My boyfriend and I stayed at the Pestana Delfim Hotel in Alvor for one week from the 26th July – 2nd August 2007 on a half-board basis.

Our room was fantastic. The room and the bathroom were very clean; both were very well designed and decorated. We each had our own sinks in the bathroom, and the bathtub/shower area even had its own fancy lighting.

Before our holiday, we contacted the hotel to request a room with a double bed as opposed to a room with twin beds, and thankfully the hotel did arrange this for us. The staff were very helpful. We did not arrange a room with a sea view but luckily we were on the 10th floor and we could still see the sea from our balcony.

We both enjoyed our breakfasts and dinners in the hotel. The menus are pretty similar day to day but the hotel provides a wide range of different foods each time. Unfortunately though, our half-board basis did not cover our drinks at dinner time.

The hotel has four lifts. However, two of the lifts are only accessible from the basement and the ground floor. So, the two other lifts were pretty crowded at breakfast time.

It was very hot during our stay in the Algarve, so we arranged to have a fridge put in our room at a fixed cost of just 15€.

The hotel provides a path that leads straight to the beach. However, sections of the path nearer to the beach are not paved down, and the path is quite steep. But the beach there is so beautiful. The beach stretched out so far, there is enough space for everyone.

The majority of the guests in the hotel were families and older couples, so nights were peaceful in the hotel. However, one night during our stay there, my boyfriend was kept up by the slamming of doors, but luckily I slept through it all. ?

The hotel also provides a courtesy bus to Portimao. The bus arrives at the hotel at 9:45am, and there are two times the bus brings guests back to the hotel.

Portimao is a place where the locals do their shopping. There is a mixture of shops selling souvenirs, clothes, shoes, food, and household utensils. There is also a selection of different restaurants to choose from. There is also a local church, and a walk-through fountain, which many walked through to cool themselves down.

The Alvor Village is about 15-20 minutes walk from the hotel. The route to the village is simple with just one road leading straight to the village. However, part of the road has no pavement, and with no shade, it was hard walking up the road at such hot temperatures. Also, the road does not have any street lighting, so walking to the village in the evening is difficult.

The Alvor Village has a wide selection of shops and restaurants. The majority of the shops are souvenir shops and the restaurants serve a mixture of Portuguese and English Foods. There is even one Indian Restaurant in the village.

There is also a good availability of taxis outside the hotel. So if you miss the bus to Portimao or don’t want to walk to the Alvor Village, taxis are always available to take you there.

During our stay in the Algarve, we went on two excursions arranged by Thomson.

We first went to Zoomarine in Albufeira, where we saw sharks in an aquarium; and dolphins, seals, seal-lions, and birds performing in shows. There is also a swimming pool to cool out in. It was an enjoyable day-out and great for families.

We also went on a 4x4 day trip to the mountains of Monchique. We experienced off-the-road driving and learnt about cork trees and the making of honey and firewater, and even got to sample the honey and firewater. For lunch we were taken to a restaurant to have the traditional “Piri-Piri Chicken”. It was also a great day out.

Our flight back to London was late at night. The hotel provides a late checkout service, but charge 100€ for it. Luckily, the hotel also has a storage area behind the reception desk where suitcases can be stored.

We enjoyed our holiday and our stay in the hotel very much and would definitely stay in the hotel again. We recommend this hotel to families and couples.