Bordoy Grand House Algarve

Bordoy Grand House Algarve is a five-star hotel in Vila Real Santo Antonio, suited to travellers who want a proper town base rather than a purpose-built resort. The mood is more grand salon than beach club: a library, a terrace, a cocktail bar and a restaurant give you somewhere to settle when the day is done.

The hotel combines the useful with the slightly old-fashioned. There is 24-hour reception, a concierge, luggage storage and free Wi-Fi throughout the property, while the Grand Salon Bar brings jazz and a century-old mahogany counter into the picture. The hotel's website is available in English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese, which is useful when you are planning the finer details of a stay.

You are in Vila Real Santo Antonio, Portugal, close to the town centre. That puts you within walking distance of the town's everyday life rather than marooned outside it, with places such as Playa de San Bruno, Hospital Faro and Faro Municipal Market nearby.

A beach is accessible on foot, so you can move between town and coast without making every outing a transport exercise. The setting also works for a mixed trip: one person can explore the local area while another takes the quieter route through the hotel, and nobody needs a complicated logistics plan to meet up again.

The choice is unusually broad, from single rooms for solo travellers to family rooms, apartments, cottages, bungalows and suites. There are also categories facing the garden, pool, river, sea or water, so the view can be part of the decision rather than an accidental bonus. For a couple, a double room with a private bathroom is the straightforward choice; for a group, family rooms and suites cover arrangements for up to six guests.

Room equipment varies considerably by category. The better-equipped standard doubles and superior rooms include air conditioning, blackout blinds, a minibar, safe, television, Wi-Fi, water, tea and coffee facilities, toiletries, bathrobes and slippers. That is the useful kit after a long day: cool the room, shut out the early light, put the wet-day thoughts on hold and find something cold in the minibar.

Some categories offer little more than a private bathroom, while suites add features such as a safe, telephone, towels, toiletries and a mirror. Bathrooms may include a bath or shower, depending on the room. If you care about air conditioning, blackout blinds or in-room drinks, check the equipment attached to the category you choose rather than assuming the grander name tells the whole story.

The Grand Salon serves lunch and dinner indoors, working with local cuisine and ingredients associated with the land, sun and sea. It gives you a proper sit-down option on the days when hunger arrives before the evening has even started. Breakfast is available as a buffet, while the hotel's meal arrangement depends on the rate selected.

There is one bar, the Grand Salon Bar. It focuses on cocktails, jazz and that old mahogany counter, which is a more convincing setting for a slow drink than a row of plastic chairs beside a speaker. A snack bar and tea and coffee facilities are also available, giving you something less formal when a full restaurant meal is not what you want.

Room service is available in the hotel facilities, so you can keep the evening in your room when your energy has run out before your appetite has. The practical details of what is included in your booking sit with the selected meal plan, so it is worth reading that part before confirming.

The library is the obvious place for a quiet hour, particularly if your idea of an afternoon activity is reading without anyone asking you to join in. The terrace gives you another place to sit outside, with the town and coast close enough to make a short walk worthwhile.

A beach is within walking distance for a change of scenery, and the hotel can assist with excursions. The concierge and tourist information service can help shape a day away from the property, while car hire is available if you want to explore the Algarve under your own steam.

There is also a seasonal outdoor pool among the hotel's listed leisure facilities. For the less glamorous but genuinely useful parts of a stay, laundry, dry cleaning, luggage storage and babysitting are available. Not every afternoon needs an itinerary; sometimes the correct post-dive plan is a chair, a book and no decisions.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to midnight, with check-out by 11:00. Reception operates around the clock, which is useful if your journey runs late or your travel plans refuse to behave. The hotel offers an airport transfer and shuttle service, both to be arranged with the hotel, and car hire is available on site.

Parking is available, with paid parking listed among the services. Free Wi-Fi covers the hotel, and Visa, Mastercard, Maestro, American Express, Visa Electron and Diners Club are accepted. The building has a lift, step-free facilities and wheelchair access, making the layout more manageable if stairs are not part of your holiday plans.

A concierge, ticket assistance, excursion help, luggage storage and a currency exchange service cover the practical gaps around a stay. Laundry and dry-cleaning services are also available, with the service arrangements depending on what you request. The hotel is non-smoking.