This was my first visit to a FC holiday village and it was pretty good. I chose it for the kids as they have a little water park with slides and we spent the entire week at this pool. 30 min transfer from Faro, 10 min walk to beach and 1 mile to the nearest nightlife should you want it. I liked the relatively secluded location though. I requested a quiet romm on a low floor and that's exactly what we were given. Room was massive with big kitchen, table and chairs plus the kids den with bunk beds.

There are 2 TVs but we only had 1 aerial cable so could only have one on at a time and the TV remote didn't work but both minor things. We were on the ground floor in block 1 at the end furthest from the bar and thank god 'cause it stayed opent until 1am and was very noisy. Luckily we couldn;t hear it at our end but I pity the people staying in the romms next to it.

Kids evening entertainment was absolutley dire yet my 4 years old loved it beyobnd reason and cried when it finished. It's pretty hard to sit through it 7 times but it is aimed at the kids and makes them happy (especially the irritating Dotty Spotty Socks). Didn't bother seeing the adult entertainment.

Only complaint would be that the FC reps totally fibbed to me about the suitability of taking a 4 year old to the Slide & Splash water park. Minimum age for flumes was 5 plus a height restriction of 120cm for others. Bigger rides had an age limit of 8 so we wasted the money on that trip.

No problems with the food but then we ate early at every sitting so it was hot still. AI ends at 11 on the day you leave but you get a voucher for lunch. Overall I would visit again (first holiday I've ever said that about) as the kids loved it. Don't go there if you don't have kids though!

Booked within one week of departure. Just got back from a good holiday. Block 1 room very large and very clean. Best fitted kitchen I've ever seen on a holiday, Queen size divans that made for a good nights sleep. Thank goodness for Aircon. Two tv's in apartment. Linen and towels changed regularly. Food was quite good but could have been hotter, but I used the microwave a few times to heat up to how I like my food. Always found something to eat. Hotel location was a bit isolated but local bus or taxi sorted that out. Reception were very helpful and always polite Staff from bar were very good and efficiant clearing tables very quickly.The food staff worked so hard to get tables cleared and cleaned ready for the next family. The entertainment was quite good for the kids, but poor for adults. Yes, we would come back here but not in the next few years. Could have done with a lot more poolside umbrellas. Queing for the bar could be horrendous as only one till in operation no matter how many staff were serving. Coffee, tea's and Ice creams should have been separate from bar as this caused a lot of frustration to people just wanting to get a drink. Seemed to get normal measures on the spirits not the usual large ones. Also limited choice of spirits.

Hotel, room's, pool area etc were all spotless! room's lovely, spacious with huge balcony area.
Location is quite remote but easy to get to nearby places with such cheap taxi's. typicaly 4 euros to the strip, 6 to the old town.
I recomend the old town for restaurants, beaches and beautiful views.
Holel staff were all friendly and willing to help although the kitchen staff could have been more prepared and the food was pretty poor, never hot, very limited choice and very bland, they also ran out of some items quite regulary, although this did start to improve towards the end of our holiday.
We had an excellant holiday, kids club was brilliant as were all the first choice staff!
I would recomend this hotel.

We booked here after a great holiday at HV Majorca 2 years ago.

As expected, the first choice staff were fabulous from reps to kids club to entertainers. Children (5 & 3) were very well catered for with kids club, activities and entertainers / mini disco etc. Didn't see much of the evening entertainment after 9pm but didn't hear anything negative from other guests.

Room was clean, spacious and well equipped. Pools were lovely but very cold (to be expected in May I guess)

Hotel was remote but taxis cheap and easy to locate. We preferred the Old Town but could see that the Strip would appeal to others.

As usual, HV was first / last drop off from and to airport so only 30 mins transfer rather than the 60 mins plus per brochure.

Only downside was the food. Poor quality, choice and labelling. Also very rarely warm. All guests were very disappointed, virtually everyone we spoke to had lodged a formal complaint. The complaints had resulted in some improvements towards the end of our ten night stay but still nowhere near 4* rating. The fact that burger and chips were on the buffet for 20 meals running gives you an idea. Felt very sorry for the First Choice staff who had to eat at the restaurant.

Despite all the good points, probably wouldn't book for this HV again but would consider another location.

