastic at reasonable prices, there are lots of bars some good some not so good, quite a few Irish bars as well. Baroda bar had some really good live music look out for twin flames female singer with a great voice, also most bars have sky or setanta so lots of footbal etc on the tv.



To sum up, we spent as little time as possible at the club Alvorferias and made the most of the town/village I would return to Alvor but not at the Club alvorferias. I must admit that this is the first time we have had poor accomodation with thomson, but this is not 3 star



KEEP WELL AWAY YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Having read some frightening...

Overall Rating:

9/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Mrs A Phillips

Comments:

Having read some frightening reviews about the complex and having 2 kids under 3, we were a little anxious about this holiday to say the least! However, we had a great time and found little fault with Alvorferias.

Sure, accomodation is basic, but clean. Our room was cleaned every other day. The pool was not as busy as we thought (And the pool over the bridge is much quieter!) and the staff were fine.

There is a ten minutes walk down the hill to the lovely town of Alvor. Plenty of places to eat out and to be entertained. With all this in the resort I wonder why people want to stay at the apartment complex all night! There is so much more out there!

Overall, I would recommend Alvorferias to those seeking basic, clean accomodation a short walk out of the centre.

We booked these apartments after...

Overall Rating:

3/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2008

Tour Operator:

Booked Independently

Submitted By:

Mrs M K

Comments:

We booked these apartments after reading plenty of good reviews on this and other sites. However, I fully agree with all the other recent low scores awarded and can only assume it is like others have said and the apartment standards have dropped rapidly in recent months - the whole complex really does have a run down and nobody can be bothered feel about it.



We arrived and like other commentors had to wait at least 5 minutes for the man to get up from his desk to 'welcome' us. He was the rudest most unhelpful person I have ever come accross. We were visiting as 2 families and asked to be located close together if possible - we were placed on separate complexes with a main road separating us. This can be avoided by using the bridge but a good 5 minute walk was hardly what we considered close to each other.



Thankfully we had a clean 2 bed apt with good air cond. Our friends were not so lucky and had a pokey 1 bed apt with air con that didn't work and no blackout blinds or working shutters. The weather was gorgeous but for them that just meant sweltering sun blazing into their apt all day leaving it very hot on a night. Their balcony was the size of a postage stamp and to add insult to injury the air con unit for the air con that didn't work was on the balcony taking up the tiny bit of space they had! The man at reception couldn't have cared less.



On the plus side we found the bar staff very friendly if you took the time to chat to them. But although they were lovely and the bar was fine for a daytime drink and snack under no circumstances would you want to stay there on a night. The night-time bar is shocking and unfortunately like a bar in Blackpool but with heat. The maids were regular and did a good job so no complaints there.



The pools are far too small to accommodate the number of visitors in peak season - get out early if you want a lounger. As for others, lots of older teenagers diving off the bridge made it dangerous for the younger ones and the sunbed man just turned a blind eye. The beach is lovely but not a 10 min stroll as others have said - not with kids anyway. Take the car - oh but watch out as ours got broken into whilst parked at the beach. Be warned - there are only a couple of very busy restaraunts on the beach and not much else for quite a trek so be prepared and take lunch with you.



Alvor itself is probably gorgeous out of season - but in Aug it was just packed every night (and we went every night to get away from the awful complex). It looks like a bit of a trek but its 15 mins at the most to get into the centre. We were lucky and found some lovely restaraunts frequented by Portuguese - if going try Marafados, Green Door, 5 Quinas, Alcaide (I think!) - you can find them on the free map available all over. Oh and another tip - it is so busy you have to book every night or you will not get in anywhere decent.



All in all, my first visit to the Algarve was a big disappointment. Not as picturesque as I'd expected and much more tacky than expected. If this had been a cheap holiday I wouldn't have had many complaints but it was similar in cost to what we have previously paid for private villas with a private pool. Out of season Alvor will be a gorgeous town as it was much nicer just when it was quieter in the day but at peak times it is very busy. As for the apartments - do yourself a favour and go somewhere else - they are overpriced and the staff have given up on them which is a real shame as with a bit of TLC and some staff who cared more the apartments could be great.



