Best cake shop in Albufeira, if not the world

Visiting the Algarve around three years ago was rather disappointing. This was due to a mixture of wrong hotel and wrong location. Wrong for us, that is. Part of the problem was probably that we had enjoyed such a wonderful holiday in Madeira the year before. The Algarve is a beautiful area of Portugal but sadly all too many resorts have been ruined by the march of tourism. Despite being English tourists abroad ourselves, we found that Albufeira was designed for British tourists that had different vacation needs to ours.

There were however many good aspects to our vacation and many fond memories.

If I was to recommend any eatery we came across on the Algarve to would be travellers I would have to heartily recommend The Riviera Cake Shop, which my husband declared to be the best cake shop in the world.

We stayed at the Perla Do Algarve in the heart of Albufeira and were rather disappointed with the accommodation. The name of this hotel means The Pearl of The Algarve but it was far from it. I shall be generous and conclude that as it was September and nearing the end of the tourist season, perhaps this is why the hotel was looking past its best.

We first came across The Riviera Cake Shop as we waited for transport on one of our excursions. Our pick up point was that the Brisa Sol Hotel which is a large complex on the main road in Albufeira. It was only a stone's throw away from our hotel but a whole ten star ratings above it.

At the front of the Brisa Sol, incorporated in the building, there are a few shops. There is a newspaper vendor, a couple of high class clothes stores and a cake shop. On close inspection when we returned and the cake shop had opened for the day, we saw a nice collection of rattan furniture outside. This cake shop incorporates a cafe come restaurant.

To order simply go into the shop and select the cake you want from the splendid selection on show. There are so many it is hard to choose. All look as delicious as they taste and most are rich with cream.The bonus is that the prices are very reasonable.

You can order coffee or a pot of tea to accompany your cakes and sit outside watching the Algrave world go by. The atmosphere is relaxed, the service excellent and the fare remarkably good. In the morning we would by the morning paper and have a few coffees whilst we read and relaxed. There was never any hurry or rush for you to leave.

We did stop by on our last night and had an evening meal here.

We still sat outside as the weather was good. There is seating room inside, however. One thing to note is that the toilets are down a steep flight of stairs. I am not sure if a lift was available. If not this could be a problem for someone with mobility issues.

Our evening meal was good. It was steak with the usual vegetables. Although it was good it was not superior to all other such meals. However, the service was good and the price reasonable. We had a lovely evening.

For us The Riviera Cake Shop excelled at its prime objective. That is being a superior cake shop. To call it the best cake shop in the world is presumptuous, as we have not travelled that extensively. However, we have travelled around England, Scotland, many Greek Islands, Malta, Gozo, Cyprus, Madeira and The Algarve. We have also visited Seville, Austria, Lichtenstein, Switzerland, Gibraltar and Sicily.

To date we have to find a Cake Shop to surpass The Riviera Cake Shop in Albufeira. If you are in the area check it out. It will not be a strain on the purse strings but it could make a huge strain on the seam's of your clothes.

The Riviera Cake Shop is located at:

The Hotel Brisa Sol
Cerro Alagoa
8200-129 Albufeira
Telephone: 289 587 745