Vacation Rentals by Owner

Fantastic Location, Fantastic Property Owner, but the little comforts need improvement

Guest: Kim (Canada)
Date of Stay: 05/01/12 Review Submitted: 05/10/12

The location of this apartment is simply perfect. It is located in the Old Town - but tucked away from the bustling and loud night life yet minutes from the beach. The property owner and the other property manager are so nice and pleasant to deal with. I do have to provide some honest comments for areas for improvement: 1.) We went in May -so it rained occasionally- and the inside of the apartment got very damp. Our clothes in the closet where damp. 2.) The 2 twin beds (which are pushed together) in the main bedroom have very thin and basic mattresses - the sheets and blankets are in dire need of updating. They look and feel very old- and worse, very used. Also, having 2 twin beds pushed together for a week with your husband isn't ideal -a double bed or a queen bed is ideal. 3.) The walls are thin. You can hear the neighbors clearly - and they stay up late -so there isn't alot of privacy and sleeping was difficult. 4.) There needs to be basic cleaning supplies provided upon arrival - of which there were none (dish soap and toilet paper at minimum).

Owner response:Thank you for your comment. I am in the process of upgrading the apartment this coming summer with new furniture, new sheets, new beds, etc.

Recommended for:Tourists without a car

Albuferia Old Town Apartment

Guest: Retired Canadians (PEI, Canada)
Date of Stay: 04/01/12 Review Submitted: 05/02/12

Location could not have been more convenient! Lovely apartment, however the linens and living room furniture need to be updated. Also, for guests renting for more than one week having appropriate cleaning supplies would be helpful. Having access to a washing machine was definitely a bonus. The apartment description indicated that there was a double bed which was not so. The bedroom had twin beds and the third sleeping arrangement was a daybed in the living room that was also used as a couch. Everything that we needed was within walking distance and the bus stop and taxis were less than a 5 minute walk from the apartment. Even though our visit was in the off season, there were many restaurants to choose from that were very reasonably priced. We did many day trips around the Algarve, as well as trips to Gibraltar and Lisbon. For those who want Internet, there were many Internet cafes and we were able to purchase a sim card for our iPad which gave us Internet access without going to a cafe. Just remember to turn off your cellular access option when not using your computer! We enjoyed our stay in Albuferia and would definitely rent the apartment again. The owner and the property manager were very helpful.

Recommended for:Age 55+, girls getaway, tourists without a car, sightseeing.

Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Guest: Papatoo (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada)
Date of Stay: 02/06/12 Review Submitted: 03/22/12

We really enjoyed the location being in Old Town made us feel like being part of the local scene. The restaurants were convenient, plentiful and very pleasant staff. The apartment was large and spacious with modern conveniences. The clothes washer was appreciated in our month long stay. The furnishings were tired Ikea and the linens and towels were worn and needed replacement. The place lacked cleaning supplies and tools that would be required for extended stay. During our month long stay, we traveled the Algarve from west to east and if we returned we would stay in this location.

Recommended for:Age 55+, sightseeing.

Great condo

Guest: Maggie
Date of Stay: 10/16/11 Review Submitted: 12/20/11

I know it is a bit late, but I just wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful time at your apartment! It was perfect and we couldn't have asked for anything more. Thank you so much for all your help and for making our stay so amazing. Take care. Sincerely, Maggie

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Great Condo

Guest: Jim
Date of Stay: 09/17/11 Review Submitted: 01/17/12

Hi Judite My apologies for being so tardy in thanking you for the use of your apartment in Albufeira. We enjoyed our stay in the Algarve very much. Everything is so accesible from your apartment. It was very handy having the bus stop just around the corner and of course we became regulars at Augusto's.

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Excellent Condo

Guest: Dragna (Serbia)
Date of Stay: 08/09/11 Review Submitted: 08/15/11

Sorry I didn`t write before. We spent a wonderfull time at your apartment!Thank you. Everything was great. The condo was lovely,more beautifull than we thought it would be from the pictures, discrete,very well equiped,secure on good location and with appropriate balcony.`Lidl` was very close for everyday grocery. Tina was very correct too,gave us a few informations at the begining.Holiday was completly perfect. Albufeira is so charming with wonderfull long, sand beaches and big refreshing ocean. Maybe come again some other year. With best wishes and much regards Dragana and Milivoje from Serbia

Recommended for:Age 55+, tourists without a car.

Excellent Condo

Guest: Dragna
Date of Stay: 07/13/11 Review Submitted: 08/16/11

We spent a wonderfull time at your apartment!Thank you. Everything was great. The condo was lovely,more beautifull than we thought it would be from the pictures, discrete,very well equiped,secure on good location and with appropriate balcony.`Lidl` was very close for everyday grocery. Tina was very correct too,gave us a few informations at the begining.Holiday was completly perfect. Albufeira is so charming with wonderfull long, sand beaches and big refreshing ocean. Maybe come again some other year. With best wishes and much regards.

