I chose this hotel because of its location as it was my first time going away alone, although I was joined at different times by family and a friend. It was near to the sea, had good public transport and shops, even the Continente hypermarket, within walking distance.
The apartment was a good size and comfortable although the lighting was poor for reading at night; however I have found this in almost every hotel or apartment I have stayed in. It had a view over the swimming pool and I could also see the sea. The sun was on the balcony all afternoon while the road side had the morning sun. I had been concerned about road noise, having read previous reviews, but I can only say that at this time of year it was not a problem - nor was crossing the road and we found that as soon as we approached the crossing point the traffic stopped.
The only problem with the apartment was that it was not centrally heated. 2 portable oil fired radiators were provided, but they did take a while to heat the whole room, although they were useful for getting the washing fully dry! As the electricity went off when the key card was removed I did initally have a problem with coming home in the evening to a cold room; however I took the key off the card and so could leave them on and the problem was solved.
One of my other reasons for choosing the Amarilis was the indoor pool, but in fact I did not use it. This was because it was only open for a short time each day and the weather was really good, however I did think that the price [6 euros] was quite expensive.
The kitchen in the apartment was adequate and well equipped, but I would have liked an oven. My fridge inly had a small frozen food part, but my daughter had a fridge freezer in hers, so if that is important to you, ask for it.
The apartments were kept nice and clean with regular clean towels and linen. The wardrobe in the bedroom was large, but there was a shortage of drawers - I used the ones in the lounge. All the staff were helpful and pleasant and the price through Travel Republic was a bargain.
The big plus of the place was it's location. It was only a couple of minutes to the centre of Praia da Rocha beach with the flat sandy beach to the East going down to the Marina and Portimao, while to the right were the rocky beaches leading to Praia da Vau. Both ways made lovely walks.
An excellent restaurant is the Casa da Rocha in the Praia d Vau direction - fantastic views, nice food and friendly staff. I was quite comfortable eating there alone.
i would certainly consider going back to Amarilis, my only reservation being the heating.
- Amarilis Hotel Portimão
