During your trip to Santa Maria Maior, you can do some window-shopping at Funchal Farmers Market. Stroll along the area's seaside, or simply savor its top-notch restaurants.
Explore the great outdoors at Madeira Botanical Garden, a lovely green space in Santa Maria Maior. Stroll along the seaside in this relaxing area, or check out its top-notch restaurants.
Explore the great outdoors at Pico do Ariero, a lovely green space in Curral das Freiras. Stroll along the seaside in this relaxing area, or check out its lively bars.
"Positives
- Our room was on the 6th floor which has an amazing view out to the Atlantic!
- The bed was comfortable
- The air con was good.
- Shower was good.
- Enjoyed our time at the lower level sea water pool and great to have sea access.
- Nice bar staff at the lower level pool.
Negatives
- Really poor soundproofing in the room, we heard stomping around from upstairs at all different hours of the day, you can hear people using the bathroom taps/showers. You can hear next door TV. This was probably the main bug bear of this stay.
- Myself and my wife had spoken to the hotel about it being my birthday and if they could do anything special for us, even if it required as to pay, they said they were going to put a bottle of sparkling in the room but it never happened. This is quite poor customer service to be honest.
- We tried calling the reception nearly everyday early in the evening to get an iron and ironing board, no-one ever answered the phone.
- Unattentive bar staff at the rooftop bar.
- Highly annoying and repetitive promo video/music in the lifts.
In summary, we absolutely loved Madeira, but unfortunately when we visit again, it won't be to the NEXT hotel."
"Perfect location to have access to everything in a comfy environment.
Unfortunately, in the evening, you can still hear the noise from the local shops. Otherwise, a beautiful place to stay."
"The hotel and facilities are excellent and the staff very friendly. The only problem was that the service was very slow. There seemed a lack of urgency in attending to the guests."
"We were well received with staff helping with our bags immediately. Note, if you do want your luggage right away, don't use their luggage service as it is not immediate. Room was large and comfortable. We had an oceanview room with balcony. For the smokers, balcony has ashtrays! Bathroom was large with separate toilet door. Small note, that one of the 2 sinks was a bit backed up. That is truly the only small thing.
Staff were polite throughout the resort. Not understanding the concept, it is a resort where you can purchase different packages for food and beverage. As you research take note that Funschal is approx 40 mins away so if you aren't making the commute, look into a more robust dining package.
Our favourite spot was the natural saltwater pool. It's like an infinity pool up against the ocean. It fills/filters when the tide is high. Crabs run along the pool edge. On the other side of the pool you can swim in the ocean. At low tide the water is neck deep (approx) and can be accessed via the beach. The food is amazing at the natural pool location. The seafood rice was our favourite. Clayton, the host was very nice.
Outside the fact it's a bit far, it's a lovely resort with enough entertainment as well as solitude for days."
"Pure luxury in a fantastic location for exploring Funchal. Couldn't fault the hotel, everything was exquisite. We booked a superior room which meant we had a few extra perks (like having a separate breakfast restaurant with table service to name one) and the seam view balcony was huge. Overall we fully recommend the Cliff Bay"
"The staff was wonderful and very helpful! We loved how close to the beach it was and the night time music. The food was also plentiful and good. The room was cleaned every day.
The beds were not comfortable, and neither were the pillows. The pool stayed really cold, not too many people got into the pool. We also paid for an ocean view and looked at the building across the street.
Overall, we enjoyed our stay."
"The resort is amazing, super clean. The buffets are excellent, tons of selections, staffs are very friendly.
The room was spacious and perfect.
We really enjoy are stay, and we will be back."
