I booked these apartments after reading reviews on here, Mixed reviews i may add... However after arriving on Friday 30th Dec at around 11.30pm check in was easy and had asked for pool facing 1 bed apt, To my surprise we got.. apt 212 straight out of lift turn right first apt on left.. was well impressed real home from home.. very clean and evrything in there.. For evryone who likes a good shower on holiday this was better than mine at home. The apartment had two sets of patio doors leading on to big balcony which in morning was right sun trap (this was new year) friendly reception staff and felt very safe leave room key at reception when going out. Only downside don,t think bar was open or area round pool but it is there winter and was new year.. Just walk down into town nice pleasant walk bout 10-15mins. If aged bout 5 min walk to little train 4 euro day ticket takes you to top of escalators...
So all in all def stay here again without a doubt, don,t be put off by few bad reviews..

I am beginning to run out of wonderful things to say about this lovely Hotel and the friendliest, most caring staff one could hope for!!

My daughter Lisa and I went there in September 2011 as we have done for the past 4 years and once again had a beautiful time. This Hotel is so relaxing and the location is perfect for the Old Town and The Strip, whatever your taste! Eugenia, Victor, Tina and all the rest of the staff THANK YOU so much for always remembering us and making us feel like family not guests :) The weather was amazing, wall to wall sunshine every day perfect for spending lazy days by the pool!!

It is so special to us it makes it so difficlult to choose another destination!!

The Hotel Paladim is rated as 4*, not all aspects of the hotel live up to this rating, HOWEVER, it is a lovely little hotel and did not disappoint.
We arrived at Faro airport and jumped in to a taxi (cost just under 50 euros) and took around 30 minutes to arrive.
Reception staff were polite and quick to give us our room key, the rooms are large and have more than enough storage space and a full length mirror inside the wardrobe aswell as a dressing table and chair with a mirror in the bedroom. The bathroom is slightly on the small side, but has everything in it you need (bath, shower, shower mat, wash basin, large mirror, towels, toilet and bidet!)
Some parts of the rooms could do with an update, but all the cupboards had doors and handles, the fridge was cold ready for food going straight in. Each room has a tv which pulls in some uk channels, (bbc1, itv1, chn5, e4) ask at reception for a remote as they are not left in the rooms.
Previous reviewers have mentioned the rooms looked grubby but ours looked like it had just had a fresh coat of paint, and to be honest, marks on the wall don't bother me. So long as there are no exposed wires or hazards waiting to happen, then i'm happy!
The cooking facilities consist of 2 electric rings, and a microwave. Rooms are well stocked with kitchen utensils and have plenty of pots/pans/cutlery/glasses etc, we also had a toaster and kettle, all got used, everything worked.... no problems to report. Rooms are cleaned every day bar sunday, and despite as already mentioned, some aspects not being 4*, i loved my time here and would not hesitate to book again or to recommend to anyone who goes.
There is a little snack bar which sells alcohol and hot foods downstairs and has sky sports on the tv there too... the pool is just past the snack bar and is decent enough given the size of the hotel. There were plenty of sun loungers and the pool area was cleaned every morning.
To the left of the hotel is a huge supermarket, everything you need will be found there, food downstairs, toiletries upstairs, more or less the same prices as at home so not too bad. The bus stop is situated right outside the supermarket and you can get the train a little further down there too and this takes you to either the strip or the old town, around 2 euros per person and has plenty of stops, if in doubt, ask the driver, everyone speaks fantastic english.
For the football fans, on the road opposite the hotel, on the left is a place called the bella vista sports cafe. This place was ace, cheap beer, nice food, a pc for the kids to go on their facebook for a catch up (3 euros an hour) and a games machine with playstation pads complete with fifa 12, pes 12 and other games to play on.
If you turn right out the hotel and walk up the main road towards the worms roundabout you come past a chinese restaurant named the big shangai ( go there, its cheap and the food is spot on)... take care not to walk up the road directly opposite the restaurant or you take a huge diversion! Stay on the main road and carry on walking, you will hit a strip with a few indian restaurants (try the clay oven)... looks left as you walk past these restaurants and you will spot a small square.... looks out for the England flag and you will spot 2 english pubs, one named the travellers rest, the other the yorkshire tavern. The travellers rest has a pool table, sky sports, snacks for the kids and lovely welcoming staff... the yorkshire tavern do english food for those with fussy kids or mising some home comforts.
The strip (walk right out of the hotel) is busy as expected and prices vary for drinks and food but one thing that instantly hits home is that no-one hassles you, if you turn down an offer to dine or drink then it is accepted and you carry on walking. The beach is lovely and there are plenty of sunbeds with parasols to hire for the day. There are nice little restaurants and shops by the beach to purchase refreshments from too.
One thing to bare in mind about Albuferia though is the uneven cobbled floors and the steeps hills to the strip and beach area.... not ideal for those with mobility problems.
The old town (left out of the hotel) was were we spent the majority of the holiday, and for novelty has escalators taking you down to the beach (something the strip could do with!!!)
There are plenty of places there to eat and drink and again, the train stops at the top of the escalators incase little legs get tired!
There are waterparks not too far away and plenty to do as a family whilst there, likewise there are plenty of opportunities for couples to do something on their own. The weather wasn't the best during our holiday but we made the most of it and it soon brightened up, don't forget it's their winter when its our winter... albeit a warmer winter!
Given what we paid for the holiday, we definately got our moneys worth, and i would book again if considering going back to Portugal, the roof was taken off the airport 2 days before we came home... we booked in in the car park and the tarmac was our security checks/ departure lounge.... really couldn't do enough to make sure everyone got on the correct plane... lovely people .... i very much doubt anyone will be let down holidaying at the Paladim, or in Albueria, so book it and enjoy.

This was our first trip to Portugal and being October we were not expecting alot as it was the end of season. We stayed in the Paladim aparthotel. The accomodation was very large consisting of a large bedroom with twin beds plenty of wardrobe space and great air conditioning, A very spacious living room also with air conditioning and with a couch and pull out bed a coffee table and TV. A kitchen with a dining table, kettle dishes, microwave, fridge, toaster and two ring hob, and a bathroom with toilet, bidet, bath and shower and sink. The apartment also benefitted from a balcony that could be accessed from the living room and bedroom and overlooked the pool area. It was very clean and was attended to daily (except Sunday). There were a few minor things needed attention, one of the draw fronts was loose and the wiring for the light over the dining table was hanging down. The staff at the hotel were very friendly and helpful. The pool was large and had plenty of sun loungers it was also kept very clean and had a small pool for children. The Paladim is situated 1 minute away from a very large supermarket. 10-15 minutes walk from the strip where the night life is fantastic with lots of bars and resturants, and 15 minutes walk to the old town with a beautiful beach and lots of shopping and night life. For those not wanting to walk there is a small train that stops 2 minutes walk away for access to both the old town and the strip. The area has quite a lot of nice places to eat The big Shanghi is 2 minutes walk away and does exceptional chinese food but it is best to book as it does get packed. In the old town A resturant called Shalom 2 does wonderful eat as much as you like ribs and there is also a chinese resturant called Alibabas in the old town that has great food good prices and very friendly service. One to steer clear of is a resturant called Central Planet situated in the old town, My omlette was so overcooked it was difficult to get a knife through it and the people at the table behind us had steak they couldn't eat, when this was mentioned the staff were quite unfriendly and unhelpful.