we arrived at this hotel which we thought looked ok, we knew it was going to be noisy on the strip as the comments said on here, when we seen the rooms we thought was ok nice and big staff was friendly. as we looked around hotel it was very old fashioned and could tell it was built quite a few years ago but still we thought it was ok. we went down for tea on the 1st night and walked away with out eating anything it was all fish, rice salard nothing that me or my family would eat, we asked the staff if they did chips to have a chip butty they looked like we had 4 heads. tea for the whole 7 days wasnt good and always cold but we went down just to see and would have soup thats all we eaten not a big choice of food neither. breakfast was ok bacon every other day but with cold beans. if you want toast go down 30mins before planned because thats how long it takes to make toast. if you are staying at this hotel i advise you to take extra money incase you dont like the food like us and there is always lots of places on the strip.

I felt I should write a review about the Hotel Da Aldeia after reading so many negative reviews on this site. I travelled with my boyfriend in September 2011 and we were unsure as to what we had let ourselves in for after we saw all the bad reviews, so I really feel like I should put people right. The Hotel da Aldeia was fantastic. Upon arrival, we were greeted by a lovely big reception area and very friendly staff. Checking in was quick and easy and our room was waiting for us. The room was much bigger than I had expected, very clean and comfortable. The bathroom was a good size and quite modern with a powerful shower. The balcony was also a good size. After reading about the noisy street side of the hotel, we decided to request a pool side room when we booked. There was absolutely no noise from the strip at night on the pool side of the hotel. I can imagine it is very noisy on the street side, so I would highly recommend booking the pool side. The pool area itself was great. Very big area, very clean, plenty of sun loungers and a big pool. Also a big baby pool. The pool area got sun for the whole day. We were also impressed with the pool bar which had a good selection of snacks and meals for lunch. The restaurant was good with a lovely outdoor terrace section where we could eat (we did this most nights). Most people decided to eat inside which I didn't understand as outside was lovely, warm, clean and a nice atmosphere. The dinner buffet provided a big selection of food. There was always soup, bread, salad, rice, vegetables and pasta. The meat dishes varied each day, however there seemed to be a lot of fish on offer. Not being the biggest fan of fish, this wasn't great, however there was plenty of other food to fill up on. There was always a selection of three or four desserts which was good. The hotel bar (Cafe a Jardim, I think it is called) was great with a very friendly bar man who made a fantastic sex on the beach. The bar has an outdoor seating terrace lit by candles in the evening which has a great atmosphere. Lots of comfortable seating out there. There was also some entertainment here including a very good jazz musician and Tropicana which was a parrot show. The hotel bar is a good place for predrinking as the drinks are cheaper than the bars on the strip. Behind the pool area there is mini golf and a tennis court which we did, and had lots of fun. The staff at Hotel da Aldeia were absolutely lovely, always smiling and asking how we were, especially the bar man! The location of the hotel was also good. The local beach (oura beach) is a five/ten minute walk. The beach itself was quite busy but lovely golden sand and beautiful sea. The strip was very much as expected, full of loud, rowdy, mostly British people. Good for a night out but you really feel like you want to get away from it in the day. I would recommend visiting the Old Town of Albuferia as it has a little more life in it than the strip. Lots of lovely cafes and restaurants and a gorgeous huge beach. Highly recommend the piri-piri chicken at Cafe Velho just above the beach. There are loads of little gift shops around the Old Town too. We took a boat trip out for a tour of the caves which was lovely. We sailed with Mara and chose the sunset cruise (5-8pm). The boat moves along the coastline which is actually quite spectacular - amazing rock formations and huge caves. Unfortunately we couldn't go into the caves on this day as the sea was too choppy but it was still a lovely trip with the sun setting over the sea on the way back. All in all, I have to say I enjoyed the holiday but I would not go back to Albufeira. The place lacked culture and was full of embarrassing drunk Brits. It was good to get away from this and visit the Old Town. I also felt there wasn't much to do for days out, besides the boat trip we took. The hotel however deserves a very good review as it was certainly better than expected. It was big, clean, friendly and in a good location. It is such a shame the strip brings it down. It is also a shame that the lovely staff have to deal with the disgusting Brits who cause trouble. The staff were always happy to help and provided a great service. The other guests at the hotel were mainly British and Spanish and, we felt, extremely rude. When it came to dinner, they behaved like animals, scrambling for their food and pushing people out the way and when it came to manners, they had none. This selfish attitude from the other guests was also seen every morning at half past seven when we would wake up and look out from the balcony to see practically every sunlounger 'bagsied' by a towel. This left the less selfish of the guests with no where to sunbathe. I would recommend moving peoples' towels if they do this as some people would use the loungers for twenty minutes in total then walk out of the hotel leaving the towels down. Finally, to sum up this too long review, I have to say that as a hotel, the Aldeia, was great. We booked through lowcostholidays which was also great, as our transfers were on time and waiting for us. Definitely a very good hotel! Don't listen to the bad reviews, I seriously was baffled as to what they were talking about when I was there!

Everyday I had ants crawling all over my clothes and in the bathroom. Beds were filthy and so was whole room. If I could have got a room elsewhere I would have been out of here. Rooms in hotel are noisy as right beside strip but doors not tight which meant you could here everything.

This hotel had a great location and a really lovely pool area but it really needs some tlc. The whole hotel looked quite shabby and really needs a lick of paint. The only other negative were the staff it really seemed they just didn't want to be there and at times were quite rude it's a pity cause it has the potential to be a really nice hotel