Holiday Inn Algarve Albufeira by IHG — Hotel in Albufeira

Stayed here with our family of 4 in August 2025 & we were really pleased with … everything … I honestly couldn’t find any fault anywhere …||Having holidayed in Portugal a fair few times before, I know that sometimes, some accommodations just aren’t that great unless you’re prepared to pay top dollar for the high end resorts in places like Vilamoura, & Albufeira, as nice as the beaches are, & as charming as the Old Town is, can be a bit shabby in places, because it’s just so busy with tourists, & as a result, some accommodations can be pretty worn & tired out imo||When I saw that IHG had taken over this hotel & would be finished their refurb just before our arrival, that was a clincher for me as it was likely going to be as clean, tidy & well appointed as it would ever be … & it was||So …||Who’s it best for ?||I’d say it’s great for all, but with the youngsters likely preferring somewhere that’s closer to the beaches & the Strip, that mean’s imo that it’s a really good choice for family groups of all ages||It has 4 outdoor pools, 2 of which are large enough to accommodate plenty of folk, & 2 which are basically just small splash pools for little kids to play in, & also a very good sized indoor pool which is adjacent to the largest of the outdoor pools, & accessed directly from the large patio/sun lounger area that surrounds the main pool … there are toilet facilities at each of the 2 sets of outdoor pools & also in the indoor pool area, so there’s no need to have to head up & down from your room if a bathroom breaks needed … there’s loads of sun loungers around both pool areas, we never had any problem getting them, & the hotel provides an endless supply of large beach towels for guests to use free of charge … there’s a large grassy chill out type area next to the pool bar that has massive bean bags to relax on … the set up here, where the restaurant, which is also where you go for breakfast, is right next to the main pool area & is all open plan, means there’s also a good selection of outdoor tables if you choose to have lunch or a snack in the hotel … which we mainly didn’t do tbh, as the breakfast selection is so large that we just filled up in the morning & didn’t even bother with lunches, & just grabbed ice creams or small snacks on the go depending on where we ended up||The pool bar wasn’t exactly cheap, €6 for a beer & €10 for a cocktail, but tbf, it wasn’t vastly overpriced either, the cocktails we had were damn good & a lot better than some of the many other places we went to, & as we’d headed down the road to the supermarket at the Albufeira Terrace shopping centre, just at the bottom of the hill from the hotel, for good priced snacks & 500ml cans of Super Bock lager for only 0.85 euros, we didn’t mind at all indulging in a few cocktails from the pool bar at least once a day||Directly inside from the pool bar/chill out zone, there’s another bar area next to a good sized tv lounge with 3 massive screens that are constantly showing various sports, along with a pool table, which costs €1 per game, which we used often||There’s also a gym, which we never went near so I can’t comment on it, but it’s there if that’s something you want or need||We had breakfast every day at the hotel, lots of choice & of a good quality … we had a light lunch on the first day we arrived as we waited for our room to be available after checking in … & we had a pizza that evening for a light snack … & we had no complaints at anytime … the pizza in particular was surprisingly tasty & we were all happy with the various food choices we had here … they also had a deal for kids where they ate free if under 12 & with an adult who was ordering from the main menu, which would save you a few euros, & that’s never a bad thing that||Our room was very spacious, with a massive bed, & even with a couch bed & a fold out bed in use for the kids, there was loads of space for all 4 of us … the room had a safe, fridge, hairdryer & iron, plug sockets with USB attachments to charge the seemingly endless array of devices we all have these days, a balcony big enough for two with 2 chairs & a table, a good shower with soaps & shampoos … the room had everything you’d need … the cleaning crew were there everyday, we only asked for our room to be cleaned by them once, as my daughter managed to spill a drink on the big bed, but they’d have been in every day if we’d asked, & anytime we needed anything like more towels or loo rolls we just asked them when we saw them & they handed it all straight over||The hotel runs a shuttle bus to & from the beach/old town a few times per day, there’s a timetable for that, which is a great idea, but we didn’t use it ourselves, we just walked down a few times or else used a taxi at the times of our own choosing …||Taxis/Ubers …||It’s said that Ubers are less expensive than taxis, but as we were mainly just going from the hotel to the old town area & back again later, & were only ever charged roughly 5 euros with a taxi, we just stuck to the taxis, which are everywhere & easy to access at the various taxi ranks … the hotel is situated uphill from the shops & the action, so we found it best to walk down if we felt like it, & get taxis back if we were a bit further away, but in actual distance it’s only a few hundred meters from the nearest shops, bars & restaurants, so it’s really not that far away from all the hustle & bustle||This hotel was a well appointed mini resort in its own quiet corner of a very busy tourist destination, the staff were all very nice & helpful, & if I’m returning to Albufeira at any time, I’ll definitely be choosing to stay there again if it’s available||We all had a great holiday & in no small part it was due to staying at this hotel||I’d recommend it to others with no...

