Cerro Mar Atlantico Touristic Apartments

The Cerro Mar Atlantico Touristic Apartments attract a mixed crowd of young families, groups of friends, and older couples with its self-catering facilities and quiet atmosphere. It shares facilities with the main Cerro Mar Garden hotel, which is across the street and lacks self-catering rooms. The hotel’s lobby is a bright and airy space with walls of glass and an open atrium, leading up to a vast dome finished with parquet brickwork. A few dated faux-leather couches in cream and black offer some seating, particularly for guests looking to take advantage of the free Wi-Fi around reception. Other communal areas are no less light, thanks to lots of windows, whitewashed walls, and floors of white stone polished to a high sheen. The restaurant looks out over a garden with palm trees, while the bar opens out onto a roof terrace with loungers and seating. Outside, the hotel has a large lap pool and separate children’s pool set in a sunny terrace, surrounded by verdant patches of manicured lawn and whitewashed apartment buildings.

The Cerro Mar Atlantico Apartments are located on a steep hill just outside of Albufeira’s Old Town. It’s a six minute walk to the center via over 100 steps, but due to the gradient of the slope, the journey may not be doable for those with mobility issues. Praia do Peneco, a wide and sandy beach, is a nine-minute walk away. However, The Strip, a more lively area thought of as the heart of Albufeira’s nightlife, is a half-hour walk away, or 10 minutes by car. Expect about a 35-minute drive to the Faro Airport, while Lisbon and its airport are a little over two hours away by car.

Decked out in varying shades of cream and brown, with boxy dark-wood furniture and heavy striped drapes, the property's apartments are dated and in need of a refresh. Still, blue-and-white patterned tile along the bottom of the walls, candle wall sconces, and arched doorways add some attractive elements. Each studio has a single room with a bed, petite seating area, and kitchenette, while larger one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments have room for separate kitchens with serving hatches that lead to their dining rooms and lounges. The living areas come with cream leather sofas, armchairs, and flat-screen TVs. The well-sized kitchenettes have stained pine cabinets and granite countertops, and are fitted with four-burner stoves, dishwashers, washing machines, ovens, coffeemakers, toasters, and kettles, as well as the usual assortment of cookware. There are no microwaves, dish soap, or sponges, however. Each apartment has air-conditioning and a free safe, but Wi-Fi costs extra. Bathrooms are decked out in beige, with shower/tub combos, bidets, and hairdryers, but no toiletries.

The Cerro Mar Atlantico Apartments has a solid list of amenities, due in part because it shares facilities with the Cerro Mar Garden across the street. On the self-catering side, a large outdoor lap pool and separate shallow kids' pool are set in a sunny terrace with loungers, straw umbrellas, and tables. The other property houses a bigger freeform outdoor pool, as well as spa facilities, which include a sizable indoor pool and adjacent hot tub, massage treatment rooms, a sauna, and a Turkish bath. For workouts, the spacious gym with floor-to-ceiling windows has a decent array of cardio and weight-training equipment, and a tennis court can be booked. The hotel’s bright and airy Monte Verde restaurant serves a well-reviewed continental buffet breakfast and a la carte dinner of regional and international fare. An indoor and poolside bar offer light meals and snacks, as well as drinks. It’s worth noting that free Wi-Fi is only available around reception.