Last Updated on March 27, 2026 by Adrienne
My family recently spent a few days exploring Portugal’s Algarve Coast, and stayed at Hotel PortoBay Falesia in Albufeira. We really enjoyed our stay here, and PortoBay Falesia is a great choice if you’re visiting the Algarve with kids. Read on for my full review of our visit.
Location
PortoBay Falesia has a terrific location at the west end of family-friendly Praia de Falesia (Falesia Beach). This four mile long beach and its soft sand, gentle waves, and pretty red rock formations will delight both kids and adults, and the location alone is a great reason to stay at PortoBay Falesia. A boardwalk leads directly from the hotel down to the beach.
PortoBay Falesia is also walking distance to the small village of Olhos de Agua, which has restaurants, stores and its own small but scenic beach, so you won’t feel too isolated here, even if you don’t have a car (although I highly recommend one for exploring the Algarve).
Rooms
We had a “junior suite with sea view” but our room was actually a proper suite with two separate sleeping areas (two twin beds in one room and a double sofa bed in the other) separated by a door. I think it’s the biggest hotel room I’ve ever had in Europe, and it could very comfortably accommodate a family with two or three children.
Our room also included a small kitchen area and a balcony with a view of the pool area and the sea beyond. We didn’t end up spending much time on the balcony because there were so many great public lounge areas, but I always appreciate having one, especially when traveling with a child.
Dining
Room rates at PortoBay Falesia typically include breakfast, and we enjoyed the breakfast buffet here, which was both extensive and high-quality. There are fruits, cheese, eggs, breakfast meats, potatoes and pastries galore, including Portugal’s signature egg custard tarts, pasteis de nata. We enjoyed eating on the lovely terrace overlooking the pool area.
There are two restaurants at Hotel PortoBay Falesia that serve dinner: Madeira, which serves a themed buffet every night, and Il Basilico, which serves Italian pizza and pasta dishes for dinner and lighter food like sandwiches and salad for lunch. We ate at Il Basilico several times and were impressed with the restaurant, particularly the excellent pregos (traditional Portuguese sandwiches) on the lunch menu.
The food on site was not only delicious, it was also very reasonably priced for a hotel restaurant. We ate dinner in Olhos de Agua one night and didn’t enjoy our meal there as much as the food we had at PortoBay Falesia.
Pools and Activities
PortoBay Falesia has a two outdoor pools (a large main pool and a smaller children’s pool), plus an indoor pool and heated jacuzzi. Unfortunately the outdoor pools aren’t heated and were way too cold for comfortable swimming in March. This shouldn’t be an issue in the summer or early fall though.
In addition to the pools, the hotel has a small indoor playroom for babies and toddlers and an outdoor playground. For the adults, there are tennis courts, a center, a spa and complimentary yoga classes.
Although I have to be honest that even with all these included activities, my favorite thing to do at the hotel was to sit in one of the many lounge chairs and take in the great views of Falesia Beach and the Algarve coastline. We don’t have views like this at home in Indiana!
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