Hi everybody,
As the initial idea was to return to Spain in July and in Madeira, we could not stay the 4 months we wanted, when we arrived at Armação de Pêra I continued looking for options to rent the following months.
The first accommodation cost us 960 euros from April 28 to May 1, but already the month of May cost 2,200 euros and for summer it was even more expensive. An outrage because it wasn’t worth it. Also, after seeing what the accommodation was like, we didn’t want to spend any more time there.
That first week I was searching for properties to see if we could book something for May as soon as possible. Although all the places were empty due to the covid, do not think that it was easy to find normal people. In the end, we arranged to visit 3 accommodations and if we didn’t like any of those, we would have to leave Faro.
Fortunately, we really liked one and the host who oversaw renting it seemed responsible.
We rented off the Airbnb platform because it was a little cheaper and we left Clara 100 euros to reserve the property; The remaining 760 euros we would pay in cash at check in.
You saw that the previous accommodation was like a little house, and we had a garden and the Vale do Olival beach just a stone’s throw away. That was the first change from one accommodation to another and Diego was depressed because he missed his garden.
As soon as we arrived, we had to start cleaning because the apartment was super dirty, and you know that I am obsessive about cleaning. Also, I washed all the bedspreads and pillows just in case (it looked very new though). I also put a quilt on the sofa because people don’t clean the sofas, I don’t think they even vacuum them.
We cleaned the whole closet inside because it was full of dust because there we were going to be able to put the clothes in the closet like normal people.
Although we lost in terms of location because we were a little further from the beach and did not have a garden, we won in terms of accommodation. You can’t imagine my happiness the first night of being able to sleep well without being drowning in humidity.
The bathroom wasn’t the best of the best, but at least it had no mold from the damp and no water leaked out when you took a shower.
Despite being in front of a main avenue, the windows completely isolated the noise.
Here I leave you in detail the good and the bad of the accommodation:
Pros
- No humidity
The building in general is new. This was the most important change from Armação de Pêra’s accommodation to that of Olhos de Agua. Being in a normal accommodation without humidity or mold felt like a luxury.
- Location
Despite not having a garden or the beach two steps away, we had the supermarket and a bakery within 5 minutes. In addition, we had Falésia beach a 15-minute walk away and we liked it more than the one we had before.
- Internet
We had a speed of 500mb.
- Peace and security
In the apartment we had a lot of peace because the windows were of good quality and they isolated very well. Despite being in front of a main avenue, we heard practically no noise. Also, the good thing about not having a garden is that they weren’t mowing the lawn all day. The building was secure and not like the Nautilus Club, where everyone could enter from the street.
- Without cold
This was another detail that gave our stay a lot of quality. The previous accommodation was a fridge, and the sofa was made of plastic, and it was always so cold. Here the sun came to us from noon, and it was not necessary to put the heating on. Also, clothes would dry quickly when you hung them outside.
- Better space to work
We had a small desk here and I set up the dining room table for myself. The chairs were also comfortable and there was plenty of natural light. Ah! And there were enough electricity sockets; It seems silly, but there are many accommodations in which you have just one for the whole apartment.
- Better appliances
The appliances were of better quality and even the blinds were electric.
- Terraces
The apartment had a small balcony for the room and a very large terrace that connected the kitchen and the living room.
Cons
- Badly equipped kitchen
It was the worst thing about the apartment because very basic things like a large salad bowl were missing. Some things she brought when I asked and others, she said she did not have. In the end we bought what was missing.
- The shower sounded
The shower always made an annoying noise, and the bathroom did not have a bidet.
- Just a supermarket
In Armação de Pêra we had 3 supermarkets 20 minutes walking: Intermarché, Pingo Doce and Continente. Considering that the supermarkets in the Algarve area (except Lidl) are poorly supplied, sometimes it is necessary to check more than one to find everything.
In this accommodation we only had the Intermarché nearby. To go to Lidl, we had to take a bus since it was in Albufeira, and we only went one day to buy what I needed for personal hygiene.
- Small pool
Generally, if I have a beach, I don’t use the pool. But I must emphasize that in all the accommodations that I saw, the pool was minimal, which was rare since there were very large complexes for such a small pool.
Ultimately, this accommodation was a change for the better. Just by not breathing humidity we felt lucky. It had its flaws in cleaning and kitchen equipment like almost all tourist accommodations, but we were very comfortable and in fact, we extended the stay and we stayed almost two months in total. Although at the end, with the failure of the washing machine, the clogged sink and the crooked bed, we really wanted to go.
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