We have recently returned from an absolutely lovely, all-inclusive week at the Luna Falesia Mar Beach Resort in Olhos d’Agua. NB: When researching info and reviews about this hotel, be sure to get the right hotel – there are two or three with very similar names!

The Falesia Mar has everything one would expect from a good-quality 3 star hotel. Our top floor (3rd storey) apartment in G Block was fantastic. There wasn’t a lift, but the view over the pool and gardens and down to the sea made up for this inconvenience. The apartment consisted of a large bedroom with twin beds pushed together; a bathroom with over-bath shower, hairdryer and bidet; a huge lounge/dining room with a dining table, four chairs, a coffee table and two sofa beds; a spacious kitchen with a fridge; and a private balcony with a table, four chairs and a drying rack. The apartment was cleaned every day except Sunday, and towels and sheets were changed frequently.

The buffet-style meals were usually very nice and there was adequate choice, although the hot dishes were often quite lukewarm. Some of the fish dishes were especially delicious. You helped yourselves to drinks – draft lager, boxed wine, fruit juice and soft drinks etc. The coffee at breakfast came out of a machine, but it was hot, strong and very good. The soups and the salad buffets at lunch and dinner were always very good. The restaurant staff were polite, helpful and efficient.

Drinks and snacks – sandwiches, pizza and ice-cream – were served at the pool bar. It was a shame that drinks and coffee came in plastic beakers, but the bar-staff were worked off their feet and couldn’t have been expected to wash glasses as well. The other advantage was that there was no broken glass lying around. The bar-staff did a wonderful job, as did the outdoor cleaning staff. The outdoor areas always looked clean and tidy: tables were cleared and bins emptied regularly. There were always plenty of sun-beds around the pool and on the big lawn. The setting and gardens are beautiful, and the road and paths in the complex are lined with exotic shrubs and flowers.

The hotel’s location is excellent – although it wouldn’t suit people who have difficulty with hills or steps. A very pleasant stepped path leads from the pool area down to Falesia Beach. This is a wonderful four-mile stretch of sand, backed by amazing red cliffs, that goes all the way to Vilamoura Marina. It took us about two hours to walk there – and about an hour to walk around the huge marina! We also walked back as the buses in October are few and far between.

The village centre is five minutes walk down a hill which continues down to Olhos d’Agua Beach. This is small but very pretty. We walked from here to Albufeira, via rocky coves, sandy beaches, and cliff-top paths. Again, it took about two hours. We got the bus back. It’s a ten-minute walk to the stop at Modelo shopping centre, which is much closer to the beach and the old town than Albufeira bus terminus.

There was some form of entertainment every evening. Some of it was OK. It didn’t start until nearly 10pm on some evenings, which was a bit late. The bar stopped serving all-inclusive drinks at 11pm prompt, but you could buy drinks up until midnight if you wished. This was our first experience of an all-inclusive holiday and we were very pleasantly surprised by the peaceful, relaxed atmosphere. Nobody ever got drunk or rowdy – even though alcohol was available all day. You could even start the day by helping yourself to chilled bubbly or Buck’s Fizz at breakfast!

‘All-inclusive’ really does include everything you could want in the way of food or drink. As we were only there for a week we didn’t feel the need to go to a bar or restaurant in the village for a change of scene. In fact, the only money we spent was on the day we went on an excursion! Our only slight niggle was that we arrived at 11.30am but were not allowed our armbands until 2pm, which meant we couldn’t have lunch in the restaurant. This wasn’t really fair as we were leaving the hotel at 8am at the end of our holiday, so wouldn’t have been able to have lunch on our final day.

We booked the ‘Historic Algarve’ excursion at the ticket shop in the village. It cost 20 E, plus another 12 E for an optional restaurant lunch. It was a very long day – 13 hours – but we visited some lovely places including Monchique Mountain and Cape St Vincent. We got back at 8.30 – just in time for dinner!

We were surprised at how hot and sunny it was, considering it was October. We had planned on doing a lot of walking but instead spent most afternoons reading and sunbathing by the pool or on the beaches. The sea was warm and clear, although a bit too rough for actual swimming.

It’s difficult to rate this holiday as far as ‘value for money’ goes as the prices vary tremendously depending on when you book and the dates that suit you. We got a very good late deal with Jet 2 for approx £400 each for the week – including flights from Newcastle, airport transfers and luggage. Bearing this in mind, I would rate our holiday at this hotel as 5 stars.

We have just returned from a week at the hotel. We had a great week. Room was enormous and perfectly clean. It had obviously been fairly recently re-vamped. Food was good and varied, with exceptional salads at all meals. Quality of the meat and fish was good too. Pool and area around it was great. The only bar open was the pool bar but that coped most of the time. As in previous reviews the bar staff were a bit sullen but if you humoured them they were OK. Reception staff were excellent and the transfers to and from the hotel were very good. There was a shuttle bus into Albuferia but it only took visitors into the outskirts of the town and a fairly lengthy walk was required to the centre, beach or old town. The evening entertainment was not amazing but OK but there were several bars etc. in the village within 400 yards of the hotel for a change. Our only real moan about the hotel was the quality of the pillows which were really poor, nasty cheap lumpy polyester pillows which was a real shame. How much would it have cost provide decent ones.

My daughter and I have just returned from a lovely relaxing week at the Falesia Mar. We were greeted at reception by Luisa who never stopped smiling and was always willing to help with information etc. We found all the staff friendly however busy they were, Andre and Hugo especially was always cheerful, We never had any trouble with moody staff in our many trips to the bar.
Our room was spacious, spotless and well equipped although we didn't use the kitchen as we were all inclusive, the fridge was useful,however,for keeping our water cold. The plant-filled grounds were kept clean and tidy with the many bins emptied constantly by the very pleasent mantainance man, who also helped a hedgehog escape from some foreign guests who thought it was a rat when we asked him to help it.
The views were fantastic and the steps to the beach managable and a good source of exercise after the wonderful food, There was always a good choice of salads, pasta,meat,fish and puddings.
We would return to this hotel, the only suggestion would be for the courtesy bus to take guests to Old Town and for more entertainment during the day as advertised.
Thanks for a lovely time.

I have just returned from staying here and had a lovely time. The room was spotless with a separate living room and kitchen area despite us being all inclusive, a really nice suite. The pool area lovely. As out of season, there were plenty of sun loungers and the grass area overlooking the sea was stunning. Varied menu so can't complain except the breakfast was always lukewarm for some reason, although lunch and dinner were fine! The only thing that ruined this was the pool, waiter, and restaurant stuff. They were sullen at best and we felt only tolerated by them. All in all though, would definately go back - look out for the friendly black cat and ginger cat, adorable!