Colina do Mar

the hotel is just perfect to walk around albufeira (if you arrived by bus from Lisbon or Faro that is perfect )is just 5 minuts walk al the way down ,the room is big and they have kettle but not tea or coffee, has frigde,is good value for the money the beach just 10 mints walk is again 10 minuts from all the bars and nigth life in albufeiras .

We went as a family of 3 (including a 9yr old) to Juniper and this was our 1st trip to Portugal and overall, we had a good time. The rooms are decent and cleaned daily although the shower are a bit tricky to use. The beds are large, though have rock hard mattresses. The food is of decent quality for all 3 meals with a different daily theme for the evening one which could be better. I.e Indian night gives you 1 watery curry option available to all with little options to go with it I.e no naan choices so this could be better. However there is other food available as well! We were all inclusive so you get lots of choices of drinks for adults & children though only 1 lager choice which was a Portugese beer only which frustrated me. My daughter loved the slushie options as well as all the cake options throughout the day! The staff are friendly throughout the hotel whether it be restaurant staff or the pool assistants who do various activities daily for children & adults. The poolside has plenty of sunbeds so there wasn't a problem having these when required. Its also got about 5 really good waterslide's which are available as and when you want so the entertainment is really good! It's not a 5 star hotel though as been to better locations and there's not much outside of it without travelling to either the Old town or new town. But uber's everywhere can be accessed promptly and you can travel to places like ZooMarine (worth going 2) or Vilamoura where you can access boat trips such as the dolphins/caves one which is brilliant!

This hotel has location as it's main feature. 2 minutes walk from the tunnel beach and 2 minutes walk from the central square in the old town, however quietly tucked away, so you do not hear any noise when you are tucked up in bed. It is dated, however more importantly it is clean, quite and comfortable. The WiFi is amazing, the pool is small, but a lovely bonus. Breakfast is basic, but adequate with cereal, toast, fresh fruit, yogurt and a couple of hot options, such as sausages and scrambled egg. The couple running the hotel are lovely and obviously work very hard! Free parking just above the hotel. Would I return 100% yes. Basic, clean and quiet in a great location.

The hotel is dated and is in need of renovation, through out our stay there where numerous problems, Curtains that wouldn’t close properly ( not great when on the ground floor with public walking past), smells of sewage particularly from bathrooms and in corridors, floods from bathrooms in other rooms and floors, although towards the end of the season there are no excuses for some of them. The hotel itself is in a good position for the centre of town but if you have any mobility issues the road up to it is very steep, I have had knee surgery in the past which was playing up at the time of our visit and struggled with both the steepness and the surface, most of the time it would not have bothered me, however it is certainly not disabled friendly! ( it didn’t look so steep on google earth) It can also be quite noisy as the rooms especially the ground floor look straight out on to the street. We found the female receptionist to be quite rude and bad tempered, did not really want to be inconvenienced by having to deal with customers, however the male receptionists were courteous and helpful. The pool area is very small and again the lack of maintenance was clear by the pool water being very murky during our stay, I did venture up there during darkness just for the view but even though the roof was accessible there was no lighting. We did try the breakfast one day but left feeling very disappointed, very little choice and although we were well within the opening times the staff seemed more interested in packing up. There are few positives, however with a bit of maintenance and a little bit of TLC this could be so much better especially with its closeness to the town centre and bars/entertainment. One last thing, don’t expect a sea view, there isn’t any!

From the outside I would say that this hotel needs some tlc to make better justice of what it has to offer and true that it may be a bit dated but all worked well for me. Room was on top floor with a view, pool on top which could be a bit problematic during the day if you happen to have people jumping around but in that case don't take 4th floor. This hotel is just outside the loud hustle and bustle of Albufeira but yet keeping it very centrally located with a slight 30 second climb. Breakfast was good and changed occasionally, wifi good, a.c. worked well, room cleaned regularly, fridge available and TV had a good choice of English speaking channels. Reduced 1 star for the outside appearance which was not a real problem for me.

Hotel is located a 2 minute walk from the main Albufeira square but on a steep hill. So going out is great, coming back is a bit of a mare. Upon arrival, woman receptionist was probably the rudest I've ever encountered, refused point blank to issue 2 seperate key cards for the room. Male receptionist next day had no problem giving 2 keys, very friendly, jokey, made such a difference. If you're just looking for a 'base i.e somewhere just to sleep and don't mind walking up a steep hill then it's adequate. Rooms are basic but clean, beds made up and towels changed every day was good to see. Breakfast was ok but not lots to choose from. Bizarre to see people describe the pool as 'fabulous'...it's just a small pool on a rooftop with about 6 or 7 beds dotted about, I've seen bigger Jacuzzis. Probably somewhere you book the mother in law in, but I wouldn't stay here again.