Victoria Sport and Beach Hotel

We’re just back from a week at the AP Victoria and what a week we’ve had

I was, like others have said, a little sceptical after reading reviews but we soon felt so at home at this hotel and would return

The big question - the food. Yes it was a little repetitive and I found it quite fish heavy - but we are in Portugal and near the sea. I don’t eat fish or much meat but still found myself with a good plateful every night. We did break this up a bit with a couple of meals out (head to albufeira marina by uber!)

The pool was ample size for us, and a comfortable temperature. There was fun activity around the pool but you were never pressured into anything.

The rooms are really spacious and had a kitchenette which was handy! Also a drying area on a separate little balcony.

The entertainment team work really hard and we happily put our girls into holiday club which they thoroughly enjoyed! Evening entertainment was ok, the magic show was great. Fire show and reptile show also kept the kids really engaged

Facilities were brilliant - we played padel a few times, and the football pitch and running track made this hotel really unique

The beach was the highlight for us. It’s about 10 minutes walk (down lots of wooden steps so you need to be pretty mobile) but oh my goodness it was just beautiful. We even saw dolphins from the beach! Evening was our favourite time down there, super chilled and a shop just down the road where you could get drinks etc

Location wise it’s what you make of it really. Yes the area is quiet, there are a few shops and restaurants 5 min walk down the road in a nice little courtyard, and a well stocked supermarket. Ubers are readily available and can be as cheap as the bus based on 4 people, and a lot quicker!

We did the cave and dolphin trip, we booked this ourselves online and it was well worth it. Unfortunately we didn’t see any dolphins but was a lovely trip our all the same. We then ate at the marina which was a lot cheaper than in Albufeira itself

Personally we didn’t think much to Albufeira town , it was full of stag and hen parties which wasn’t great with 2 little girls and felt dirty in the day

All in all a fabulous holiday and we would return!

First impressions were good. Nice spacious apartment. Good shower but a lack of hot water. Had to have showers in quick succession or the boiler seemed to fill with cold water. Clean room. Comfy beds. Little girl's bed was a pull out under the sofa which was good as didn't have to make it every night. Good air-conditioning. Pool was small I suppose but great for what we needed. No problem getting a sunbed at any time of day. Lovely entertainment ladies, Ana, Marta and JoJo. Entertainment wasn't constant but there was plenty for us. Food was ok, lots of selection but not amazing. Saying that we did eat lots and ate there every meal so definitely wasn't too bad. There isn't much nearby so it's good for a quiet holiday unless you're happy to jump on a bus/taxi or hire a car. Small supermarket close by and some eateries. Beach about twenty min walk but there's a lot of steps to it. Overall lovely place, lovely staff too.