Villa Verde Reviews

Vilamoura itself is a purpose-built small town, centred around a marina, and surrounded by golf courses. We found the place very well maintained, with trimmed lawns, clean streets, and generally a pleasant atmosphere. When we visited (late April) the resort was by no means full, but the empty streets still felt safe at night. It has all been constructed relatively recently, however, so don't expect much in the way of local culture; indeed, the resort could be mistaken for any number of places in southern Europe. Overall, it is suited to couples who are after a more peaceful holiday; although Vilamoura does possess a strip-club, if you're after nightclubs, you'd be better off in Albuferia.

Vila Verde is definitely a guest-house rather than an hotel. The rooms all seemed reasonably sized and pretty similar; ours contained a double bed, additional single bed, dining table, kitchenette, bathroom, with a patio area outside (in addition to a pool-side area). When we visited, the villa was less than half-full. Located in a quiet residential area, the villa was 5 minutes walk from a small shopping complex (supermarket, bank, cinema and café), and about 10-15 minutes walk from the marina. Three complaints would be that the room had a definite damp problem and smelled quite musty throughout the week; that the maid service was pretty poor (rooms were supposed to be made up daily, but only happened 4 days of 7); and that the owners' dog is very much in need of a bath.

Would we go back to Vilamoura? Possibly, although next time we would probably go further west, since I personally prefer the caves and grottos to the sandy beaches. As for Vila Verde, one couple were on their second holiday there, but we would probably try somewhere else.

Some final remarks: car hire is virtually essential, but fortunately quite simple to arrange (we paid 122 Euros for the week; this could have been reduced to £85 by advance booking). The dinner and show at the Vilamoura Casino is highly recommended. If you go to ZooMarine, check their opening times - they annoyingly shut down an hour and a half before their advertised time! Car parking at Birmingham airport cost £58 for the week.