When we first arrived, the weather was grim and the hotel exterior looked the same. I was dreading it when I went into reception and again as we headed to the room.....but we were very pleasantly surprised!! It was very spacious and bright with a bathroom, sittingroom, separate kitchen and bedroom. There were two balconies leading off the sittingroom (as we were at the corner of the building), and another off the kitchen. The room literature told us that the towels would only be changed every second day but they were changed every day - which was great. The bedroom was the only disappointment in the apartment with orange curtains, twin beds separated by a locker and really old fashioned bedcovers. We pushed the beds together and they'd taken the ugly covers away the next day anyway.
The cleaners arrived at odd hours between 9am and 4pm - so they were hard to predict. They'd ring the bell outside the room which gave us a chance to ask them to come back later, which was no problem.
The views we had were of both the sea and the distant marina and hills - from a side aspect. It was beautiful.
The other disappointment was the pool - it was tiny and cramped in between two sides of the hotel - with a sea vew on the other. We nicknamed it the Library Pool - there were no kids (there's no lifeguard), about 6 adults and you could hear a pin drop. Needless to say, we went to the beach instead. The beach is amazing - the best we've ever been to.
The hotel is located at one end of the strip - which is only minutes away from the main pub and restaurant area. I wouldn't recommend Praia Da Rocha for young couples / groups as the nightlife is very limited. However, we did find some good bars such as Ireland's Eye, The Celt and a fantastic cocktail bar called Absolutely which is just off the main strip. It's expensive but beautiful inside and the toilets are spotless. The staff are very friendly and the cocktails are an experience!! I had a Snickers and a Chocolate Banana one - they are so tasty!!! Make sure you pick up a Free Map - in loads of shops and in the hotel. They are brilliant for getting you around and give tips on the best places to eat and drink. The Free Map is recommended by the BBC programme 'Wish You Were Here' - they can be downloaded from: http://www.freemaps.net/
