The resort-
Praia da Rocha itself is quite built up and I was a little worried, on arrival, that it would be too commercialised. But i need not have worried. The beaches are beautiful and clean with stunning caves and cliff faces. The beach of coves is nearest to the hotel and a little further on a more busy wider beach with sun loungers, cafes and banana boat, ringo rides etc.
You will have visits from ALi Baba on the beach trying to sell you watches and jewelry etc.
The beach has a lifeguard and it was safe for small children. It is a steep climb up and down to the beach but worth it.
We stayed towards the last week of the season and some attractions were closed. we were lucky with the weather though. Temps ranged from 22-27 degrees.
There is a lot of graffiti and my partner was offered drugs twice whilst walking to a restaurant with the children.
The restaurants all pretty much have the same menus with a variety of traditional and english foods. It is not cheap though.
The Apartment-
The Plaza Real Apartments are clean and spacious and every other day a cleaner came in and cleaned the toilets. Our oven gave up on us at one point and it took 50 mins to bake a frozen pizza so test your oven before cooking a meal for a hungry family.
Our tv reception was fuzzy and we barely were able to see the picture but we didn't want to sat in watching tv anyhow and just had sky news on in the background.
The food in the hotel is expensive and a basic menu. They have one internet station at 1 euro for 20 mins. The kids facilities are poor. The playground is in a secluded shady area but very basic and only an air hockey and pool table, There was no kids club whilst we were there. The pool was small and not heated but my kids still enjoyed it. The evening entertainment was bingo (once a week) and karaoke (Tues and Fri) and mostly football on the sky tv screens (every night!), We used the hotel as a base only and hired a car.
The skydive Centre and other attractions.
Skydive Algarve is only 15 mins from Plaza Real by car. My partner and I both skydive and we took our children (15 and 8 years) on a tandem skydive, My other daughter who is very timid preferred a swim with a dolphin experience at Zoomarine in Guia (40 min drive).
Zoomarine is expensive and in October a lot of the experiences were closed. The dolphin show was okay and the seal show was a bit too 'over the top' with all the acting!!
Overall
I wouldn't go back to Plaza Real as there are so many more places int he Algarve to stay but I would go back to the area. I would try Alvor next for accomodation.
Go SKYDIVE - its great fun - tell Joorn Ann and Tom recommended the Centre!!
Value for money - you couldn't fault it. Basic and clean is what I would say. I wouldn;t take young children there as there is a lot of walking and having a pushchair down to the beach would be horrendous..
- Plaza Real Praia Da Rocha
- Plaza Real Hotel