Despite all the bad points we had 2 weeks of glorious sunshine and were with good friends so still managed to have a fab time, but felt like I should put this review on to help others either avoid the apartments in the first place or at least go with the right expectations.

I have travelled around europe...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Panorama

Submitted By:

Mr P Herrity

Comments:

I have travelled around europe for the last 10 years mainly by booking package holidays, I have stayed in about 10 different 3 star apartments, apart from a terrible 3 star apartment complex in Cyprus back in 2001 this was the worst place I have ever stayed, Im not one for moaning but this place is simply terrible, here are the facts:



1 The reception staff are rude and extremely unhelpful, they did not even acknowledge our problems never mind sort them out. They hid behind their computers at the back of reception and left you standing for what seemed like ages before they even came to talk to you, with a long face rather than a welcoming smile.



2 The apartment I was given was smelly and dirty, It had no kettle or Toaster, the bed linen is changed once a week so I never got mine changed, the towels are changed every 4 days, there were bulbs missing which they did not replace after I had informed them. There was not enough hot water to have a bath, no joke if you were in the shower for 5 minutes the water went cold, I was in a 3 bed studio so i dont know how 3 people would get washed their, no chance. once you left the apartment and took your keycard out, the electricity went off, so the fridge and air conditioning went off too.



3 There is no restaurant within the complex (even though there is a picture of one on the brochure), there is a pool side snack bar with a limited menu which is not suitable for an evening meal, more of a light snack, you never got all your ordered either, they did not give you the orange juice which was adversised as part of the full english breakfast.



4 Now I know everyone has different opinions of whether smimming pools are warm or cold, the pools here were the coldest I had ever swam in, there were no life guards either and the bigger kids could more or less do what they wants, they constantly dived off the bridge into the pool, parents with smaller kids took their kids out of the pool.



5 The main pool outside the reception was very cramped, no joke if you put your arms out each side of your lounger you could touch the 2 loungers beside you.



6 The bar is like an underground bunker with no natural lighting, very dark and small, hand on heart I had 2 drinks in it one nice and could not wait to get out, there was nowhere you could sit out at night and enjoy a drink. the night time entertainment consisted of a live singer one night, karoke the next, a parrot show and the rest i cant remember, nothing that enticed me going.



7 A Lot of other people seemed to be complaining alot too.



8 Check out time was 11am, my flight was 7pm, i waited in reception for the bus for about an hour, it was sweltering and they would not put the air conditioning on, it was very uncomfortable.



All in all the apartments were simply dirty and uncomfortable, the staff were not friendly, I left the apartments for the town centre every night to eat and drink, I did not look forward to returning to the apartments. Alvor is a lovely spot and well worth a visit but this place was not nice at all, it was not a good base to enjoy your holiday from, most people I spoke to there felt the same.



I spoke to peole who have been coming here for the last number of years, they were of the opinion that its gradually getting worse. It has the feel of a place that once was good but is now in decline, it definately needs a good shape up.



I would have loved to have wrote a good review about this place as nobody likes staying at a bad place which takes from the enjoyment of your holiday.



I would advise anyone going here to be prepared or cancel if you can, if you have booked half board cancel straight away, there is no restaurant, only a snack menu with about 7 different options, so if your eating twice a day work it out.

My opinions on this complex are;...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Thomas CookCassidy Travel - Blanchardstown

Submitted By:

Miss G Weir

Comments:

My opinions on this complex are;



BAD POINTS.....................



I booked a self catering double room for me and my boyfriend with a pool view (pool view not guaranteed)



Safety deposit box is €25, you get €15 of that back.



Towels are changed every 4 days

Sheets are changed every 7 days, so if you're here for 1 week, you dont get fresh sheets at all. Your beds are made every second day though woohoo !!



