Albufeira - what's good?

[ColinM50]

Just booked four nights in Paradiso hotel. Inc flights £149 each so not expecting much. Car hire is €24 for the four days. Do I need a car or should I bus/taxi? And what's not to miss out on? We're both oldies so not looking for late night life but also not int'd in Ovaltine/Horlicks at 10pm.

Any advice welcomed

[kiethton]

Car is helpful, even if its only to head to some of the (nicer) resorts (Vale Do Lobo, Villamoura, Qunita do Lago) for dinner/drinks. Alternative is racking up multiples of the £24 in Uber's

[andy43]

Car will be way cheaper than airport taxi/transfers. We use Zest and don’t get ripped off. 24 euros suggests you’ll be paying for a full tank of fuel you don’t need and repairs to pre-existing stone chips, but I could be wrong!
Trip advisor forums are useful - Faro for car hire and Albufeira for resort advice.
I think you’ll be midway between the strip (avoid) and the old town (better). Parking round there should be ok if I’ve got the location correct but it depends when you’re travelling.
Places to go - Gale area has some ace coves and beaches quite close, Lagos likewise plus more history and Ponta da Piedade and coast walks etc. Shalom 2 in the old town does all you can eat ribs. Go inland to Silves for the castle and history and a bit more authenticity. Karting in the Marina underground carpark - good if it’s raining. Fish - fisherman’s club above the Marina, there’s a fish restaurant inside the commercial part of the Marina that’s good too, it’s right on the quayside.

[Boxster5]

Let me think……..
No sorry you’ve got me there!
Used to be half decent but ruined by hen & stag parties on weekends brought on by budget airlines.
Would head West to Lagos if you want to avoid the riff-raff.
Only my opinion of course.

[andy43]

Boxster5 said:

Let me think……..
No sorry you’ve got me there!
Used to be half decent but ruined by hen & stag parties on weekends brought on by budget airlines.
Would head West to Lagos if you want to avoid the riff-raff.
Only my opinion of course.

I was trying to be gentle. We’re Lagos too.
Stay off the Strip if you’re over 25, aim towards Armacao de Pera, Gale and Olhos in the evenings if the old town is still too much English breakfast and Albufeira is fine.

[craig1912]

Boxster5 said:

Let me think……..
No sorry you’ve got me there!
Used to be half decent but ruined by hen & stag parties on weekends brought on by budget airlines.
Would head West to Lagos if you want to avoid the riff-raff.
Only my opinion of course.

Ha, was going to say the same. We always went west of Lagos but always visited Lagos itself as it’s a lovely town.

[andy43]

Thread not going as planned
Albufeira like anywhere also depends on the time of year - right now even the strip would be quite chilled and relaxed. A cheap lunch on the strip in Costa Rica or chicken at Tamariz (if they’re still there) in the quieter months was always quite nice. 10pm in August, not so much.
Peak season’s mental there though, plus this year has been the busiest ever for the Algarve.
The top side of the old town between Fisherman’s beach and the Marina is quite nice for daytime wandering, it’s still historical-ish with great sea views and so on.
And I still plan to go back to Shalom 2 for the all you can eat ribs. As a business they’re probably very happy that we now go to Lagos instead…

[Whistle]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Have you been to a bar called black cats down the road from there?

One of the most bizarre places I have ever been to.