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Amazing Condo in Great Location

Guest: Me_n_Lo (Toronto, ON)
Date of Stay: 05/13/11 Review Submitted: 05/25/11

What an amazing condo in the perfect spot. Everything was as listed: all condo items & then some. We walked to the beach almost every day and only 5 mins. Small food stores along the same road and lots of restuarants for those who like to eat out. Laundry proved useful and having extra linens was amazing. Very secure, clean and bright building with a great parking spot. Love the Algarve and Albufeira. Thanks so much for making the relaxing part of our holiday so great! We'll definalty recommend and be back!

Recommended for:Tourists without a car

Guest: Walter and Marika
Date of Stay: 03/02/11 Review Submitted: 04/03/11

Hello Judite: We've only been home for a couple of days and are already thinking of our return to Portugal for 2012. We met so many people that have gone back year after year after year. Now we know why. From the moment we stepped into your beautiful apartment, we were in love with it, and Albufeira. Your description of the amenties that your apartment provides was precise - the central location, just moments away from the beach, main square and the numerous restaurants and shops were all there and more. The wonderful Portuguese people, scenery, and historical sites were all appreciated. We truly felt safe and secure in your apartment; it is clean and well maintained and provides the perfect home base from which we drove our rental car to the many nearby towns across the Algarve for day trips. Thank you so very much. We will be in touch with you in the future months to plan our next stay.

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Guest: Brian Da Re
Date of Stay: 09/27/10 Review Submitted: 11/03/10

Judite, I just wanted to say you have a great condo!  It is clean and close to the beach.  We had great weather during our stay sunny and about 75 degrees most days, only one day was cloudy.  We enjoyed the fact there was a short walk into town.  We managed to see Loule, Sagres, Lagos and Olhao as well. Our favorite was Albufeira of course!  We had a great time walking around town and dining at the many restaurants. Thank you for a great place to stay. Regards, Brian

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Guest: Gerarda Irvine
Date of Stay: 06/11/10 Review Submitted: 08/05/10

Hi Judite, Sorry I had not got to email you we have had a busy time since our return. However the apartment was just lovely, very central to everything and very secure we had the best time very clean we will definitely book again in the future. All in all the apartment was very high standard and very well equipped we will be in contact again. Gerarda.

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Guest: Lorraine Elphinstone
Date of Stay: 09/21/09 Review Submitted: 09/20/09

Hi Judite Sorry was not in touch before, didnt check e-mails for the last week i was away. Had a fab time and apartment was just wonderful. Everything was just great, met some of your neighbours so was entertaining shall we say, especially with the language barrier haha. Thank you once again , hope you are well. Lori

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Guest: Rachela Ganon
Date of Stay: 04/20/09 Review Submitted: 04/19/09

Hi Judite, So sorry for the long delay in responding. Since we got back 3 weeks ago it has been very busy here catching up on everything. How nice of you to ask us how our trip was too. We had a great time in Portugal. Albufeira was the perfect base for us and your apt was really quite nice! So lovely and so clean and in the perfect location, thank you!. We were so pleased and loved your location. We really enjoyed eating all that fresh fish with restaurants at walking distance away and having grocery places nearby. We even lucked out with the weather too. Loved the people too. As landlords ourselves we appreciate feedback as well. Your kitchen had everything, the living room comfortable (including the couch mattress), loved those bright colors and your bathroom great (hope it was ok but needed to bring up the water temperature a bit for our showers). We noticed the water temperature went up and down so we adjusted to that, no problem. We really appreciated being able to rent from you. You really have a gem of a place and would definitely recommend it. Thank you for a great stay! Sincerely Rachel

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Guest: Helen Healey
Date of Stay: 08/24/08 Review Submitted: 08/23/08

Hi Judite Sorry to have taken a while to get back to you - been very busy since we got back! We had a lovely time thankyou - Tina met us at the apartment - I called her from the taxi as we left the airport at Faro - it all worked out really well. The apartment was excellent- clean and very well equipped. Also, we found it to be in a very good location for the beach, shops and going out in the evening. As I said, we had an excellent time and would definitely consider returning in the future. Many thanks again, with kind regards, Helen

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Guest: Deborah Hogan
Date of Stay: 07/17/08 Review Submitted: 07/16/08

Hi Judite, By way of feedback, I would say the following: "This condo was a lovely, modern and cheerful apartment. It's central location was ideal: close to restaurants, central 'downtown' old Albufeira and within walking distance to one of the many local beaches! It was amazing to experience such a home-away-from-home atmosphere with facilities to cook, do laundry and relax on the balcony. Perfect!" Debbie

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Guest: Steve Knight
Date of Stay: 07/07/08 Review Submitted: 07/06/08

Judite; This is just a note to say we enjoyed Portugal very much and, in particular, were very happy with your apartment. The location could not have been better and the apartment was so large and clean. I trust we left everything to your satisfaction. Thanks for making this arrangement so easy and pleasurable for us.

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