There are some drawbacks but overall this is an excellent hotel which I would stay in again.||The hotel itself is modern and a very beautiful building. The reception and other common areas are quite expansive and there ate lots of places to sit and while away the day without spending time in your bedroom.||There is an indoor pool a children’s outdoor pool and a main outdoor pool and whilst these are not huge, they were certainly large enough for our peak season visit and it was easy to find time to be able to properly swim without people getting in our way.||The bedrooms are spacious and Have good size balconies. The rooms have proper air-conditioning, not the kind which is somewhat limited to save on the high costs of running it||I found all the members of staff that we encountered very friendly.||In terms of walking distance to the new town and the old town Whilst it definitely is reasonable to walk it is not a particularly pleasant walk and you’ll find yourself crossing roads and struggling to stay on a level bit of pavement however taxis are cheap and throughout the night it’s generally €5 to get a taxi to or from the hotel to either of these two areas. Check the prices before you get in the car because anybody charging more than this is not using a meter and maybe trying to con you.||The most significant negative issue arising from our stay were the beds. The mattress was so soft it was less ‘sleeping surface’ and more ‘slow-motion quicksand’—luxurious, yes, but I needed a sherpa to help me climb out in the morning. The deck chairs are also rather uncomfortable, perhaps they just don’t like people lying down.||The second problem is more surmountable and that is they use a horrible local brand of tomato ketchup instead of Heinz. An unforgivable mistake!||Other than the ketchup the breakfasts are very good and available for many hours.||Overall, if you are happy to take taxis to the old town, new town, Marina, Beach et cetera then this is an excellent...

My wife and I have just returned from this hotel. We had a quick check in by a very pleasantly efficient lady who also sorted the tourist tax up front. Luckily our room was ready, which we took as a bonus as we arrived well before lunchtime. First impressions of the hotel were the cleanliness and the fresh carpet smell in the corridor leading to our room. We found the room to be spacious with a large refurbished bathroom containing a newly tiled and plumbed walk in shower. Plenty of room to arrange toiletries etc.|We were booked half board and expected buffet breakfast and evening meal. In the event, the first three nights evening meals were from an a la carte three course menu which in itself was fine but being a type 2 diabetic, I felt trepidation as menus tend to be a challenge due to my being unable to eat rice, pasta, chips, sweets and certain fruits without severe consequences. |But happily, all was not lost, as I when I asked for help from the young lady Maitre D (who I suspect has been mentioned in a prior review in derogatory terms) she lit up and was clearly happy go the extra mile. She gave me options to enable me to swap out the aforementioned items for vegetables and fruit that I could actually cope with and so transformed my apprehension into an enjoyable experience. The food quality was also very good with the overall restaurant service being excellent. |Breakfast was also of a good quality (although the fried eggs were constantly under pressure which was puzzling to us as when the tray was refreshed the eggs had obviously been around a while). Unusually, breakfast was busiest very early, a hive of activity from 0700 until nearly 0800. |The location of the hotel is uphill from the main area and has a shuttle bus which takes you to and from the old town and Sao Joao strip should you require it although both are easily accessible to walk ( 71 and 69 year olds here).|In a nutshell, it is lovely calm hotel in a quiet location which...