The new 'W Algarve' hotel, a Marriott International brand, is to be located in the Albufeira municipality, 500 metres from Evaristo Beach near Galé.
A half-built, abandoned aparthotel is to be used as the site for the new hotel which will open under the high quality 'W' brand.
The hotel will be developed in partnership with Nozul Algarve, S.A., and will be the third ‘W Escape’ branded hotel in Europe.
Albufeira's latest hotel will have 134 rooms, two Presidential style suites and 81 W brand apartments which will be for sale. The development is due to open in 2018 and is located on a 250,000m2 plot some 500 metres from the beach.
There’s the usual raft of stuff for tourists to do such as swimming, use the spa, yoga and tennis as well as ‘signature’ restaurants and ‘destination’ bars, whatever they are.
The development is being publicised as ‘on the golden coast of Portugal’ and the residences as, ‘on the sea front’ which may be slightly inaccurate as the current abandoned buildings can not be said to be 'beach front.'
"This seaside paradise is the perfect setting for striking design, signature cocktails, and the dynamic spirit of the W brand," said Anthony Ingham, Global Brand Leader of W Hotels Worldwide.
The hotel is near the Galé to Sesmarias road, some way from the beach but the hotel will no doubt have buggies to transport guests to the Evaristo beach bar and restaurant whose owner must be delighted that at last something is to be done with the derelict hotel site, as will its neighbours.
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Praia do Everisto (from Beaches of the Algarve)
This is a small and essentially rocky beach, nestling between low and aesthetically shaped cliffs. Enormous blocks of rocks are scattered around the sand and under the water and the smell of the sea is intense here. The hot dry sand is backed by areas covered in plants and trees, especially stone pines, mastic-trees and enormous aloes.
Closer to the sand, the predominant plant is the wormleaf saltwort, which is resistant to salt spray.
It is possible to walk eastwards along the cliff top, observing the curious landscapes produced by these rock formations, intensely sculpted and fissured by the elements.
Snorkelling is recommended among the underwater rocks, where you can observe the marine life of the region, ranging from the fish and animals typically found in intertidal environments (buckshot barnacles, mussels, limpets and sea anemones), and which are visible on the faces of the rocks, to the shoals of common two-banded seabreams, white seabreams or sand smelts, which swim in and out of the rocks.
The beach is reached by walking down some wooden steps or down a wooden ramp.
There is a tarmac road signposted to the beach from the road between Guia and Galé. There is a disorganised parking area, but the beach has basic support facilities (restaurant and toilets) and is supervised during the bathing season. The beach faces south/south-west
