More about Cerro Mar Albufeira
Cerro Mar - superb
by TripAdvisor Member davidshader
Just back from a fortnight in the Cero Mar and i have to say that it was excellent.
Fantastic apartments, excellent size of rooms and really clean.
We stayed in Cerro Mar 3 the newest (so far) of their buildings.
There is building work taking place right on your door step, as the Cero Mar empire expands.
There seems to be loads of more apartments getting built, but to be honest it does not spoil the holiday in any way, or at least it never spoilt ours, although the initial sight of the the two (very large cranes) left a few bemused expressions on our faces!! The work does not start that early either. So be prepared for an initial shock, but do not let it put you off in any way. Fellow guests from Edinburgh had not been told about the building work, but had instead been told by the rep that they booked the holiday through that there was an archaeological dig taking place close to the hotel!!!!! Some dig!!
Staff at the hotel are really nice and very, very helpfull, especially the ones in the bar area.
Was dissapointed with "the dreaded steps" when I found them. The ones that lead you to the "old town centre" but only to the extent that I was expecting them to be like climbing the side of everest, according to other posted reports!!
Having said that, there was certain times (when very hot!!) that going up the steps did seem just like climbing everest.
Joking aside though, I can understand the concerns regarding the steps for more elderly visitors or anyone who has a walking disability. Going down might be fine, but call a taxi for the return!!
The hotel is about 10 mins walk from the beach, but it is also far enough away from the real hustle and bustle of Albufeira nightlife.
I would certainly stay here again and would try to get the same apartment, which out of interest was 501 in block three. Superb views of the sea and looks down on the old town and "strip area can bee seen in the distance. A "Mcdonalds M" sign became our landmark for directions on more than one occassion, just as well it towers so high in the sky and is lit up with neon at night time.
Of the waterparks i highly recommend Aqua show and the white water drop or whatever it is called that nearly had me cacing myself when I went on it!!! Zoomarine is also a must for the kids and why not treat yourself to a trip on the "Mara" and a BBQ on the beach, but take your own supplies for eating or drinking on the boat, it would be much cheaper. Also once you get to the Algarve, shop around for the tickets to parks etc, it may save you some cash to book the trip at one of the boothes in the Mondelo (think that is what it is called!!)supermarket etc rather than book through your rep at the hotel........hindsight beeing the fab thing that it is!!! I would have saved a small fortune on the ones I booked............novice or what!!!
Enjoy Cero Mar..........I hope to post photos soon!!!!
We love Portugal!!
by TripAdvisor Member cat&gills
We have just returned from the Cerro Mar (Colinha) and had a wonderful stay. Reception staff were friendly and helpful on arrival and throughout holiday. Accommodation was very clean and comfortable especially having air conditioning. Kitchen fully equiped with dishwasher, washing machine etc. Pool area is very clean and well kept, and pool bar serves a selection of snacks along with our fave cocktails! Enjoyed the bbq evening (worth a try). We are planning our next trip to Cerro Mar already (the steep hill hasn't put us off). Would highly recommend these apartments.
convenience
by TripAdvisor Member tony_105
Had 9 wonderful days at Cerro Mar, the hill was a bit of a put off reading other reviews but a couple of extra drinks in the square & the hill was conquered. Convenient to the old town & the beach (5 mins), rooms spotlessly clean & well furnished, ours had a proper cooker,diswasher,washer / dryer & fridgefreezer. We stayed in the new block (108) & had a ground floor with pool view. There was a bar in the old block which we never visited, there was so much on downtown.
Get your groceries at Lidl which is only 5 mins walk but dont make the same mistake as me, i lost the run of myself grocery shopping & then could,nt get a taxi so i waddled back with 7 bags , dumping bottles of beer & coke on the way.. All in all i give ten marks to Cerro Mar for a wonderful, problem free holiday
What A Hill
by TripAdvisor Member Kenatlivi
We are just back from the Cerro Mar Apatments, we thought the standard of accomadation was exellent, the view of the Old Town and the Ocean were superb. The staff were very friendly and helpful. My wife took ill on our last night and the staff could'nt have been more helpful they had a doctor out to her within fifteen minutes. Fortunatley the problem was'nt bad enough to stop our travelling home. I thought the facilities at the appartment were exellent,the bar area was relaxing and the snacks were reasoanably priced.
