Pestana Delfim - Alvor, Portugal 

We have just returned from a week at the Delfim and we had a fab stay. Some of the write ups on this site go on about the decor being outdated but we have to say it isnt that bad. Our room was very clean and comfortable. We were on the 14th floor and had a wonderful view of the sea and the town. The hotel and our room were large,spacious and very clean. The pool area has plenty of sunbeds, towels and parosols are provided which you do need as the sun gets very hot and there is no other shelter from the sun around the pool. The outdoor pool was very cold but we did go in a few times. There is a small indoor pool which we used a lot when we didnt feel like braving the outside pool. There is also a jacuzzi and sauna in the healthclub that you can use at no extra cost and they are well worth using. There are a few resident lizards in the jacuzzi area and my partner had great fun trying to outwit them and catch them, which he done twice...why do men never grow up (he released them unharmed) The beach is really lovely and make sure you walk along the beach where all the big rocks are until you cant walk any further as there are some lovely little bays which you can swim in. The sea was surprisingly warm and you can walk out a fair way before it gets too deep.There are also loads of crabs on the rocks that my "grown up child" took great delight at catching as well. The beach does get crowded on Saturday and Sunday as thats when the locals use it. We stayed bed and breakfast and found the food on offer very good. We didnt bother with lunch all week as we filled up at breakfast. Alvor is a lovey little town and there are loads of places to eat. We didnt have a bad meal once. The Captains Table, Taj Mahal and the Black Stove (proper pub grub and very generous portions) we would recommend. A couple of downsides were the transfer from the hotel to the airport going home took 2 1/2 hours as there were a lot of pick ups. Also dont buy ice cream or bottled water from the hotel as its very expensive. Walk to the beach for an ice cream it will take 5 mins and they are half the price of the ones in the hotel. The bottled water will cost you 3.10 euros but at the tiny supermarket in town the same size bottle will cost you 40 cents!!! Overall we really enjoyed our stay and would recommend this hotel.

The welcome at reception was okay.The room clean and well maintained.There was no tea or coffee tray,in a 4 star!!! The breakfast buffet was poor with machine coffee and weak tea bags.The fruit was tired and bacon only provided every other day with eggs that were often undercooked. The swimming pool was freezing with a stone chipped surround.I walked to the sister hotel,The supposed 5 star Praia with the intention of looking at it with a view to staying and holding a conference.In reception I told this to a staff member who came up the instant we appeared and showed him my hotel ID.I was astonished when he said "You must walk back and go the long way to the beach". The hotel drinks and pool bar drinks were very expensive and whilst there was entertainment at night there was usually only two guests!!! Due to the weak pound you are getting 22% less EUROS than last year. The beaches are superb.The Alvor Town is excellent with superb clean Restaurants ,bars and friendly service everywhere.The cleanliness everwhere is a joy. The resort is not for anyone with any kind of mobility problem and it is not safe to walk into town at night due to the lack of pavements.However taxis are cheap and instantly available.