Looking for comments on this resort where I plan to stay for nearly a week in April. Trip advisor has great ratings but if you have stayed there, please rate the place. Thanks.

Albufeira is very touristy I know but I plan to mostly use it for a place to sleep and intend to drive around in the area. Any comments on local towns worth visiting, and how long it takes to visit Lisbon would be most appreciated.

Gosh - I forgot that I stayed there once - years ago!

Albufeira is indeed very touristy. Are you quite set on the idea? Portugal has a lot to offer and unfortunately most of it is not to be found in the Algarve.

Also April is not exactly toasty in Portugal - so you won't be doing the beach thing much.

Pretty set on the idea, yes. No interest in beaches because we do a fair bit of that elsewhere.

I have never been there but I am told by many many people that Algarve is one of the prettiest places to be in Portugal.

We also have experienced great times in this area; once you get past the edge of tourism, right AT the beach it is interesting with a Moorish influence still visible. Check out Monchique (don't miss the natural springs and community bake-oven) go to see the Roman ruins near Faro and watch the locals fish off the cliffs while visiting Prince Henry the Navigator's "compass"...eat piri-piri in Goa, but also check out their more sophisticated offerings there. And don't let folks tell you its all beaches and Brits looking for beer: it has a more interesting soul than that.

LJ/Others, Can you recommend good travel books on Albufeira region? I have read related links on Fodors and could use further reading. Thanx.

You know there is a nice coastal city called Goa in India that has nice beaches. Former Portugese colony.

Finally, did you drive from Algarve to Lisbon? What was your experience?

Funny, I had never made that Goa, Portugal/Goa, India connection before-I am slow...as to driving from Albufeira to Lisbon, it is the very opposite of slow! Be prepared for Portuguese driving: they make the Italians look cautious. Fast, controlled risk and lots of passing (stay out of the passing lane or they will pass you on ths inside shoulder!). Yes, it is doable to do this drive...as I recall we stopped for lunch and were still in Lisbon before dark after a mid-morning departure in late March-maybe 4-5 hours, but others will jump in if I've got this wrong.

We had 3-4 guide books when we first went (one of my step-mothers owned a villa there). I know we had Fodor's and Frommers but I seem to recall it was Rough Guide or Lonely Planet that was most pertinent in finding out-of-the-way sites of interest. The others were too busy being sniffy and dismissive about all the "English-style" restaurants. Go with the flow, I say...