Hotels near Atlantic Spa - São Rafael Atlântico, Albufeira

Southern Portugal definitely deserves a longer stay; it's just too beautiful! We regret only spending one night at the hotel this trip, but on the second day, we set off from the hotel to Praia da Marinha and hiked along the stunning coastline. We had lunch in Lagos and dinner in Portimão. From this, it's clear that Albufeira itself, where the hotel is located, doesn't offer much to explore. However, among all the hotels in Southern Portugal, the W is undoubtedly a top contender, offering incredible value for money, so we booked it for a comfortable stay. The room itself was flawless, the service was excellent, and the breakfast was delicious. The room was beautiful and new, making us feel right at home. We'd definitely come back here if we're driving again. For those not driving, I'd recommend staying in Lagos or Portimão instead.

PortoBay was absolutely fantastic on all fronts. It is our first relaxing holiday, and we are completely sold. The place, the location, the food, the hospitality - everything a solid 10/10. We had an issue with our reservation due to Trip/Experian, but the hotel could not do enough to rectify the issue. Shout out to Anna and all the amazing staff for making our pre-wedding getaway an unforgettable experience. I used the adult-only filter on Trip and this place showed up despite not being and adult-only resort. Regardless, I am glad it did. As it is a smaller, more prestigious venue, it lends itself more towards couples. The few kids that we did cross, were relatively quiet and tame. There is also an adult-only section and a smaller heated infinity pool, which was great.

What a lovely little hotel. I was attracted to booking it from the reviews of previous guests. As an older woman and always a solo traveller I don't like big chains/hotels so I was specifically looking for a boutique style. As soon as you walk through the door, a big smile is waiting for you. The only let down for me was that I specifically requested a room with a nice view as I'm an artist and had come here to paint. Unfortunately my view from the 1st floor was of the side street and neighbouring villas so I was disappointed in that. However i walked to Olhos De Agua (20 mins at least) and got a taxi to Albufiera (5 euros) and took my paints with me. I didn't use the pool as it looked in the shade. The bed was amazing, huge, nice pillows and linen. Kettle and coffee machine but no milk. Bathroom was a bit of a let down as the shower gel dispenser was broken so I had to use the shampoo for everything and on the spare toilet roll there was excrement from the previous guest maybe? The only suggestion I have would be a full length mirror.

This is by far the best hostel I stayed at, in spite of the number of occupants. I was lucky to have very quiet boys in the room. There’s only one bathroom, connected to the room, but it worked. The hostel is new, modern and spotless. The owner is very friendly. The hostel is also 5 minutes walk from the beach. It was perfect. It’s a long walk to Albufeira from the city buses, and not very clear where the FlixBus stops. I wouldn’t recommend walking from the train station, which took me 4 hours. There’s a local bus, don’t scrimp = TAKE IT. Or take an Uber, or Bolt. Or ask the taxi what he wants to charge from the bus stop at the train station ! The RedeExpress is where the bus station is (but not for the FlixBus). In summary, you can go to Albufeira by FlixBus, but it’s difficult to know where FlixBus leaves Albufeira from. That all said, Albufeira is very difficult in high season, TOO CROWDED, but the Portuguese are tolerant and very patient because they know that tourism is lucrative and has raised the whole country out of poverty. Residents enjoy cheap and / or free public transport on local buses (cheap monthly passes). Residents are respectful and kind. You can practice your Portuguese with them for a laugh, but they all speak English to varying degrees. Here you can meet real residents. On the beach, not necessarily in the pubs. I loved it here. Don’t miss it.

Amazing experience from the moment we arrived to checkout, we received amazing service, hospitality and breakfast was our favourite. I love how they have 24hrs reception which made things easy! Our rooms were huge with amazing amenities. The location is fantastic very close to the centre, we would come again! Thank you!p

The room is spacious and has a nice vibe. It's a bit far from the beach and sea but the room is quite nice. It would be great if we have a hair dryer in the room.

Good place to stay in the Algarve – unfortunately we ended up in a 1st floor room (ground level) facing the parking lot. Also the shower hat problems and flooded the entire bathroom and some of the hotel room. They did something to improve, but overall it seemed like bad design and still happened a little bit afterwards. Hotel was clean, breakfast was good. I wouldn't call it a ”Hotel & Spa” though – the spa facilities are quite limited, small and some were even out of order.

A Cozy Getaway with a Few Quirks I recently had the pleasure of staying at Block C in a wonderful location near the beach. My partner and I thoroughly enjoyed our time there, as the bedroom was spacious and beautifully designed. However, there were a few quirks that left us slightly puzzled. Locating the signage for the establishment proved to be a small challenge, but it added a sense of adventure to our experience. Unfortunately, the air conditioning in our room left something to be desired. It struggled to keep the temperature comfortably cool, and we often found ourselves feeling a bit hot. It would be great if this aspect could be improved to ensure a more comfortable stay. Nevertheless, spending evenings on the balcony was a delightfully cozy and relaxed experience. The ambiance was inviting and lent itself to unwinding after a day of exploration. The surrounding garden and environment added to the overall charm, and we truly appreciated the pleasant surroundings. I highly recommend visiting this place for a minimum stay of 2 to 3 days. Anything less would make the trip feel rushed, as there is so much to explore and enjoy. Despite the minor quirks, our overall experience was enjoyable and memorable. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have stayed here and would gladly return for another visit.

