PRAIA DA ROCHA BALCONY by HOMING

Some apartments have been renovated more than others, but you can see that money is going into improving this large complex. There are working elevators throughout. Parking on site gets very busy in summer, though we found the free P4 lot a couple of minutes away on foot. Once we had unloaded the car, that worked well for us. There's no pool, which we already knew, but the beach is lovely and close. Restaurants, bars and small supermarkets are all within walking distance. We found it good value, especially since Praia da Rocha can be very expensive in August and draws plenty of Portuguese and international visitors.

There was no internet, the place wasn't clean, and there were no knives. Everything felt 50 years old. I tried frying an egg and it was awful because the pan seemed that old too. The neighbors were loud and weird, and nobody spoke English. The owner ignored my messages until my last day. The apartment could be cute, but it seems like no money has been put into it for 50 years.

This is a no-go for me, especially for families with kids. We rented for a week but stayed only one night, and never got a refund. The place doesn't have the conditions to host guests: no parking, no AC and no swimming pool. Of all the places in Portimão, I'd say stay away from this one.

Avoid this place. I've never seen a room so dirty. Everything was old or broken, and there were old ice creams in the fridge. There was no reception. The man who handed over the keys said he was available 24 hours, but I couldn't reach him when I needed him. The swimming pool had no water. We left faster than check-in took.