The rooms are basic but very large and clean.The reception staff are very friendly and helpful and nothing is too much trouble for them.The pools are very clean and there are 2 bars and a shop by the poolside.
Rudy one of the owners of the largest bar is extremely helpful and friendly.bar food lovely and superfast service.
The apartments themselves are situated on a main road which is not too busy.there are zebra crossings and the town itself is 5 mins walk uphill from the hotel.
The town itself is full of irish bars mainly and live irish music.
so i found it better to go by taxi for 6 euros to a fishing village called ALVOR.Very nice little shops and pubs and restaurants.
Portemao is only 7 euros by taxi and is larger with shops down by the port.There is a shopping complex called Continental and opposite a large shoe shop and bargain prices.Id recommend the jeep safari day up in the mountains which is a fab day out.
U can take the loop bus into the town of Portamao which will only cost you 1.20 euro and is just as quick as a taxi.The bus can be caught outside armrillis hotel which 2 hotels down from solmonte.
The Chicken Piri Piri restaurant had supurb food,cheap and very friendly staff.Dukes was a lovely place for breakfast and cheap.
The boat cruises especially the ALGREGIA cruise to the caves and the BBQ back on the beach is a must.CORI the guide is great fun ,she made everyone laugh and the other crew were great.The beach at prai de rocha is fantastic alot of steps to walk down but its worth it.
Just remember that with most meals you are served bread and olives etc which you will be charged for regardless if you eat them or not.You can take a bus to ALBERFEIRA tickets can be bought at the JUPITER hotel and timings are limited,The trip takes about 50 mins but worth it.
The quantiere market trip is a must.a massive market at cheap cheap prices.A FANTASTIC PLACE TO SPEND YOUR HOLIDAY.
Im returning in 2 months fantastic weather....

The solmonte apartments are very basic but large and clean. There is a cooker, fridge, kettle, pots ect and television. All rooms have balconies but there is no air conditioning. Within the apartments there is a small shop and a night bar. The outdoor pool is large (cleaned daily) and set within a lawned area which is lovely, alongside the pool is another small bar that serves snacks. Rudy runs
the bar and is a charachter, in a nice way, he is usually run of his feet but when he gets the chance he will sit and have a chat. When we were there some nights there was karioke. (wasnt in to that). The apartments are on a very busy main road but there are many crossings along this area so we never had a problem crossing this road. Once across you are 5 minutes away from the strip which has shops, restaurants, bars and best of all the beautiful beach. I would recommend the Atlantis restaurant for sheer luxury and delicious food and 1st class service at great prices. For a very cheap alternative The concorde is also good. The beach as said is stunning but there are a lot of stairs to go down to reach it, which is fine but beleive me its not so fine trying to get back up them! I love prai da rocha its stunning, the locals are warm and friendly and the food is exquisite and the sea veiws are breathtaking. For a family of 4 at peak season you can save approx £1000 by satying at the Solmonte which as i see it is more spending money! Ive now stayed ther twice and enjoyed both times equally. I would recommend these apartments and would love to go back for a 3rd time.