Aparthotel Calema Avenida Jardim

The Calema is situated on a backstreet just a few minutes from the beach. Initial impressions are good. The public areas are clean and reasonably well maintained. The gym seemed busy but the pool was totally unused. My room was clean and consisted of a small bedroom and bathroom with a larger kichenette and living area with a balcony. The kitchen equipment was sticky, unsurprising given that neither washing up liquid or tea towels were provided, with a random selection of cups and plates. My friends in other rooms fared better or worse suggesting poor management of the cleaning team. The single beds are rock hard and very narrow, but I slept well. Unfortunately a dead bird appeared on my balcony halfway through my stay which I reported four times on successive day, but it was still there on departure. The restaurant was poor. Cold breakfast options only and limited choices. The evening buffet was even worse with no vegetarian options or even labelling to tell you what you might be eating. After the first night we realised that we needed to eat at the start of the stated period as the food soon cooled and nothing was topped up. Vegetables were either cooked to death or missing altogether. For example, one night a single melon was put out along with another item, when they ran out quickly (before we got to that stage) a few small bowls of red jelly (of indeterminate flavour) were put out. An odd man also seemed to be hanging around glaring at people (we were told that he was the owner but he did no obvious work). Most days he seemed to be in the lounge with his phone loudly on speaker either shouting into it or watching something, making it impossible to have a quiet drink in the bar. One evening he hosted some sort of family meal after which one of the children was given the key to the piano. She then proceeded to play very badly and loudly. We complained to the man and he just shrugged. We left along with our fellow guests. So in summary, the Calema could be a good hotel but it needs some management attention, a decent food offering and for the owner to respect that we are paying guests and that the public areas are not an extension of his living room.

We love staying here! The staff are all friendly and welcoming. They are very helpful and speak good English. The breakfast is plentiful and tasty with fresh fruit, cereal, pastries, a selection of breads and cold meat/cheese/eggs/yoghurt. The apartments are clean and comfortable. With a large balcony they are also very spacious with plenty of room to relax. The bathroom has a bidet (perfect for rinsing swimsuits etc!) and a powerful shower over the bath. WiFi this time was good in the room but it’s always strong in reception! This is not a luxury hotel! It’s a clean and comfortable apartment that makes a perfect base whilst exploring the beautiful beaches and surrounding areas here in the Algarve. Highly recommend!