You need to get a remote from reception to work the air conditioning and TV, reception dont tell you this when you check in, you find out when you get to your room.



Your key is used to work the electricity, you have to put it in this slot at the door, so when you go out at night and take your key everything goes off, including the air conditioning and fridge !! So when you come back at night you have a nice a hot room with everything in the fridge wet from the freezer defrosting.



We were given a twin bed room and when we went to reception we were informed that a double room is by request (pure nonsense) and went straight on the defense, we were told we could not move to a double room as they had none available and we could not get an extra key either (thinking I could just leave one in the room to keep the air con on).



Cassidy travel said that the complex didnt have double rooms, the receptionist said if the travel agent had've requested a double room we would have got one, who's lying I wonder hmmmm ????? The rep said ah well thats a shame !!!



The restaurant (pool side bar) serves nothing but bar snacks, no local dishes are available. They only serve toasties, pizza, sandwiches etc. which are good I must say but no-where even close to a restaurant, its more like a casual bar area, patio chairs and tables !!



The bar downstairs is very dull and dark and the entertainment lacks a lot, the teenage kids dont seem to have much to do, as I speak they are all inside lying about on the pool tables looking extremely bored, the younger kids have ativities during the day though !! I have a few hours to waste waiting on my airport transfer as check out is eleven.



The reception staff arent the friendliest, not much help either with any of our requests, asking for a taxi is like asking them to climb everest, reluctant to serve you in the first place too, you stand waiting a little while first !!



GOOD POINTS .........



If you are clever and leave the complex and go up town you will find nice restaurants and bars and plenty of shops but this is mostly at night as during the day there's not alot to do really except excursions, which no-one seems to know about !! We found a good place where you get 10% off and its beside Michaels bar and the italian restaurant, she is good and is able to recommend things too !!



The pools are nice, a bit chilly but nice once you get in and swim around abit, there are two pools, the main pool on the reception side of the complex is very crowded and noisy and the sun beds are very much on top of each other but if you go to the other complex across the bridge its much more spaced out and you have a nice pool side bar.



The only thing that seems to be a miss here is lifegaurds and with the lovely bridge feature, this entices the kids to be diving off of it and making parents with young kids in the pool very nervous, mind you they are more then willing to take the money off you for the foam lilos for the sun beds.



The beaches are absolutely stunning and well worth the walk down (bit of a trek) or you could get a taxi, there's lovely restaurants on the beach too, what a view though, the rocks all lit up too.



In a whole, I had a good time in Alvor as we ventured out and about, we only came for a week and I would say it is plenty of time to spend here, and speaking to other people, they have said the same !! The weather is good here too !!



Recommondations ........



Michaels bar : Great craic, Jenny is good on the karaoke and the cocktails are great !!

The Black Stove: Irish bar, the cheapest drinks we found, great food and good music too !!!!

The Harbour has brilliant fish restaurants, all very tasty and lovely wines to offer !!

The main strip has some good bars, alot of karaoke goes on here, the Irish bars are almost as expensive as Dublin but nice.

China Garden is a fabulous chinese, great big portions !!

The Indian just up a bit from the taxi rank is very good !! Cant remember the name, had a great time in the Black Stove that day !!

My family and I are just home...

Overall Rating:

8/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jul 2008

Tour Operator:

Panorama

Submitted By:

Miss A Smyth

Comments:

My family and I are just home from Clube Alvorferias today. Clube Alvorferias was a brilliant choice to make just like the great choice we made by going to vitors plaza close by.



Here are my thoughts:



The bad things:

First of all the main problem was we were split up into different rooms and the rooms were in different blocks.

The entertainment was just ok but if you ask me there should not have been any live music it was boring, but the parrot show and mini circus were very good.



The good things:

The pool was a good size and the bridge going across it was a lovely feature.

The food in the pool side bar was lovely and I would recommend the cheese and ham toastie.

Alvor is a beautiful village and it is a waste of money if you get a taxi when it is only five minutes away.



