Pateo Village Apartments

The grounds of this older property are pleasant, with an abundance of mature trees that cast long shadows on a well-tended lawn. The interior public spaces a bit dated and slightly lackluster, but the cocktail lounge is somewhat attractive, with white wicker chairs, burgundy walls with black and white photos, and an outdoor terrace. Guests spend most of their time outdoors around the swimming pool, and on the multi-sport court playing tennis, soccer, or basketball. With its lack of evening entertainment, the Pateo might be too quiet and unexciting for some. But the hotel tends to attract older couples and families with kids who take advantage of the playground and large children's pool. 

Pateo Village Apartments is located off the major M526 road, in an area with other hotels, some residences, and a few restaurants. It's a little off the beaten path, so it helps to have a car while staying here. Old town Albufeirs isn't within reasonable walking distance, and about a 12-minute drive. Old town features shopping, dining, the 18th-century Parish Church of Albufeira, Largo Cais Herculano walled wharf, and Fisherman's Beach. The restaurants and bars clubs of the Avenida Sa Carneiro (The Strip) are roughly an eight-minute drive, and Peneco Beach is a five-minute drive. Albufeira train station is about 10 minutes by car, while Faro Airport is a 30-minute drive. 

The studio, one-, and two-bedroom apartments at Pateo Village are simply furnished and have a slightly dated look. Except for a few large color photos of Algarve, walls are bare and spaces are sparsely decorated, and feel a bit sterile, with florescent ceiling lighting. A few units could use sprucing up to address worn or old furniture, but in general they're in good condition. The most attractive element of the apartments is the rich rose-pink and red sofas, curtains, and bed coverings.

All units have dining tables and living rooms, plus kitchens with four-burner stovetops, microwaves, mid-size refrigerators, toasters, electric kettles, cookware, and tableware, and some have ovens. There are also balconies or terraces (some with pool views) and flat-screen TVs, but not all units have working air-conditioning, and while fans are available by request, apartments still get hot in warmer months. There's also no in-room Wi-Fi, and fees are attached to using safes. 

Bathrooms are basic, with stall showers and hairdryers, but no toiletries. Some have bathtubs or shower/tub combos and bidets. 

Pateo Village offers a solid array of leisure facilities, with an outdoor swimming pool -- more than 80 feet long -- as its top feature. The deck gets sun for most of the day, and there's a large kiddie pool. The property additionally has an indoor pool with a hot tub in a space with ample natural light. 

Other highlights include a playground, outdoor ping pong table, and multi-sport court (tennis, basketball, and soccer). There's no full-service restaurant, but the hotel offers a hot breakfast buffet for a fee, and light fare and drinks is available at the snack bar that overlooks the pool. A shaded outdoor terrace, a billiards table, and a foosball table share the space, and the hotel has a separate cocktail bar. 

The lobby has video games, a shelf of books, and computers for guest use, plus there's a mini-mart that sells wine and fresh bread. There's housekeeping on weekdays and parking for a fee. Wi-Fi is free in public areas.