uktravelover

I finally made my first trip to Portugal. Over the years I have had several planned visits fall through for different reasons. Well the 4 night city break with my partner for his birthday was great. We caught an early morning flight from Newcastle to Faro and after a 10 minute taxi drive arrived at the AP Eva Senses Hotel around 11.00. Check in was not until 14.00, so having done the formalities and left our luggage at the hotel, we went for a wander and some coffee. We returned after lunch around 13.30 and were able to go to our room and unpack before heading to the pool area.

We liked the hotel very much. Reception is relatively small. There is a pleasant a la carte restaurant on the ground floor or you can eat off the same menu on the terrace outside the bar or by the marina. The main restaurant where breakfast is served is on the 5th floor. The choice for both continental and cooked breakfast was good and the staff replenished the food promptly.

Our bedroom was on the first floor with a balcony facing the Marina with a lovely view. The bed was very comfortable and the pillow slightly soft so we slept well during our stay. We had some minor problems with the room which were quickly resolved. The only oddity was having to switch on the main lights when we wanted to boil the kettle! Not something I have ever experienced before.

The hotel has a rooftop pool and a poolside bar serving drinks and a snack menu on the 5th floor. As it was high season, poolside loungers were a bit limited. More could have been provided with a different layout which would have met guests needs better. The pool was lovely, however access to the pool was challenging. The pool ladder steps did not come very far up the poolside and getting in and out for someone who is vertically challenged, not an acrobat or very fit was difficult. My left knee is still complaining.

We really liked Faro itself. It has a nice vibe. Walking around was pretty flat apart from going up to the old town. Some of the streets do have cobblestones, but the ones in the pedestrianised areas or pavements are small, so not difficult to walk on. There is a good range of independent shops and boutiques in the central area and a shopping mall in the outskirts. The choice of bars and restaurants was excellent. Most of the restaurants had a good choice of meat or fish options as well as vegetarian so as someone who is allergic to seafood, I had plenty of choice. We particularly enjoyed our meal at Shiraz, a Persian restaurant in a pleasant setting. A smallish menu, but very tasty. However our Indian meal at Namastey was somewhat disappointing, compared Indian meals I eat in the UK.

For anyone that wants to explore further afield there is a train line along the Algarve, so you can easily catch a train to other towns nearby. On this occasion we chose not to as the weather was unexpectedly hot for Faro - around 35/36 degrees but we thoroughly enjoyed wandering around the town, stopping for the occasional drink or something to eat and of course people watching. Then on our last night there was an open air concert by the marina which was a lovely ending to our trip. On our final day after a late night, we lounged by the pool and relaxed before eating a late lunch and leaving for the airport. We will definitely return.

bilboburgler

"The only oddity was having to switch on the main lights when we wanted to boil the kettle!"

hmm, since lighting cables are normaly only low amps (small cables) and kettles are high amp (large cables) that means that the cables hidden in the walls were going to overheat. That hotel is in danger of burning down or at least regular fuse failure. Out of kindness I might drop the hotel a note pointing that out.

I like Faro, but I've only ever been in late November on a cycling trip, when all the Christmas decorations were up

uktravelover

The hotel came to look at the electrics as we could not get the kettle or tv to work (separate sockets). The kettle wall socket was 15 amp, but somehow controlled by the main on/off switch! All the electrics only worked with a card activated point by the door. Needless to say, we deliberately did not leave the kettle plugged in apart from when using it.

shelemm

Sounds to me like a deliberate protocol. Partly for fire safety and partly to save money on electricity. They don't want the burner to be left on unattended. So it is tied into the main switch. Most folks will turn off their lights to go to sleep, so that kills any plug-in counter appliances as well. As it kills the TV too, then that leads me to believe that they are trying to save on electricity.

marystream8960

The hotel could be an old building and the wiring was not designed for the loading that the kettle creates, or it could be located in an area where there were frequent power outages and the hotel wanted to save energy by turning off unused outlets.

uktravelover

Just to clarify the TV was on a separate plug point which worked independently and could be switched on without the lights. Many European hotels require you to put your key card in a electric slot by the door to activate the electricity in the room.