There are lots more good things about the apartments but it would tkae a while to write them all.



Overall a wonderful holiday.

these apartments are great all...

Overall Rating:

10/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

May 2006

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Miss J GUY

Comments:

these apartments are great all the staff are great there especially kate and helena who run the childrens clubs at the apartments they are both great i got on really well with them and i love them to bits having them as mates is like having an extended family in portugal!! love you loads kate and helena.



all in all these apartments are fabulous and i really enjoyed my holiday and staying at these apartments made everything worth while.



obragardo to everyone who i met in portugal



thankyou in english



love you all xoxoxoxo

dirty smelly musty room mop...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2008

Tour Operator:

Airtours

Submitted By:

Mrs Z Graham

Comments:

dirty smelly musty room mop bucket left in room with stale smelly water when we arrived

broken doors and windows very worrying when we have two children and security

greasy hand marks on mirrors and what looked like gel

dead flies on corner shelve of kitchen

wardrobe door fell off when we opened it!!!

long black hairs everywhere!!

what looked like suncream left on floor

reception couldnt of cared less when we approached them about it instead they suggested we show the cleaner!!

thomas cook rep unhelpful and could not care less!!

noisy at night especially around reception area

staff miserable and unhelpful



on the positive side

alvor beautiful villiage and highly recomend very pretty and fantastic restaurants you just need to find good accomadation



donot stay at alvorferias!!!!

BOOKED WITH AIRTOURS HALF BOARD...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Half Board

Date of Holiday:

Jun 2008

Tour Operator:

Airtours

Submitted By:

Mr S HAWKINS

Comments:

BOOKED WITH AIRTOURS HALF BOARD , ON ARRIVAL WE FOUND A POOLSIDE CAFE AS THE RESTAURANT ,THE STAFF HAD NO KNOWEDGE OF HALF BOARD BASIS. EVENTUALLY FOUND MENU BUT VERY LIMITED CHOICE OF 8 MEALS (2 NOT AVAILABLE) BREAKFAST CONSISTED OF CONTINENTAL ONLY (BREAD & JAM)

THIS IS NOT WHAT YOU EXPECT OF HALF BOARD

THIS IS A SELF-CATERING COMPLEX ONLY

******DO NOT BOOK HALF BOARD*****

ma and my boyfreind are only bac...

Overall Rating:

7/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

May 2008

Tour Operator:

Panorama

Submitted By:

Miss C Dooley

Comments:

ma and my boyfreind are only bac from our holidays at the alverferias apparts i was very pleased with wat we recieved!!! although it was quite expensive!!!! freshly squeezed orange juice was 2.50euro for a small one!!! i would recomend the spagatti bolongnese it was lovely!!!

the appartment wer gr8 well basic holiday rooms the staff wer very friendly an willing to help at all times our appartments wer cleaned al the time with fresh towels!!!! i would highly recomend this resort to families with young children!!!! and to go to he zoomarine it was a gr8 day out and the coach picks you up just out side the resort!!!! and picks you up over all tis was a plesent holiday and could ot have gone any better!!!!

This was our second time in...

Overall Rating:

1/10

Board Basis:

Self Catering

Date of Holiday:

Aug 2007

Tour Operator:

Thomas Cook

Submitted By:

Miss H Smith

Comments:

This was our second time in Alvor and in Alvorferais. We love Alvor, fantastic place for a relaxing holiday. We ate all our meals in local restaurants (apart from breakfast) and we went to a different one every time. I must say we didn't have a single bad meal. Very good quality and reasonable prices. Our favourites are the Blue reef and the one in the square. The square is an excellent place to pass the evening.



Now for our accommodation - the first time we stayed in 2006 we couldn't fault it. The change in one year is shocking. They had closed their one estaurant leaving only the snack bar beside the pool, the part of the hotel on the other side has really declined. Our room was filthy and the reception staff were downright rude. We were incredibly shocked that their standard had declined so much. We are going back this year but will be staying at alternative appartments.

I only have some bad things: