Santa Cruz (Madeira) hotels

Pros: Superb location right by the sea. Friendly and helpful staff, lovely room. Lots of choice at breakfast and in the evening.

Pros: The location is perfect, the hotel is stunning and the attention to detail is commendable. Truly is a fantastic hotel and a credit to Madeira. The hotel is built in to the seaside rocks and what a fantastic job they’ve done. There is 3 hotels all accessible during your stay and all a close walk away. There is 3 places to eat, the Atlantis, a Pizzeria (which cooks various other foods and a buffet restaurant. If I am reviewing solely on the facilities, there would be no negatives. The food was great. Breakfast choice caters for those who prefer the more continental start and those who like eggs and bacon. The town and hotel is very clean. The hotel housekeeping staff are friendly and keep the resort in tip top shape. The majority of customer service staff are friendly.

Cons: The lack of customer service was poor. We called reception to let them know the housekeeping had taken our towels but not replaced them and they just told us to go to the spa to collect others. Thats not acceptable, we pay for our stay and service and the customer service policy from reception is not helpful. There was one young staff member in the Atlantis who was rude in her serving style. We noticed her acting this way with other diners. On the 2nd night we left the restaurant before ordering as she made us feel uncomfortable. There was also a young guy at breakfast who was a bit aggressive in his approach. The service standards at the Atlantis need to be looked at as it lets the resort down. The service at the pizzeria was great, however there was one gentleman who would certainly benefit from customer service training. Finally, the reception at Galomar is non existent for parts of the day. Additional to this, the gentleman whose in charge is very shouty and does not listen to the customer. We noticed this whilst waiting to be seen and then with my partner and I. What riled me most was on the final day when my partner went to settle the mini bar for the final night, he insisted we hadn’t settled the bill. (We settled the bill the day before with this same gentleman at reception). My partner was made to find the receipt before he agreed we had paid. This took 20 mins of our morning and he did not apologise for his admin error not uploading the payment from the day before. The reception is not manned throughout the day but, when it is manned and there’s 3 people waiting, you find yourself waiting 10/20 minutes to be seen. This hotel is great on so many levels but the service practices and customer service from a minority of its staff lets the team down and effects the guests stay negatively. Customer service needs to improve.

Pros: The breakfast was great because of choice and sea view. The room was clean and had a good conditioning. There are a lot of free parking lots just behind the hotel so there is no need to spend time looking where to leave car.

Cons: The table in the room is too small for working on a laptop. Because the shower's drain wasn't working normally, it was not possible to take a shower longer than 3-5 minutes.

Pros: Excellent new hotel with boutique flair. The rooms were modern, clean and quite. The Spa with a view of the atlantic was fantastic. I can recommend highly for a stay.

Pros: Even was a short stay (3 night) I enjoyed eery minute spend here. I love the room with ocean view and big balcony. Clean room and comfortable bed. Spa facilities in good condition. Breakfast with good choice of food and fresh juice. I hope to return soon to this hotel

Cons: A bit complicated access to different locations, so first day you might get lost. But friendly staff is there to guide you

Pros: The hotel is brand new, the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The location of the hotel is an amazing part of the island. Overall, it's a very relaxing place to have a quiet getaway in Madeira with very easy access to Funchal via public transport.

Pros: Very new, modern, eco-friendly hotel with a beautiful sea-view. 25min away from Funchal by bus/car. The food at the Atlantic restaurant was fantastic with very fresh fish and seafood. The breakfast was also great with fresh tropical fruits and juices. Would definitely recommend staying here!

Cons: Everything was great, just that there is no common cozy area to hang out.

Pros: I was given a room at the highest floor, facing the sea & swimming pool. Love it so much! The bed is comfortable & they serve great breakfast! Breakfast place with sea view too!

Cons: No slippers in the room, no 24 hours reception in the property. There were times I saw guests waiting outside the property unable to come in because nobody is at the reception. Hope they can improve on this.

Pros: I loved everything about this hotel. The staff every single one were extremely polite, & happy to look after you. It was a little cold when I arrived , this was not a problem at this hotel , they put the heating up & also supplied mobile heaters. Perfect. The food is of a very hood standard. The gardens are tropical , & truly fantastic. I will return & highly recommend this Beatriz hotel. Thank you all for making my stay perfect.

Cons: Nothing.

Pros: Very nice hotel with big rooms equiped with kitchen. Stunning gardens around. It is a place to stay there all the time. Clean swimming pool, good restaurants and very nice, warm and helpful staff. Located 10 mins away from Funchal and the airport. Easy to reach the west, east and north of the island from there. We will repeat as soon as possible.

Cons: Leaving

Pros: Beautiful hotel surrounded amazing botanical pleasures. Awesome scenery and views of ocean and sunrise. Excellent facilities and customer service.

Pros: I stayed in a suite with spa access and it was just wonderful. The ambience of the place, the beautiful garden surroundings, the friendly staff, the spa all made it very special. And the suite itself was luxurious and spacious with a lovely sea view. Overall, a beautiful place for a retreat.

Cons: The only thing I would want to see improved would be more fitness sessions available with better equipment such as yoga mats - the ones they have are not great.

Pros: The location in the centre of Canico was excellent. The hire car parking was inside and the ground floor apartment was very suitable for our use of a folding mobility scooter. We particularly liked the botanical garden tour which has over 1,000 species of trees, plants and shrubs from around the world. Having stayed here previously some 15 years ago, it was nice to see the additional apartments, large patio areas now completed with a perfect vista out to sea.

Cons: The apartment was spacious, well laid out, with full kitchen facilities, kitchen appliances, oven and hob (if required) to be self sufficient but one thing missing was a microwave cooker.

Pros: The concept of wellness and botanical garden. Location. Staff. Views.

Cons: TV should include national channels.

Pros: The hotel is a paradise on Earth. The garden is a very beautiful place

Pros: I loved the whole stay. The staff were very friendly and the grounds were amazing. The spacious spa was a plus.

Pros: Great breakfast as well as dinners. Helpful and always friendly staff. Interesting entertainment, for example traditional dance and songs night. Perfect and relaxing ocean view from the room balcony. Parking for free.

Cons: The wifi connection in 5th floor rooms could be stronger.

Pros: Excellent choice on the breakfast buffet. Free parking lots right outside the hotel available. Excellent dinner recommendation: The Restaurante Praia Dos Reis Magos (3 min walking distance along the beach). They serve excellent dishes! We went there every single day.

Cons: We had a room with sea view and quite close to the ocean (room no. 024). However, if you leave the window front open, you hear the swell of the sea extremely loud, esp. at night. If you are a light sleeper, definteley a point to consider. The air condition in the room didn’t work properly either, so had to deal with a lot of heat during daytime since the sun shone directly to the room all day long. Impossible to stay in the room during morning hours, the noise level produced by the cleaning ladies moving around chairs, tables and beds in the neighbouring rooms is unbelieveable. In booking.com the room was detailed to have a mini-bar, but actually available was a small, empty refrigerator, connected and put to “full power” not rendering any coolness at all. I also found the huge sink lever (somehow we got a handicapped accessible room) as well as in the shower quite disturbing while doing toiletry and showering. Last but not least, the ugly smell from the bathroom drains and toilet was making our stay even more uncomfortable. No ventilation in the bathroom either. We also expected a better coffee at the breakfast buffet for a 4-star hotel.

Pros: Great spacious room with a sea view; nice outdoor and indoor swimming pools; good sauna

Cons: The hotel could have more greenery in the corridors, more plants indoors

Pros: The breakfast buffet was really great (a pity the coffee was not up to standard). The complimentary bus into Funchal was a real treat and very much appreciated. We really enjoyed the swimming pool!

Cons: The bathroom was dated and the toilet placed in an awkward position right behind the door. The toiletries were from wall mounted dispensers which turned us off and we went out and bought shampoo, conditioner and shower gel. The air conditioning appeared not to work.

Pros: Very clean and well equipped.

Cons: No issues.

Pros: The hotel is quite nice, reception area and common spaces are lovely. We enjoyed the spa facilities which are free to use.

Cons: Breakfast was mediocre. Our biggest issue was that the air conditioning was broken in the entire hotel, and our thermostat was not working which we tried to tell them the night before the AC broke down. I went to reception to let them know that our AC was broken and was told there was nothing they could do until morning (fair) and was told to open a window (which is really a patio door). I then asked if they had any ear plugs as it was an extremely windy and loud night, to which I was told "this isn't a 5 star." Not a great start. Was also disappointed that you must pay to use the safe, which is absurd to me as it is used to protect your things from the hotel staff coming into the room, so it should not be 10 euros.

Pros: Indoor- und Outdoor Pool, Whirlpool, Fitness Studio

Cons: Much too expensive for the outer appearance and comfort of the hotel (e.g. compared to the Riu Hotel next door)

Pros: The breakfast was amazing and the staff really helpful! Even after our stay at the hotel we continued eating breakfast there while travelling on Madeira! The staff did a great job and helped us both with recommendations for local restaurants and sights!

Cons: Tiny detail that was annoying: The shower was a bit dirty and the shampoo holder fell down right when we arrived.

Pros: A wonderful place to detox and have yoga, amazing vegan food, beautiful treatments

Cons: Road noise

Pros: The location is amazing, super quiet, perfect for a relaxing holiday. The staff was very very nice, very attentive and committed to a great stay! Spacious rooms, fantastic treatments. Very good activities, facilities and comfort! I would definitely go back, simply amazing!

Cons: Nothing

Pros: The hotel staff are kind and friendly and accommodated our request for a top floor room. The sea views from our room and from the relaxing room are fantastic. The beds were very comfortable and there is a pillow menu. As returning guests we were given a free bottle of water and a bowl of fruit on arrival which was a nice touch. The hotel also arranged for our transportation to and from the airport and the driver came in the Galo Resort mini bus to pick us up. Galo Resort also includes 2 sister hotels the Galomar and Galosol which we were able to visit and use their facilities. Upon arrival we booked evening meals for 7 nights and received a 30% discount. Evening meals are at the Hotel Galosol and are buffet style, several nights a week are themed ie. BBQ, Fish buffet, Portugese night. We thought the meals were excellent value and the food was varied and good quality. We also had breakfast here several mornings too. At the Hotel Galomar we used the infinity pool facility and the spa, where I had a luxury pedicure with Carla and my husband used the sauna and relaxing room/sun balcony. At the Galo hotels in Canico there were visitors from many countries but mostly German. Most staff can speak some English as well as German and Portugese. There is a diving school at the Lido, Hotel Galomar and my husband went snorkelling here at the underwater nature reserve. Be aware that it is the Atlantic Ocean and the water can be cold at times. The weather was perfect, not too hot about 24C with a cool breeze. There is an activity programme for the hotels ranging from Levada walking to Yoga and water colour painting and also evening entertainment at the bar in the Galomar. We had a lovely relaxing week here again and enjoyed our stay very much.

Cons: nothing

Pros: The location and room were simply great. It was very quiet and the atmosphere very relaxing.

Cons: I didn't like the Ayurveda food but I managed to have dinner at the sister hotel.

Pros: Adults only hotel is great. Everything was great.

Cons: For 250€ per night, could make free water in room. New year eve Gala dinner , was not that good enough as for 106€ per person. Restaurant was in Galo hotel , so old and non style.

Pros: excellent breakfast, quite place, nice own beach.

Cons: fruit salad in the past had mango.

Pros: Location fantastic and staff great.

Pros: The access to the sea The deckchair next to the see The view from the restaurant

Cons: The hotel is hudge and a lot of distance has to be made between each spot. The snooker can't be used at nigth witch hasen't been indicated when we asked how to use it The diving center where you can pay only by cash with atm very far from the hotel

Pros: Best place for diving and snorkeling on the island from my point. Wonderful place to stay for quiet vacation.

Cons: Beach is closing too early - at 6 pm in October.

Pros: I liked the room and hotel pools surrounded by beautiful gardens

Cons: Gym and indoor poor layout - you have to go through gym gates in order to get to indoor pool. Sauna and steam rooms were used by fully naked guests that walked around nude everywhere in the area, nudity should be prohibited in family friendly hotels; Galosol is supposed to be family friendly and Galomar adults only

Pros: Probably one of the best holiday resorts I've been to. Beautiful location, excellent service, wonderful clean rooms and any facility available that one could wish for.

Pros: very friendly and good value for money. Would go again

Pros: hotel staff is very competent and very friendly, location for sports activities is great (hiking, mountain biking, gym, diving ...), breakfast is very good

Pros: The room was comfortable with a lovely sea view. The breakfast was really good with lots of different choices on offer.

Pros: The gym/sports facilities are very good. The sauna/spa area is very useful after a day of walking. Swimming in the sea. Breakfast is very good.

Cons: Facilities are rather spread out and involve crossing public areas.

Pros: The variety of activities supplied by the hotel.

Cons: A kitchenette would have been perferred and/or a fridge for our use as opposed to a stocked mini-bar.

Pros: The hotel was well organized and I had the change to relax a lot because of the plenty physical body activities.

Cons: I couldn't find shampoo in the bathroom, there was only one product for body and hair, a four star hotel has to provide nice different products for body and hair.

Pros: sea view, staff service

Cons: very old furniture, ancient leaking shower in the room, tough pancakes, awful coffee and half-done omelette for breakfasts

Pros: Hotel location, breakfast and health center.

Cons: Furniture and plumbing!!! Hotel definitely needs new furniture and renewal of plumbing accessories.

Pros: The room was perfect and the view was very good

Cons: There was a lot of olg germans, no young people at all. I also recomend to make tea/coffee facilities in the room free

Pros: swimming safely directly accessible in the Atlantic

Cons: quality of the coffee at breakfast

Pros: Staff were all very pleasant and helpful. Sea views and different levels for sunbathing with some fairly private. Able to find a sheltered spot on windy days.

Cons: Bed was rather hard.

Pros: We loved our 3 nights at Royal Orchid, staff very very professional and clean, specifically mrs Augusta da Silva. Will come back and recommend to our friends.

Pros: location

Cons: bad wifi connaction

Pros: Location was Ok. Room was big enough. See view was excellent

Cons: Furniture, refrigerator, TV-set, and kitchen were probably more than 20 years old. No mini-bar. Only one free plug for all kitchen tools and for recharging of batteries.

Pros: breakfast very good

Cons: no facilities for children pool closure with no previous notification. Overcharged for extra bed in room although this be a mistake by booking

Pros: Staff very friendly and good service, access to the sea for swimming, good gym and massage etc. Opted for sea view and it was fantastic

Pros: Location

Cons: Coffee

Pros: So close to the sea. Staff were very friendly and helpful.

Cons: Noise from building going on around.

Pros: Location and access to other hotels/ facilities. It was beautifully positioned on the rocks.

Cons: It looks like the hotels could use some style upgrades. Also, the food is not great.

Pros: Amazing breakfast, the perfect sea view from the room :) Nice atmosphere and plenty of activities close by

Pros: The amazing view from our room. The small private areas around the property were one could be alone and enjoy the ocean. The area which had all you needed in grocery shops, restaurants, bus to funchal, and pick up points for excursions

Cons: Some ants in the room

Pros: The property has really good location that means from the airport is just 10 min drive and that is €20. The facilities were excellents, the view is fantastic, the staff amazing. I am planning to go back again in two years time because I went myself but in two years I hope that I will have someone with me

Pros: Beautiful sea views. Interesting layout on several levels.

Pros: Great balcony roof "

Cons: Room because smell holding

Pros: Very professional personnel

Cons: Too warm into the room, need AC

Pros: Amazing location

Cons: Grumpy waiter

Pros: Welcome drink. Big spacy room with small equipt kitchen. We left early, so lady brought us a breakfast the evening before. You can order dinner on beautiful terace.

Cons: The rooms are far from the reception (different streets). Very bad view (towards the wall of the room in front). Parking place is somewhere in the street. Far from the sea.

Pros: I really enjoyed the nature. We used public transport and hire the car to travel around the Island. Amazing views everywhere, wonderful markets,very tasty meals,fish ,fruits. I definitely would like to come back again to Madeira!

Cons: I would suggest to make some changes at breakfast time, to me it was more like continental breakfast.

Pros: I loved this place. Amazing view, super helpfull staff and all this positive energy made my trip so much better. Staff onsite helped us with activities, operating buses, renting a car and all the questions we've got. They were always smiling and patient with us. I highly recommend Inn&Art

Pros: Good location for a quiet stay

Cons: A little run down but clean and bear in mind it’s only a 3star

Pros: Location was good. Bakery up the street restaurant across from the hotel was very good.

Cons: No wifi in room had to go to the Lobby. That was an inconvenien.

Cons: It was very noisy.

Pros: Friendly staff. Breakfast was the same every day but good. Everyone could combine to their liking. The view of the garden was beautiful. Spacious room.

Cons: Ants in the room and bathroom. On rainy days the basement rooms are damp. These rooms probably don't have ground moisture insulation.

Pros: Very good was

Pros: Super place to stay. Clean and well organised. Staff very helpful. Good selection for breakfast. Ideally located for airport and Funchal centre. Bus stop across the road from hotel has good, regular service. Several bars and places to eat on same street that are very reasonably priced. Also 2 well-stocked local shops.

Pros: Easy access to hotel. Parking available outside. (payable). Friendly staff. Restaurant and mini supermarket around. Clean.

Cons: Minimal amenities, Soap available.