# Portugal  Faro   Balaia Golf Village



## toofine46 (Jan 30, 2009)

Am setting up a trip to this resort.  Has anyone been there?  Any info on the area would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks


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## Passepartout (Jan 30, 2009)

This will be perhaps of little or no help. We went to the Algarve in November. Flew in/out from Lisbon. Rented a car from Carjet. Insurance was included in the price. Driving in Portugal was quite easy- especially if you don't mind traffic circles- there are a lot of 'em. If driving, buy a Michelin #33 (iirc)map. Portugal only, not the Spain/Port. combo. We saw the train tracks and drove alongside, but never saw an actual train, so can't rank the service or proper stations. We found taxi's quite reasonable in Lisbon. Use one there to get to the fortress! Many Brits winter or take cheap junkets to Algarve, so English isn't a problem. We found a general lack of free wi-fi sites, but at food courts in Continente market/malls there was usually availability, so we were able to use our Magic Jack and/or Skype for free calls. All in all, we'd go back to Portugal in a minute. Seemed like Europe on the (relatively) cheap. Wine cheaper than water, good seafood, great weather, nice people, interesting history. What's not to like.

Jim Ricks


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## sml2181 (Jan 30, 2009)

I haven't been to the resort, but I know it is very popular with European travel agencies - at least it is here in Holland. According to one of our Dutch vacation review websites, it is rated 8 out of 10. People like having full kitchen and having washer/dryer, they like the grounds and the resort, some people mention lack of animation, but others mention that animation is available. There seem to be 6 pools. Some people mention beds could be more comfortable. Car is recommended. They would rate it 3 out of 5 stars mostly. (Some travel agencies rank it 4 stars and some rank it as 3 stars. The 4 stars seem to be high.) Here are a few pictures from that website - posted by people who visited the resort.
http://www.vakantiereiswijzer.nl/vakantie/foto_album/8839/

You could also have a look at www.booking.com - there are some reviews there too.


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## Simoncc (Feb 4, 2009)

Hello,

I stayed at this resort for a fortnight a couple of years ago and had a great time. It is quite a large resort set around a series of swimming pools but as the on-site entertainment is limited it was relaxing - particularly in the evening. We had a very spacious 3 bed apt with a roof terrace and patio area in front of the 2 main bedrooms (which were on the ground floor with living accomodation above).

I didn't play golf at the resort but the course looked in good condition.

The nearest resort is Albufeira which offers plain tourist fare but you are close to the more exclusive resorts such as Villamoura.

This was my first visit to the Algarve and whilst in many ways it can offer a more laid back, less built up holiday experience to the Spanish Costa Del Sol I felt it did lack cultural options - there is no equivalent to Rhonda, Granada, Seville etc.


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