**Fantastic** we went all inclusive and at this perticular moment in time i think it was a wise choice, there were 4 adults and 3 kids 5yrs and under, so the snack bar down by the water slides got hammered everyday ice cream, pop, chips, hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza slices, cold sandwiches oh and beers for the adults were all free! and you could go back as much as you like. The main dinner room you could get as much as you liked too (but) it did get abit repetative, but wasnt a mojor issue.The accommadation was brill,there was me my partner and 2 kids in a den room which the kids loved the bunk beds,full kitchen and bathroom with a **hairdryer** cleaned dailey apart from sundays, the hotel staff were great and the entertainment was out of this world especially darryl,lyndsy,danni,ruth,billy and phil were brill the kids loved going down on a night and dancing and singing, these guys worked hard (Big Thumbs Up To Them)i would definatley go back, we went for a week but next time will do 10 days

what can i say on returned from the holiday village algarve to re-book again for next year.it was amazing in all ways from the entertainers ruthie, billy,phil,lynsey,danni and not forgetting darryl.they made our holiday purfect from sing ,dancing ,head to head and all the little things that was over and above there job. that was never a problem to make it the best holiday to date.what a well designed and equiped hotel catering for all ages from ,food , rooms ,tennis courts ,football pitch etc nothing bad to say all pluses for us from the beging to the end of our holiday .big big thankyou to all staff who made this a most memorable holiday.

We have just returned from a 2 week holiday at this hotel. The hotel has a main block where the restaurant, main reception, entertainment and main bar are found. We were put in block 2 which has been newly built. This block also houses the mini market, Italian and Portuguese Restaurants and a bar. It also has its own pool. Block 2 and the splash zone/waterslides and kids club buildings are later additions to this hotel and are situated either side of it down steps/slopes. Because of these slopes anyone who has mobility problems or are wheelchair users should ask to be accommodated in the main block. Staying in block 2 you do not get bothered by the usual hotel noises but it is situated beside a very busy main road and the noise of cars passing is constant. If you are a light sleeper (like me) you will need ear plugs at night, also the hotel is on the flight path which is not a problem during the day but, again, ear plugs came in handy at night after being woken up 3 times the first night by planes passing overhead.

The hotel is spotlessly clean, the apartments are lovely and have a huge balcony that runs the length of the apartment with double patio doors. The sitting room area and the bedroom have separate air conditioning units that work independently of each other. They also work when the patio doors were open. Bed linen was changed 3 times during our stay and towels changed daily although you are told they are changed every second day we found that if you put your towels in the bath they were changed for you. Check in at the hotel was quick and as we arrived at about 10pm we were given sandwiches, water, fruit and yoghurts to take to our room. We were only given one door key card which was abit of an inconvenience at times. We had a late checkout room but the cleaners came in on mass at 4pm on our departure day so we ended up leaving the room early but our All Inc carried on until 5pm.

The hotel is about 30 minute walk from the Strip but the taxis are cheap (less than 4 euros). There is a small beach about 20 minutes walk from the hotel. If you turn left coming out of block 2 and keep walking for about 10 minutes you come to Ohouso d'Agua (not sure of the spelling). This was a lovely little place that had cafes, bars and shops there is also a large supermarket here. The hotel itself is in a residential area with hotels round about and more are getting built just across the road. There are no cafes, shops or bars in the close vacinity.

The food during the first week of our stay was ok. Having stayed at the Holiday Village in Majorca we knew what to expect but we were surprised that the choice of food was very very limited compared to the HV Majorca. During the second week of our stay, which was going into the final week of the hotel's season the food was awful and you really struggled to find something appetising to eat. Alot of people were complaining about it. We didn't eat there at lunchtime and chose to eat at the poolside bars instead just to get a bit of a change. At least the food at the bars was fresh cooked and hot which it was not in the restaurant and you could get some nice sandwiches freshly made. We tried the Portuguese restaurant which was ok. The Italian was awful unless you took pizza. The pasta was overcooked and bland and my husband's spag bol was sitting in about an inch of water, it hadn't been drained properly. You can only book these restaurants at the main reception in Block 1 from 2.30pm to 4pm daily.

The entertainment on a nightime was awful. The entertainment team worked really hard but it was dismal. I think part of the reason for this is that the hall where the entertainment was held was just that - a hall. It was like walking into your local village hall. There was no atmosphere at all, the bar looked as if it was makeshift and was stuck in the corner, the toilets are up the stairs and the music was far to loud to be able to hold a conversation with anyone. We gave up on the entertainment after a couple of nights, we did try it periodically throughout the holiday but it never improved.

