Albufeira Hotels with a Game Room for Families

A game room earns its place in Albufeira during the hottest hours of a summer day, when the sand at Praia dos Pescadores is too hot for small feet and a break indoors keeps everyone in a good mood. It also saves a rainy shoulder-season afternoon without a drive to Zoomarine in Guia. The five hotels here vary widely: a bowling alley at Cerro Mar, arcade machines at Holiday Inn, billiards and table tennis at Vila Petra, and games rooms built into the kids' clubs at Pine Cliffs and Vila Galé Collection Praia.

The most unusual set-up is at Cerro Mar Atlantico & Cerro Mar Garden, two adjoining aparthotels above the old town with a bowling alley, billiards and tennis on site. It works for families with children old enough to bowl and teenagers who would rather not join a kids' club, and the kitchenettes in the apartments allow simple meals between sessions. The old town is within walking distance, and a shuttle reaches Praia dos Pescadores in about five minutes. With both indoor and outdoor pools, I see it as the most complete choice for a mixed-age family that wants to stay central rather than out on the cliffs.

For young children, Holiday Inn Algarve Albufeira by IHG is the clearest match. Its free games room has a pool table, foosball and arcade machines, and a separate indoor play area is set aside for children under five, so older siblings and toddlers each have their own space. Two outdoor pools and an indoor pool cover both hot and grey days, family rooms sleep four, and Praia da Falésia is about ten minutes away. With a guest rating of 8.9 and a layout that keeps the youngest away from the arcade machines, it is my pick for families with children under six.

Pine Cliffs Hotel, a Luxury Collection Resort, and Vila Galé Collection Praia take a different approach: their games rooms sit inside the kids' club. At Pine Cliffs, the Porto Pirata kids' village combines table tennis, board games, indoor play and supervised activities for children from six months to twelve years, with mini-golf, tennis and a cliff-side lift down to the beach at Falésia. Vila Galé Collection Praia sits right on Praia da Galé, about eight kilometres west of central Albufeira, with billiards, board games and an indoor play area alongside a kids' club, tennis courts and two pools. These two suit families who want supervised play rather than a room the children use alone.

Vila Petra is the choice for families who want the Strip on the doorstep. The aparthotel sits 100 metres from the bars and restaurants of Oura, with a games room offering billiards and table tennis, a heated indoor pool, a children's pool, an outdoor pool, a sauna and a hot tub. Apartments come with kitchenettes, and Oura beach is about two kilometres away, a short drive or shuttle ride. The street is lively in the evening, so I would recommend it for families with older children who enjoy that atmosphere rather than for parents of toddlers who go to bed early.