Alagoamar Aparthotel

First impressions here are pleasant enough, and that just about sums up things at this simple apartment-style hotel. The grounds are landscaped with a few trees and hedges, but they aren't as big or extensive as at other properties in the area. Facilities are also fairly limited: there's no indoor pool, fitness center, or kids' club. Unlike some of its competitors, however, the Alagoamar is clean and in good condition. The public spaces are well kept, and while interiors are certainly not fancy, they get good natural light and benefit from pops of aqua blue, orange, and pink. However, like most neighboring hotels, guests spend most of their time outside at the outdoor pool and on the deck, which gets good sun. The Alagoamar draws mostly families and mature couples, and some may consider the atmosphere here a little too sedate. The on-site cafe bar is not really a lively "bar" per se, and there's no real entertainment at the hotel. However, that means that the Alagoamar also doesn't attract noisy bachelor and bachelorette partying guests -- unlike others nearby -- since it's not as close to The Strip. 

Alagoamar Hotel Apartamentos is right off Avenida dos Descobrimentos, a major east-west road running through the Albufeira area. There are two supermarkets, souvenir shops, fast-food restaurants, and the Albufeira Shopping mall all nearby. Avenida sa Carneiro -- also known as The Strip -- features numerous shops, restaurants, bars, and clubs. It's a five-minute drive or 15-minute walk from the hotel. Old town Albufeira is also a five-minute drive from the Alagoamar. In town, visitors will find cobbled streets, shops and restaurants, the historic Tower Clock, Archaeological Museum, and Pescadores Beach. The Albufeira Marina is on the western edge of town. A tourist train runs to the old town from Avenida sa Carneiro. Inatel Beach and Alemaes Beach are each about a three-minute drive or 15-minute walk from the hotel, while Oura Beach is a five-minute drive. Albufeira train station is a a 10-minute drive and Faro Airport is about 30 minutes away by car. It will take about two hours and 15 minutes to reach Lisbon by car.

The studios and one-bedroom apartments at Alagoamar Hotel Apartamentos have a basic, cheap look, with inexpensive furnishings and largely bare walls. Apartments are generally clean and in good condition, but a few could use sprucing up to address issues like worn paint and broken hardware like refrigerator drawers. The hotel does put effort into making the units pleasant, adding bright blue or striped pink-and-orange bed coverings to give them a little color. 

The apartments are spacious: studios are 409 square feet (38 square meters) and one-bedrooms are 592 square feet (55 square meters) in size. Units are generally quiet, but some facing busy Avenida dos Descobrimentos road may get noise issues. Each features a kitchen with two-burner stovetop, microwaves, mid-sized refrigerator, drip coffeemaker, toaster, cookware, and tableware. Unlike some other apartment hotels in the area, kitchens here do not have ovens or dishwashers. Each unit also has a balcony (some with pool view), dining table, and living area. The latter may include sofa beds, and in studios the beds serve as the couches during the day. All units have flat-screen TVs but they don't have Wi-Fi. Bathrooms are spacious and come with hairdryers, bidets, and shower/tub combos. All apartments and public spaces at the hotel are non-smoking. 

Alagoamar Hotel Apartamentos has fairly limited amenities, with no indoor pool, fitness center, or kids' club. It does offer an outdoor swimming pool, which is fairly large, and the deck has enough lounge chairs that there are rarely issues snagging one for sunbathing. A small, circle-shaped children's pool is adjacent. There is no breakfast buffet, but the cafe bar serves hot and cold fare for a fee. The cafe also serves snacks and light meals for an inexpensive price, plus a good range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. It also features an outdoor terrace, occasional live music, and a game area with two billiards tables, an air hockey table, and video game console. The Alagoamar also has free parking, a business center, and library with books and board games. Unfortunately, Wi-Fi is only available for a fee in public spaces.