My daughter used the wave length clubs extensively but this usually ended up costing us money. Every other night they would hold themed nights for example pizza night 5 euros, chocolate party 7 euros, Halloween party 5 euros, Indiana Adventure 17 euros, Highropes 10 euros. All the First Choice employees and the Hotel's own staff were lovely. They worked hard and always had a smile on their faces.

The pools are lovely but very cold and there are no lifeguards even at the waterslides. There were plenty of sunbeds and the daytime activities round the main pool were very entertaining and very amusing at times.

Summing up this is a great hotel but it could be better and was abit of the beaten track. The food was very hit or miss and the entertainment could have been alot better than it was. I sound as if I am moaning but we had a brilliant holiday, the weather was fantastic, but we probably would not return to this hotel. Portugal is a beautiful country and we would return to the Algarve sometime in the future.

just returned this weekend.
positive points:
great pools for adults + children
great entertainment at night (if you have kids)
rooms large,clean and quiet (if in block 1)
must book in block 1 (block 2 near to busy road)
very good activities during the day (kids club,football,tennis,games etc)
negative points:
cold,bland + tasteless food (personal choice)
inexperienced restaurant staff
located a bit too far from the strip (new part),but only 4 euro in taxi and also the old town 6 euro in taxi.
Don't let this put you off booking as overall, if you have a children, you should have a good time here.

This holiday was excellent from start to finish. The airport at Faro is the most efficient I have ever been to, we collected luggage within 10 mins and were at the hotel within 45mins. Brilliant start. On arrival the hotel was on a steep bank, as there are 3 levels as such to the complex. Ok there are steps and slopes, but they are not too bad. The main block, Block 1 is in the middle, with block 2 being lower and nearer the road. The third level consisted of a pool, splash pools for the kiddies and the water park area. Both block of accomodation had a reception and bars, plus swimming pools.

We stayed in Block 1, the pool was fantastic, loads of sunbeds and parasols (but we did go when schools had returned in Sept), the hotel was clean and the staff very polite. The First choice reps were excellent, always on hand and the Entertainment Team need a massive pat on the back - they were fantastic whatever time of day you saw them they were great. (Ruth, Lyndsey, Billy, Phil, Danni, Olly - sorry I can't remember anymore names), but they were great, the kids bonded with them and they never stopped entertaining! Made the holiday.

The food isn't fantastic, but you must remember you are going to a hotel that is catering for hundreds of people and it is buffet style (you have one night a week at the Portugese and Italian - we only used the Italian - this was lovely, although the service a little slow). There were different dishes on the buffet each day, and they were forever re-freshing the displays. Always hot and plenty to choose from so not has bad as the other reports are saying.

The location isn't the best in the world, but often due to the size of the complex they are often on the outskirts! We only went for 1 week, and didn't feel the need to leave the complex, so much to do all day. There are lots of trips laid on, and other guests were impressed with those. There is a good taxi service into the town for about 4

Just returned yesterday, overall had an excellent holiday.

Room spacious and clean, stayed in a kids den and as we were all inclusive and not cooking kitchen cuoboards provided additional storage. Maid came every day except sunday, clean towels everday and linen every other day. As we had kids den able to hire PS2 which kept kids boredom at bay for an hour in the evening when getting ready.

Food was OK, always fouind something to eat, went to italian twice which was nice and also into town to eat a couple of times.

Pools great, didnt use pool at block 2 mainly used splash park and pool at block 1 but be warned they are freezing and must be the coldest pools I've ever been in.

Hotel staff, waiters and bar staff all very friendly and polite - earlier reports I had read suggested otherwise but we had no problems at all.

Kids clud and kids rep all fantastic, youngest aged 6 not really bothered about going but my older boy had a ball and went to everything on offer. He did aqua olympics, sea scooters, PSP tournament, archery and the high ropes twice, both boys did soccer school and loved it.

Evening entertainment was enjoyable and entertainment team really good, my youngest was always a bit star struck whenever any of them were in the vicinity.

Only negative was being woken early every morning (around 7) by kids running and screaming along the corrider, our room was quite near the lift. This was really frustrating as I always made sure my 2 boys were quiet to make sure that we did not disturb other guests, just wish other parents thought the way we did.

All in all did have a great time and would visit this holiday village again.