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The Paraiso Albufeira Hotel is a huge hotel with plenty of facilities, but it is worthy of its 4-star rating?
Paraiso Albufeira Hotel   The first thing that strikes you about the Paraiso de Albufeira hotel is the size of it. This Algarve aparthotel has 414 apartments spread over 8 floors. It is set in about 5 hectares it has plenty of facilities, including a large outdoor swimming pool surrounded by grassy areas, tennis courts and a crazy-golf course. This hotel is best suited to the young and families. If you don’t like kids, then don’t come here. It is not really the place to come for a romantic get away.
The hotel is situated in-between the Strip and the old town, being a 15-minute walk from either. Taxis are cheap though, or you could use the hotel’s courtesy bus. The beach is about a 20-minute walk away.
The accommodation is made up of studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments. If you’re lucky, your room will overlook the grounds and pool, else you’ll have a fine view of the road. Each apartment is equipped with a kitchenette, satellite TV (although you’ll have to hire the remote control), air-conditioning and balcony. The hotel is classed as 4-star, but this is over-generous, and rooms are certainly in need of refurbishment as they are quite dated. Apparently this is planned. Despite this there are no complaints over the cleanliness of the place.
Staying at the Paraiso Albufeira Hotel All the options for board are available here, from self-catering all the way up to all-inclusive. If you do come all-inclusive, then most things (but not all) are free, including drinks at the bar (up to 11pm at least). These are local drinks, and if you want named ones, they’re half price.
If you are self-catering, the kitchenettes are suitable for cooking basic meals. Nearby are bakeries and also a Modelo supermarket which has a good selection at reasonable prices (the supermarket in the hotel is expensive). You can of course pay extra and eat in one for the hotel’s restaurants, but there are so many nearby, which are better and certainly cheaper.
Paraiso Albufeira Hotel FacilitiesThe hotel has plenty of facilities to keep you entertained during the day and in the evening. However, because it’s a large hotel, which gets very busy in high season, the sheer number of people puts a strain on its offerings and things start to creak at the seams. Queues start to become a way of life for everything from snacks to umbrellas, ice cream to crazy golf.
 The Paraiso has a decent sized swimming pool, but even this seems inadequate when the hotel is at maximum capacity. The shallow end is reserved for inflatables, which means that kids are forced into the children’s pool, making that a bit crowded. If you do want to spend your days round the pool, then getting a sunbed can be a bit of an ordeal. You’ll have to be up by 7am in the summer to reserve one (although strictly this is against the rules). Out of season this is not a problem.
If you can’t get a sunbed, then you’ll have to put down a mat on one of the grassy areas. Having found yourself somewhere to stay, don’t expect a peaceful day. Music is piped in through loudspeakers around the pool, only interrupted for quiz sessions. There are also pool activities and other activities which the resort staff put on each day with a smile. Full marks to them for this. The evening shows they put on are perhaps a bit cheesy, but good fun and aimed at an international audience.
Away from the outdoor pool, there is a heated indoor swimming pool, a health club which has a sauna, Turkish bath, Jacuzzi and gym. Outside there are tennis courts and a crazy golf course. Both of these have equipment for hire. There is also a multi-use court for 5-a-side football, basketball or handball.
Inside there are a couple of games rooms with snooker and billiards tables, table tennis and table football and video games. There’s enough going on here, that your kids may never see the sun. At night, downstairs there is a disco.
Eating at the Paraiso Albufeira HotelThe Paraiso has 2 restaurants, one being an a la carte with a resident pianist. The other restaurant is where the All-Inclusive guests eat. Reports of the food here are very mixed, and depend on your expectation of what a 4-star hotel should provide. There is a fair amount of choice, but consensus is that it is a bit like canteen food. Obviously if you are self-catering you have the option to cook for yourself or eat elsewhere.
Breakfast is served buffet style and although its the same each day, there is a reasonable choice. The only complaint is that sometimes the hot food could be served a little hotter, but apart from that it’s fine.
Things to do outside the Paraiso Albufeira HotelIt can br quite easy to spend all your time within the confines of the hotel taking advantage of all the facilities they have to offer. This would be a bit of a shame, as Albufeira has a lot to offer and there are plenty of things to see and do. Check out our Albufeira Holiday Guide. One of the most popular excursions is to Zoomarine. A word of advice. Don’t book this at the hotel or through the Reps as this will prove expensive. Book it and the courtesy coach at the Modelo Supermarket nearby, as this will save you some money.
Paraiso Albufeira Hotel Contact DetailsAparthotel Paraiso de Albufeira
Cl Do Municipo Lote 31
Albufeira 8200-161
Algarve Portugal
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