Have to agree with previous reviews - couldn't find anything to fault at this hotel. Staff were friendly, room was great and cleaned every day and the buffet breakfast every morning was very nice. The hotel (like the resort) was very quiet probably because i was there at the end of January. A lot of the bars & restaurants mentioned in previous reviews were closed but the Sofft Bar next door was worth a visit. I think most of the resorts bars and restaurants close immediately after New Year and dont open again until the end of February so its not that lively. Even the strip in Albufeira was mostly closed.

There are a number of excellent beaches within 10/15 minutes walking distance of the hotel but heed the warning signs and dont go too close to the cliffs and watch out for the tid comng in.

its probably worth hiring a car to get about - the buses are a bit infrequent and unless you want to spend every day on the beach, you'l need your own transport. That said, theres a big fuss at the minute as the government introduced tolls for motorway driving 4 weeks ago so you might want to research that if youre hiring a car.

i went by easyjet and if you want to save a bit of effort you can book both the hotel and the connections through their website. the connection was £14 return which is as cheap as i could find it.

if you're looking for cheap daytrips, there's a small booth on the street leading to the main resort beach which seems to be selling them at half the prices in other places. the beach is reached by turning left out of the hotel, walking about 10 minutes up the road past the supermarket and its down the street on the right past the Riu Hotel. there are much larger beaches to either side of this one but the directions are a bit more complicated so ask at the hotel reception.

theres free wifi in the hotel but it doesnt seem to work in the roooms so you'll need to take your laptop down to the bar. safes are available in the rooms - 15 euro deposit plus 3 euro per night. each room has a samll fridge plus TV though the only english channel is Sky News.

would go back but probably during the summer when its warmer & the resort is busier.

What can I write about Velamar that you havent already read .
I,m writing simply because I do feel it is that hidden gem you need to know about. And I want to show my appreciation for the lovely time me and my wife had.
Its friendly , clean , well located, and yes does do a good breakfast ..
I didn’t speak to anyone who didn’t like it and actually many of them had visited more than once.
We used the other travellers advice to get to the hotel by booking yellow fishtransfers com . we got our free wine.and thought it was a very good service , very punctual.
The restaurants around Velamar are varied and good , Portuguese, English and an Indian , we liked 3 Marias and enjoyed a few drinks in Jollies bar ..
We liked the fact that Olhos do Aqua was so closeby and gave us a walk to get there. It also has nice eating places and great beach.
Our nearest beach was Maria Luisa which takes some beating, sunloungers and watersports and a anice but pricey and very busy restaurant you are lucky to get a a table most times..
A bus route runs along the road in front of the hotel going to Faro and to Albufeira.
The VeLamar is truly lovely and deserves its place in the trip advisor rankings..

Stayed the end of April 2011. Was a fantastic break, hotel and breakfast was lovely, room was huge and cleaned every day! Was close enough to the centre of alberferia (a short taxi ride) for nights out and shopping. Lovely little area, we only discovered more bars and restaurants as the week went on! The pizzeria/little italian restaurant about a 10minute walk up from the hotel on the corner was fantastic! We kept going back for more!!! Overall a fantastic holiday, great location and the staff were so, so helpful!!!!

We had a wonderful stay at Velamar, which we found to be spotlessly clean, with comfortable beds (unlike some others in the area) and a superb buffet breakfast. The lounge bar area was nicely fitted out, and reasonably priced, with attentive staff. There were plenty of restaurants within walking distance, all serving good food at reasonable prices. Having stayed in the Olhos d'Agua area several times recently, I would rate the Velamar as one of the best.