We stayed at Vila Gale for four nights two weeks ago and it was lovely. We booked the night before based on Trip Advisor reviews and we are glad we did. Located 10min (10euros) around the corner from Albuferia in a quite suburb, it is peaceful (literally silent) and relaxing. The beach is glorious and golden and not too crowded. You can rent loungers and umbrellas there if you want.

The hotel was lovely, receptionists were so helpful and room was very well equipped. We even borrowed a DVD one night from reception. The pool lovely, plenty of space on loungers and very quiet. There was a nice mix of people there, from older people to younger couples. We ate lunch at the tables by the pool and it was delicious. Breakfast was lovely - don't wait at the door to be seated, just seat yourself and make sure you get some hot bread! Yum! we had a room not facing the pool and it was really good, looked out over the terrace and a the ocean (amazing sunset!). I noticed all of the people with pool rooms had to keep their blinds pulled!

We had dinner at all three of the restuarants on the beach, the one on the far left (facing the beach) was definitley the best. The middle one was ok, good service and a bit more cheap and cheerful. We went into dinner in Albuferia but left after 30min, too much tat and we preffered the peace and quiet and delicious specials in Gale.

There is a supermarket literally 5min walk from the hotel. (Out hotel turn right, go down the side path past the pool and then veer right and follow along and you come out at the supermarket) we got a bit lost the first time we went.

We took a transfer (aranged when we landed) from the kiosk at Faro (BestTours) on a coach and that cost 26 euros for two people to gale. Reception helped us book a really cheap transfer back to faro (36euros) with a company called YellowFish. Very cheap and cheerful and got us there quick in a slightly beaten up people mover!

Recommend Vila Gale - perfect break!

We spent 3 days at Hotel Vila Gale... Totally relaxing and laid back. The location is amazing. it is a 5 minute walk to the Gale beach, which almost means you never want to leave the area. The staff was extremely helpful, did everything with a smile and always were willing to go out of their way. One thing we noted was that often the front desk didn't know of restaurants beyond the town of Gale, and there wasn't a lot in the area. The rooms felt a bit dated and the corridors had a bit of a damp smell, but that was all very minor relative to the positives. Great place to totally relax.

A wonderful hotel in a quiet location near to a fantastic beach and only a 10 euro taxi ride to Albufeira. We thought this hotel was fantastic with a lovely pool area where there were always plenty of loungers, staff were always helpful and all requests were carried out with a smile. we were a party of 3 couples and felt we were almost in a private villa but with the advantages of a hotel. We thought the breakfasts were good and although fried eggs and toast did not appear to be on offer you only had to ask and they were freshly prepared for us. We did not eat in the restaurant for dinner as we felt that are there many other good restaurants nearby and in Albufeira. Would we go again? most certainly

Just returned from seven nights at this hotel, booked after reading other holidaymakers' reports on Trip Advisor.
The reception for my wife and I was superb. One very pleasant young lady went through all the necessary admin procedures, while another presented us with cold lemon tea and damp towels to refresh us after our journey.
We'd arrived with another couple on the same minibus and two other members of staff dealt with them simultaneously. A sign of good things to come.
The buffet breakfasts and evening meals are all served in the restaurant, where the waiting staff showed the same attention to detail as their reception colleagues.
Nothing was too much trouble and most spoke enough English to be able to help with any enquiry.
The buffet breakfast itself was magnificent. A choice of cereals, fresh fruit, yoghurt, numerous types of cheese, cold meats, hard boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, mini sausages, various breads, rolls, croissants etc etc etc.....Fresh fruit juice, tea and coffee, PLUS espumante fizzy wine to drink(NOTE: If you like your English tea, either take some tea bags with you, or ask for two teabags in your teapot !!).
A previous reviewer mentioned cold scrambled eggs, but in our experience if something wasn't quite right, you mentioned it to a member of staff and it was rectified. The choice varied from day to day on certain items but, if you asked they simply brought you what you wanted.
The room was large and well appointed, although I was surprised to find that there were no tea or coffee making facilities. As a previous reviewer has said, the bed was a trifle firm and, not having it at home, the noise from the air conditioning took a bit of getting used to. But it wasn't overpowering.
The pool was lovely and clean, if a bit on the cold side ! But with temperatures in the low 30's while we were there, that became a bonus.
Another reviewer has mentioned the lack of music at the poolside as a negative, but everyone we spoke to, like us thought that was a big PLUS (I still have recurring nightmares of Shaggy pumping out 'Mr. Boombastic' relentlessly at a hotel pool in Turkey many years ago !).
Evening meals at the hotel are high class too. We ate there once during our stay and used the local beachside restaurants for the remainder of our time there.
Although one travel rep. suggested that the nearest restaurant (the middle of the three on the beach, called something like Gaiao ??)) wasn't to be patronised, we suspect that this was due to some personal issues. We had two evening meals there with another couple who also visited during the day and we all found the menu to be varied and good value. The food was always delicious and served with humour and friendliness by the waiters.
It was strange to be in a hotel surrounded by holiday villas and several vacant building sites. These villas, the supermarket nearby and aforementioned restaurants are all that comprises the location of Gale.
There is no 'town centre' or 'main street' that you can walk along with bars, shops etc (no chemist or Post Office for example. Although the hotel does provide a three-times-daily minibus service into Albufeira). So if you're looking for a complete, really getaway type holiday, this is the place for you.
However, if you want a little more (but less than the Southend/Margate environment that is Albufeira ), you might feel a little isolated.
Overall, we had an enjoyable stay at the Vila Gale Praia, made so by the hotel staff, nice room and great pool. We would recommend it to couples looking for a real 'getaway break'. Probably too quiet for families with small, or teenage children.
Finally, if you do book and are given a room on the third floor, please keep up the tradition of repositioning/dressing up/making up the small china bust of Chairman Mao on the table opposite the lift !!! (Strange choice of ornament for a Portugese hotel, but seeing the daily changes provided some lighthearted gentle amusement during our stay.)