It was only a five minute walk to thwe Old Town, but the walk back?? Oh!Dear. If you have problems with walking it's going to be a problem. The Taxis from the Old Town are very reasonable priced around 4 Euros,but some of the Drivers think they are Michael Schumacker. There was some building work across the road but it did'nt have any real affect on our holiday. I was a we bit dissapointed in the fact that the building work in the Old Town was'nt complete but with the ammount of workers and the speed they were going at I would imagine by the end of July most work should be completed.
All in all it was a great holiday and will definatley go back to the Cerro Mar appartments.
Nice apartments, shame about all the building work
by A TripAdvisor Member
The Cerro Mar apartments are in good position for visitors looking to spend time in the old town - assuming you are reasonably fit! To reach the hotel from the square in Old Town entails a climb of almost 100 steps followed by a 300 yard ‘stroll’ up the 1 in 3 hill. If you don’t enjoy a spot of exercise at the end of the evening you may want to consider staying somewhere else! However of greater concern is the building work currently taking place directly in front and adjacent to the property. Our initial delight in being allocated an apartment with a balcony offering a panoramic view of Albufeira and the Atlantic was tempered somewhat when construction workers arrived on day three and erected a tower crane immediately in front of the balcony! I’m not sure how long the work will take to complete but if you are thinking of booking at the Cerro Mar I would suggest you contact the hotel for an update. Unfortunately construction work is also a problem in old town itself with the local authority deciding to install what appears to be new water supply/drainage system to the square and surrounding roads The result is frankly chaos with the once pretty square reduced to rubble and impact on trade for the shops and cafes can only be guessed at. No one seems sure how long the work is going to take but the general opinion was around 4 months, so hopefully by September things will get back to normal. On a more positive note the apartments at the Cerro Mar are spacious and were immaculately clean. Hotel staff were generally helpful and a pleasant surprise were the prices at the hotel bar which were surprisingly competitive (a pint of San Miguel and glass of wine was a very respectable four euros). The Mini market next door is convenient for emergency purchases but the nearby Liddl supermarket offers much more in terms of choice and price. If you are arriving by car I would suggest getting detailed directions, as the apartments are not particularly easy to find. As we had a hire a car for duration of our stay we spent the days exploring the Algarve and only returned to the apartments in the evening to get changed and go our for dinner so the impact of the building work was relatively minimal, although it would have been nice to have had breakfast on the balcony. However if you intend to base yourselves at the hotel for your entire stay you might want to pack some earplugs!
loved it!
by TripAdvisor Member goldfish1
Very spacious apartments - fully equipped also - microwave, toaster, (proper electric) kettle, coffee maker, TV, full sized cooker. Plenty of stuff for a self catering holiday and plenty of room in the apartments. The Cerro Mar apartments are located at the top of a fairly steep hill. Taxis are really cheap, and the hotel offers a mini bus service to transport you to and from the centre of Albufeira if you can't manage the hills. Very short walk to the old town of Albufeira (incidentally there are major road works going on just now - a lot of businesses are closed in the square) down some steps. Handy for supermarkets and the bus station also.
Very clean and well maintained apartments. There is a lovely swimming pool also - again this area is very clean and neat.
There is a bar. The prices are not too extortionate, although obviously you can find cheaper elsewhere in the town centre.
This time there were some building works, so there was some noise from about 8.30am (including weekends). Having been several times before, we have found this to be a very quiet location.
Not disappointed.... nice apartments
by TripAdvisor Member Dawnexe
We have just returned from a 5 night stay at these apartments. I booked last December after seeing good reviews on trip advisor. We were not disappointed. We had a one bedroomed apartment which was very spacious and almost too big for just the two of us. We were in the block with a sea view of the albufeira which was great, although the only drawback was we were also overlooking a building site below! This wasn't too much of a problem but during the day it could be quite noisy with all the drilling. There is quite a lot of building work goiing on all around Cerro Mar and Albufeira itself which was a slight shame but the apartments made up for this.. Unfortunately we had bad weather for most of our 5 days which dampened things slightly. Apartments are clean and the pool area clean and tidy but not huge for the amount of apartments. As with other posts I would not recommend these apartments for anyone who is elderly or for parents with very young childrenwith buggies etc due to the steep steps you have to climb to get to them. taxis and land train can be found a short walk from apartments which is very convenient and its only a short walk to the old town. Food in the bar is good and reasonable for snacks etc and there is a little mini supermarket next door. Kitchen was very well equipped although we didnt use it! Maids only came twice in teh 5 days we were there and only changed towels once because they saw we were in teh room ~(as it was raining) and so just left two fresh toilet rolls and nothing else!!
Overall we would recommend this hotel for its location and cleanliness..
