If you want a slightly remote hotel, but with easy bus and road connections to more active resorts. you'll like it here. Apart from the pool scene and incredible miles of gentle sandy beaches, there is not much to do - but this makes for super-lazy days, free from noisy youngsters - a major bonus. Outstanding and friendly staff make the hotel a delight, and whilst we were initially sceptical of the buffet self-service meals, this actually works very well, allowing you to choose what and how much you want to eat of the very well prepared and presented food. Local wine and beer are cheap and there is a wide variety of cafes within immediate walking distance. We were on half board so only had mid-day snacks away from the hotel.

The amazing miles-long beaches are a delight to walk at low tide, although the water is cold (next westbound landfall is Newfoundland, Canada) and the beaches are literally a stone's throw from the Hotel's grounds. The sunsets are quite amazing.

If none of the local cafes appeal to you, you can easily walk into the adjacent village of Fao for snacks and food, or take a longer walk across the bridge to Esposende. For tourist trips, take the local bus north to the lovely town of Viana do Castelo - the new bus station is integral with the railway station; or for a more Blackpool-like resort, south by local bus to Povoa de Varzim where you can catch the outstandingly good Metro (new electric tram) service to Porto, and gorge yourselves on the dozens of port warehouse trips, with obligatory tasting and economical purchases.

We found the Portuguese people universally friendly and helpful, and several weeks learning basic Portuguese from a teach-yourself CD before we left home paid off in spades after we arrived. We were easily able to order food, drinks etc and get directions and buy items in the various shops. I can't stress enough what a huge difference this made to our holiday.

We were in Room 358 from 26-Sept-09 to 10-Oct-09, with travel agents Archers Direct, flying from Birmingham to Frankfurt to Porto. We would be pleaed to amplify any of this information for anyone interested in staying at the Hotel Axis Ofir.