Booked what was 5* accommodation could best be described as a very poor dirty 2* at best. Bugs , stains and worn out chipped furniture. Rude unhelpful staff. Please do not waste your time or money we had to pay to stay elsewhere!!
Great location, great room with stunning view (7th floor). Very calm and quiet. Top notch breakfast, and the included buffé was OK. Mamma Mia restaurant was also satisfactiory, not fantastic, but well worth the price. We will definately go back to stay here again.
We are still at hotel. Room great, food excellent. Staff attentive. Everywhere spotless. We have been asked for feedback and this has been listened to and fed back to staff. Would return. Housekeeping thorough. Quality toiletries. In the restaurant the staff are very friendly whilst respectful of one's privacy. The food is of a high quality. Ideal if you want a quality place to recharge in an environment that is friendly. The spa and pools are great. Will happily return
We booked the VidaMar for a week in December so that I could dive with Madeira Divepoint while my wife could do some walks on the Levadas. We have done many All-Inclusive or Half-Board stays in the Canaries, Spain, italy and Sicily in the last few years, mostly with TUI so we knew what to expect. he first surprise was that our transfer from the airport was by taxi, not the interminable bus touring the countryside dropping everyone off. That was a plus. Because we arrived on our own the checking-in process was quick and we were in our room within a few minutes. Another plus. The room was clean, and was cleaned daily, with twin queen-size beds and patio doors onto a balcony with a sea view. The bathroom (for Americans - that is a room with a bath) had bath with shower over (but the controller is counter-intuitive), twin basins, toilet and bidet. There is an abundance of large and sparkling mirrors so that you can admire yourself from 2 angles while having a sit (intentional missing letter). Aircon is gentle and quiet. Not particularly necessary in December but the room is south facing so it might get hot in August. There is a proper modern studio with full range of fitness classes that I avoided very successfully but with an excellent ice-cream window that I did check out. Food was a cut above the buffet meals that we have had in previous TUI and other hotels. The range was similar but veg weren't boiled to death, fruit was ripe and well prepared and the biggest shock was the puddings. The little cakes in other hotels were always very pretty but bland, designed for the kids. These were pretty too but they were varied with nuts, spices, fruits etc as appropriate so there were recognizeable variants of gingerbread, apple turnovers, lemon drizzle and all sorts of other cake and pudding. And ice cream - with fruit/ caramel/ chocolate and sauces, plus loads of different sprinkles and other embelishments. The down side? Well - the signage for the food was far better than most, but Dobradinha was a bit of a shock when I found that it was tripe stew. It is a shame that a big bowl of rice with some vegetables in it is only labelled as "Rice salad" without mentioning that it contains fish. The only allergen that was ever mentioned was gluten - a serious problem for those affected, but there are many other allergens that they are using but not acknowledging. For lunch there is a cafe/ supermarket directly over the road who do some very nice sandwiches, rolls, quiches and Madeiran Custard Tarts. I was highly amused at the reaction when I asked for something without meat. The server looked bewildered then eventually pointed at a sausage roll and said 'pork'. The discussion moved on through chicken, beef, ham and tuna before I gave up. Vegetarianism is not big over there. Buses stop a few yards up the road and mostly cost about 2 Euro per trip but you can buy booklets and various passes. Taxis are abundant and cheap. We enjoyed our week in Madeira and will certainly go back again - to VidaMar and to Funchal.…
Personal were very professional, engaged and kind. Cleaning was very good. Food was good but far from 4 or 5 star. A nice restful place to stay but hallway noice was a bit loud and if you as I was, unlucky enough to have noisy neighbors on both sides it can be difficult with it's thin walls. Close to both the downtown, Marina and shopping centers, restaurants, pubs, cafes, bakeries and food stores. I will give the Managers, Undercover Boss and the Hotel Ambassador high ratings. They were very helpful and pleasant to deal with. I had e-mailed them before the trip with questions twice and both times received an answer with a few hours the same day. That is rare customer service in these times. I had a fall on a wet floor and a manager came immediately and offered help and a Doctor if I wished. Also, the Manager immediately sent staff to mop up the water and put out warning signs for other guests. I was OK except for a few scraps. I was taken to the reception desk desk, my wounds cleaned and bandages applied. There were outdoor salt water pools as well as an indoor pool with sauna and Jacuzzi. Outdoor pool staff were exceptional and helpful. Clean bath towels were given every day also. There was a large deck with many easy chairs to relax and enjoy the sun after swimming in the swimming area.. A pleasant place to vacation despite a few negatives.…
"The higher up, the better the views. I would pick at least a room on floor 5 to 10."Read full review
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim Your Listing