Our Megatur transfers were booked through Transfers4u.com and are covered under the umbrella company of Turitrato Transfers. The booking process is simple and I booked our transfers in conjunction with out holiday to the Algarve through www.otbeach.com as we have done previously.
In order to book the transfers you are required to put in your flight details and customer booking details. However this isn't a review of the site but a review of the service we received from Megatur.
Our Experience
After booking there is no need to make a confirmation call before travelling, thankfully our flight was on time and on arrival at Faro airport we went to desk 39 to meet "Nelson" our driver. I had specifically booked the shuttle transfer at the price off £37.36 for 2 adults, rather than a personal taxi which was double the price. Nelson wasn't at desk 39 when we arrived, in fact there was nobody there, but that was because we hadn't actually followed the route we should have done, and had we have gone the right way we would have found him waiting for us at arrivals. Another member of staff spotted us and called Nelson over, we were then introduced. He took our confirmation details from us and swapped it with the information I needed to confirm the return transfer. He then led us to a small minibus, loaded our luggage and we were on our way. Our apartment was 33Km from the airport and the journey took approximately 25 minutes. We were the only passengers which amazed me. I was very impressed with the service and glad I hadn't shelled out for a private taxi and a ridiculous price.
Nelson was polite and friendly; he made brief conversation in English and gave us some information about our apartment and its location. He also explained to us the distance from where we were staying to the beach and town area. On arrival or our destination we were dropped off at reception and were wished a good holiday before being told it would be Nelson picking us up for the return route.
Portugal's Roads & Traffic System
The roads in Portugal are similar to those in England the signs are recognisable, however the whole transfer felt a bit like a fairground ride - I loved it! I don't know what limit we drove at but I never felt unsafe and all the cars on the road were doing the same speed. Every car on the road seemed to own it. It didn't appear to matter that there was a line down the middle separating the oncoming traffic from the traffic going in our direction. On 2 occasions we were in the wrong lane (on the right side of the road) and just cruised across into the correct lane instead of taking a wrong turn. In England this would have caused uproar on the roads, but in Portugal this seemed normal. I marvelled at the traffic light system and the lack of speed cameras. Nelson explained the lights to me as I didn't quite understand how they randomly went red.
If the limit is 50km/ph and you are doing 60km/ph then the lights will flash amber and the next set will go red. This is to stop you from speeding. Effectively you are given a penalty and made to stop. This is an excellent idea why don't we do this in England? It worked well and appeared to be adhered to by all drivers. Obviously there were also lights in place to make crossroads safe but this speed control system amazed me.
The only time I didn't feel safe on the roads was when it came to roundabouts, I am so used to looking to the right for oncoming traffic that looking left from the rear-view window I was convinced the traffic was going to come through the window. Also the drivers all appear to cruise around the roundabouts without slowing down! Or they will stop just ahead of the junction, peeping into the road in a position where if the nose of the car was bumped I wouldn't have been surprised.
The Return Transfer
I called the Megatur office 24 hours prior to our return transfer. The office is only open Monday-Friday and between 10.00 - 12.30 and 3.30 -5pm (though this may change so it is well worth checking in advance). A very helpful lady answered and put me through to the relevant person. She confirmed our pick up time and location (from reception where we were dropped off).
One our return journey we had a different driver - which was a shame because had it have been Nelson we would have tipped him. We detoured around Albufeira, Villamoura and Faro as we picked up 6 other people and had a full shuttle bus. It was a quiet journey, fairly slow in comparison to our first trip but we arrived at the airport just in time for the check in to open. Against our driver was polite and friendly and he was chatting away to the older ladies who took their place at the front of the minibus next to the driver - whose name I never caught. He wished up a good trip home and handed our luggage to us individually.
The mini buses were white 9 seaters including the driver's seat with enough space to the rear of the vehicle for luggage. The interior was clean and comfortable, air conditioned and with a Portuguese radio station on quietly in the background on both journeys. They were also fully equipped with seatbelts for all passengers, something which is sometimes missing on foreign buses/coaches. For both transfers (each way) the driver's were early and waiting for us as we arrived on time. They also left the vehicle each time new passengers boarded to check their details and take their luggage and help them on board should they need assistance.
What Megatur Have To Say
The Megatur website states the following:
"MEGATUR is a fully licensed Travel Agency and Transport Company, located in the ALGARVE providing a rapid and reliable airport transfer service, from Faro airport to all resorts such as Montegordo, Cabanas, Tavira, Faro, Quarteira, Vilamoura, Açoteias, Balaia, Albufeira, Praia da Galé, Armação de Pêra, Carvoeiro, Ferragudo, Praia da Rocha, Portimão, Alvor, Lagos, Praia da Luz, Burgau, Salema, Sagres, Évora, Lisbon, Cascais, Estoril, Fatima and Oporto."
My Opinion
I wouldn't hesitate to book my transfers through transfers4u.com again or Megatur as an independent service, should I return to Portugal. In addition to transfers the Megatur website also offers excursions, golf, car rental, accommodation and information on the Algarve. The payment facilities on the Megatur website offer Visa, Mastercard and Paypal.