La struttura è datata e necessita di una ristrutturazione, soprattutto le camere e la piscina. In camera non c'è il phon, ma è possibile chiederlo alla reception. Le camere vanno rinnovate, sono veramente spoglie, basterebbe un po' di colore alle pareti e mettere qualche quadro colorato. Runner e cuscini in velluto sono ormai superati e inutili, finiti immediatamente dentro l armadio. In bagno, la carta igienica è talmente soffice, che si sgretola in mano, soprattutto quando in bagno si crea vapore quando si apre l acqua calda. Ci sono 2 terrazze solarium, dove ci sono solo dei lettini. Le terrazze mi hanno dato l impressione di essere abbandonate, se ci fossero degli ombrelloni e dei tavolini e qualcuno venisse ogni tanto a portare dei teli e a chiedere se si ha bisogno di qualcosa, sarebbe sicuramente una cosa diversa. Anche in piscina mancano gli ombrelloni. Inoltre, noi avevamo la camera sullo stesso piano della piscina, purtroppo dovevamo tenere sempre la tenda chiusa, altrimenti gli altri ospiti potevano guardarci dentro la camera, ed era necessario accendere la luce anche in pieno giorno, altrimenti non si vedeva nulla. Suggerisco di mettere, oltre alla tenda oscurante, anche una tendina leggera, che blocchi gli sguardi indiscreti ma faccia passare la luce. Sarebbe il caso anche di ristrutturare camere, bagno e corridoi. È un peccato, perché la zona della reception, con le pareti verde chiaro e il divanetto tondo è molto carina. La zona colazione è ok, ma purtroppo non c è varietà. Oltre al prosciutto cotto, si potrebbero usare, a rotazione, magari, anche altri salumi. Inserire anche uova sode o all'occhio, latte e yogurt senza lattosio, qualche formaggio, cambiate gusti delle marmellate, mettere cioccolata spalmabile, waffles al posto dei pancake, ecc... C è un bar, ma non viene utilizzato da nessuno, peccato. Il personale è sempre stato estremamente gentile e disponibile. Ricordo il sorriso di Carolina che ci ha fatto il check in e con una mappa alla mano ci ha spiegato tutto, un collega uomo, anche lui molto sorridente, che in serata mi ha gentilmente fornito il phon, e la signora con il quale abbiamo fatto il check out. Anche le signore della colazioni molto disponibili, e una volta ci hanno fatto entrare anche se siamo arrivati tardi. Do comunque un voto alto, per non penalizzare nessuno, ma fiduciosa che il feedback serva a migliorare.

- Lovely cosy apartment, that looked even nicer and more modern than on the photos. - While not super big, the space has been very cleverly used and it felt like having my own mini home. - Kitchen is well equipped, so you can really use it to cook your own dinner (I just missed a colander to drain rice and vegetables, but I realise it must be impossible to cater for every individual guest's preferences). Enough pots, pans, cutlery, even a corkscrew and dishcloth are provided. No spices, oil or sponge though, so (quite understandably) you need to buy or bring a few things yourself. - Lovely balcony, sunny most of the day and I could even watch the sea from there. - Good location, as long as you're fine being near ”The Strip” (and not so near the old town). Very close to the beach. In a central but quiet location (at least in February, but my guess is that it's just far enough from the Strip to be reasonably quiet in busier months as well). About a 10 minute walk from Santa Eulalia bus stop from where you can take a bus to Faro (and other places on that route, such as Vilamoura and Quarteira). It's about a 40 minute walk to the main bus terminal. There's also a city bus, but I never really worked out that system (taxis are everywhere too and apparently not very expensive either). - Great value for money. I extended my stay by 2 more nights and certainly recommend this place. While I very much enjoyed my stay here, there are a few small things that could possibly still be improved. Those are really just small details though! - I'd suggest putting a few extra bin bags in the apartment. Cleaning takes place every 3 or 4 days, which is totally fine. But especially if guests cook in the apartment, the rubbish contains food rests and starts smelling after a few days. It's no problem to change the bag myself, but having a few extra bags in the room would be helpful. - There's an illuminated ”emergency exit” sign above the apartment's entrance door, on the inside the room. That's really annoying at night, because it's like always keeping one light switched on in your bedroom. Can't those signs be placed outside the room? I ended up covering it with a dark T-shirt every night, which solved the problem too;-) - There's no socket near the bed.