Albufeira 2017 (advice part 1)

Today I'm going to give some tips about what type of accommodation to choose for a stay in Albufeira, depending on different factors.

If you go during the high season, in general a house will be cheaper than a hotel, especially if you're a large group. You don't usually see many couples going alone to Albufeira, mainly because in recent years it hasn't exactly become a quiet or romantic destination, but more like an Ibiza-type - that is, full of parties and lots of alcohol.

I recommend that you look for houses to rent on sites such as AirBnB or milanuncios, which don't usually have too high of a price per night. To give you an idea, during the summer months I rent a house for 8 people for 120 euros a night, so it works out quite cheap per person. Renting a house has the advantage of saving on going out to eat, which reduces the cost of the holiday by quite a lot.

There are people who prefer to rent an apartahotel, stay in hostels, or go camping. These aren't bad options, but it's not something that there is a lot of in Albufeira. Campsites, for example, are not very big and don't have a very large capacity, so they fill up quite fast and you can only find accommodation by reserving several months in advance. Because of this, it doesn't have a very good reputation.

There is also a type of Hostel, but the same thing happens as with camping, so renting a house or an apartment ends up as the best option.

Another topic that people often ask me about is in which part of the city it's best to rent accommodation.

As always, I'd say it's something which really depends on your plans. Albufeira has two main party zones; Oura and the old town.

I would only recommend renting in the 'Rua da Oura' if you want to party every day. If you are thinking about sleeping any of the nights you're there, forget about renting there, because you won't be able to get to sleep until eight in the morning. It's a very long street with pub-like bars all the way down it from top to bottom. Years ago, during the day and the afternoon it was a family-friendly area, where you could walk with small children and see shops. I wouldn't recommend it now for people who are going with young children because you never know what you might find. This summer, for example, it was rare to not see a naked Englishman tied to a lamppost on any day. Many days the police even had to block off the street so that nobody would walk through fights that were taking place in the middle of the street. I have to say that the fights were usually caused by drunk English people. Come on, it's like that 95% of the time.

Oura beach, which is at the end of this street, is beautiful, but the bad news is that during the day it's also easy to find a load of drunk people who carry on the night before into the day, so it's not a good environment for families either. I insist that if it's parties you're looking for, you'll love that atmosphere. I suppose that I loved it years ago, but with the years you start to look for something calmer hahaha.

If you're looking to party, but at on a slightly calmer level, your best bet is the old town . An area with a lot of charm, lots of restaurants, shops, and also pubs. I have to say that this summer the nightlife was equally as strong in both areas, but in the off-peak seasons it's a little quieter. This area is much more family-friendly, and during the day and the afternoon it's completely calm. There is also a large variety of places to eat with different types of food (I will write a post about the types of restaurants in Albufeira). The old town, like Oura, also has a beach, mainly used by fishermen, and is also very touristy and too crowded.

And finally, my favourite area, the one with the best beaches, the area next to the Marina and San Rafael beach.

It's a very quiet zone, where you can find the most beautiful beaches in the city, very different to the others. Also, the good thing is that Albufeira isn't very big, so you can stay in this area and be just 8 minutes' drive away from the party zone.

This way, if you want to go out partying during the night, but enjoy the beautiful beaches during the day and rest for some of the days of your holiday, this would be your best option.

So in summary: Oura for nightlife, old town for slightly lighter partying, and the Marina de Albufeira to be able to enjoy a bit of everything.

Thanks for reading guys, I hope that my advice is useful to you!

Links to the photos:

https://www.booking.com/hotel/pt/apartamento-edificio-oura.pt-pt.html

https://www.booking.com/hotel/pt/villa-23-marina-de-albufeira.pt-pt.html

https://www.inmobiliariaalgarve.com/algarve-blog/albufeira/

https://www.saorafaelatlantico.com/es

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