Margarida da Praca, Viana do Castelo

Advantages: Cheap, central to both areas
Disadvantages: Not much hot water and no air conditioning

...The Quinta Da Bellavista apartments are situated right in the middle of Albufeira, with a good 15 minutes walk to either the old town or The Strip, which is regarded as the new town and where all the night life and action is. The reception, pool area and bar are on the opposite side of the road from the apartments. We checked in (23rd June 08) and had to give a deposit of 50 euros this was to cover any damages and would be refunded at the end of the holiday. This deposit was not mentioned in the holiday brochure so beware of this when you go. The apartment was clean and tidy, with non of the signs of squashed mosquitoes on the walls. you find a bunk bed in the hall way right opposite the toilet, i'm not sure I would have wanted to sleep there. In the toilet there is a bath, with shower, sink and foot bath. There is a mirror... Read review

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Advantages: A little bit beautiful, interesting and friendly
Disadvantages: A little bit unchallenging

...“I can see we’ve come at the right time of year,” my wife said, for once letting her enthusiasm run ahead of her horticultural expertise. She was gazing out at the flame-trees and bougainvillea as we were driven away from Colombo Airport. Having left a bare-branched February behind in England, perhaps she could be forgiven for being momentarily dazzled by the tropical luxuriance. “April is a little bit more the right time for blossom,” our driver corrected her diplomatically, “or May.” “I see you drive on the left, like we do,” I observed, changing the subject. “Yes, but here it is a little bit more optional.” Within the first few minutes, four recurrent themes of our visit were thus already established: the beauty of Sri Lanka’s flora and fauna; the easy-going amiability of its people; the hair-raising character... Read review

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Advantages: Shiny new hotel, modern and comfortable
Disadvantages: Not the most interesting town in Tuscany

...The 4-star Hotel Da Vinci lies just on the other side of the River Arno from the town centre of Empoli. It's an easy walk from the hotel to all that the town has to offer, unfortunately that's not really an awful lot. On the plus side, it's an easy hotel to find - exit the superstrada 67 (or FI-PI-LI, Firenze-Pisa-Livorno) at either the Empoli east or west junction, follow the by-pass to the bridge, and turn right (or left) for Vinci. In case those instructions are too hard to follow, it's signposted all the way from the SS67 exit. Hotel Da Vinci is ideally situated for visiting some of the major attractions of Tuscany, being a 20-minute drive from Florence, 5 minutes further from Pisa, and around an hour from Sienna. Empoli has rail links with both Florence and Pisa. The hotel is a silver-grey shining, ultra-modern edifice... Read review

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