This hotel review was supplied to us by our reader Mark Walters

“The hotel was located close to the marina, restaurants and bars. We were on a bed and breakfast last minute holidays, so the hotel was ideally situated for going out for our evening meal. The buffet breakfast was ok, just the usual hotel offerings.Our room was clean, quite large and we had a good view of the marina and the sea from our balcony. The outdoor pool was quite large with plenty of sunbeds and there was also an indoor pool which we used once or twice.There wasn’t very much evening entertainment but we didn’t mind as we strolled into Vilamoura each evening, very pleasant. The hotel pool seemed very quiet during the day but we were told that the hotel is popular with golfers who are out most of the day! We would recommend this hotel and hope to return one day.”

VILA GALE MARINA HOTEL OVERVIEW

Location

100m to the marina, shops, bars and restaurants, 300m to Marina Beach, close to the casino, 2km to Falesia Beach, 150m to bus-stop, courtesy shuttle service to Vilamoura golf courses, 2.5km away.

Accommodation

243 rooms, all with air conditioning/heating, cable TV with radio channels, telephone, WiFi/internet access, hairdryer, minibar, safety deposit box, balcony.

Swimming pool

Swimming pool with terrace, indoor pool, sunbeds, towels and mattresses, pool bar (seasonal), outdoor Whirlpool Bath.

Dining

Restaurant with buffet service meals or table d’hote at dinner, a la carte menu available, snacks available 10:00-01:00.

Activities

Table tennis, pool table, video games, Health club with small gym, Turkish bath and whirlpool bath, spa, tennis and putting green available at sister hotel Vila Gale Ampalius, together with tennis and golf pro.

Entertainment

Daily entertainment programme, Evening entertainment includes live music and shows in high season only, lounge/bar.

For Families

Children’s section of pool, unsupervised Kids’ room (4 yrs and over), cots and highchairs.

Other facilities

Shop, laundry service, 24-hour room service.

Vilamoura is located in Portugal’s Algarve and has a fairly central

Vilamoura Marina

location on the country’s south coast. It is about 6 miles east of Albufeira and 20 miles from Faro Airport. The resort overlooks the beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and Vilamoura Marina. Vilamoura is backed by resort and residential development, five golf courses and the Algarve hills.

Vilamoura experiences a mild climate all year round, with low rainfall and temperatures averaging 25°C (77°F) between May and September.

The purpose built resort of Vilamoura was designed back in the 1960′s and now covers 8 square miles, with sandy beaches, upmarket hotels and deluxe apartments. The resort has a wealth of restaurants, shops, bars and clubs. The main attractions of Vilamoura are luxurious yacht charters, sailing schools, boat excursions and the many watersports. On the land there are golf courses, a riding school, tennis courts and a shooting club.

Vilamoura Beach Hotel

Vilamoura’s main beach is located on the doorstep of the resort’s waterfront hotels. Watersports, with everything from banana boat rides to parascending and jet ski hire are available here.

Water-based excursions leave from Vilamoura Marina. These include a dolphin-watching cruise, yacht cruises along the Algarve coastline and big game fishing.

Vilamoura is perfect for families and children. Not only is there the beautiful beach and watersports, but there is also crazy golf, tennis and horse riding, and Alcantarilha’s water park Aqualand Algarve.

Aqualand

Vilamoura boasts an eclectic choice of national cuisines including Thai, Italian, International, Japanese, Chinese, Brazilian, French, Spanish, Mexican and Indian, alongside first-rate Portuguese dishes, with lots of opportunities for alfresco dining.

Vilamoura’s nightlife is low-key, with British pubs, Irish bars and discos on offer. For a fun filled evening of gambling and cabaret there is Vilamoura’s casino.