Fantastic, going ahain in 2006
by A TripAdvisor Member
Friendly and helpful service at all times, excellent facilities, clean modern and suitable for all ages. Old town really nice for families and couples, relaxed and safe atmosphere.
Going agin this year.
Fantastic Studio's
by TripAdvisor Member annie11
Stayed here in 2001 and 2002 and loved both times.
The studios have a good sized living room, very well fitted kitchen and separate small bedroom with the luxury of a double bed. Lovely luxourious bathroom with bath and shower.
Complex is kept clean and there is a courtasy mini bus during the day into the old town and back.
Wonderful location and the views are absolutely stunning, just crystal clear sea gazing up at you.
The location is very hilly and the steps to the old town are many,not too bad going down but awful coming back. Opt for the mini bus or a taxi is cheap enough.
Maximum of 7 or so minutes to nearest lidl supermarket handy for water etc. Supermarket on site, but not always open. Not much in immediate area, but quiet and scenic. Not far to walk for attractions or taxi's reasonable upto strip etc.
New block built now so should be even better.
Loved the apartments
by TripAdvisor Member dunaverty
Just back form the Cerro Marr apartments and had a wonderful holiday. Views fantastic, pool very clean and our two bedroom apartment was very big.
Some building work next door and the hill was hard going but overall would go back.
Staff very helpful and complex well run.
Photos
Albufeira - Portugal
As the sun sets, the night begins....
Albufeira beach
albufeira portugal beach
Forum Posts
cerro mar apartments
by pet1
has anyone been here recently as ive heard theres building work going on is this true thanks
RE: cerro mar apartments
by sooziewoozie
I am also going to the Cerro Mar apartments soon. The father of my boyfriend was in Albufeira in February and he told me that they were building in public places around the area where the apartments are, namely on the stairs that lead from the hill down to the old town.
I got the impression that there were no works being done on the hotels themselves. My boyfriend was there in April and the works were still going on.
As to whether they are still happening now, I don't know. People I have spoken to are of the opinion that the works should have been finished by the time the high season starts. Let's keep our fingers croseed.
RE: RE: cerro mar apartments
by pet1
cheers let me know when you get back last september they had cleared a large space across from the mar all that was on it was a site office as though they were going to start building youll be there before me hope its not true pat
RE: cerro mar apartments
by sooziewoozie
Okay, I'm back.
There is still building work happening on a building opposite the Cerro Mar ( but none on the steps to the town).
The earliest I heard it in the morning was 08:20 and the lastest in the evening was after 19:00, but luckily it wasn't too loud. There were only banging noises - no drilling or noisy machinery.
Basically, the building work is there, but it is bearable.
Choice of two apartments?
by monty18
Hi All,
Going to Albuferia end of September, Have a choice between Cerro Branco and Cerro Mar Apartments in Albuferia. I know the Algarve really well know where they are and have been to Albuferia many times but do need help on a decision between these two!! There are ten of us on a golf trip I have the same price on both complexes. Any input to help choice would be welcome
Cheers
RE: Choice of two apartments?
by pel
Hi there,
I don't know Albufeira that much, probably you know it better than me.
Anyway the main diference seems to be the distance from the beach.
I found a website for the second hotel you gave us, Cerro Mar:
http://www.cerromar.pt/
For the other hotel I found not a company website but it also has the main info:
http://www.maisturismo.pt/1/146.html or
http://www.maisturismo.pt/cerrobra
Cerro Branco seems to be on the top of the hill in Albufeira ans has a great view over the city up to the coast. The apartments are equiped with Phone and Satellite TV. They also have a sauna, steam bath and gym.
Cerro Mar (the second word stands for sea in portuguese) is directed to the beach, as it's only 6 minutes from it (now you have to guess if these 6 minutes are walking or flying). The offer is similar to the other hotel.
As they say the hotel is 3 minutes walk from the city centre, then it should be that this hotel isn't just by the beach.
In any case, as you're coming for golf, I think both are good for you. If you intend to go for a swim, the second one shold be your option.
Perhaps it would be advisable to look both hotels on a map (www.multimap.com or www.viamichelin.com) and try to figure out which of them has the best access to your golf course.
Cheers,
Pedro
RE: RE: Choice of two apartments?
by monty18
Pedro,
Thanks for your help, appreciate the work you put in . You are correct the cerro mar is not 'connected' to the sea! We have now chosen the Branco apts. The apts are actually very close to each other. Went onto trip advisor.com both got good reports. Branco just got the vote!
Thanks again
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