Calheta Beach

Enjoyed a lovely suite with ocean view at this hotel. Fabulous front desk staff and housekeeping. The hotel is bright and airy, very cheerful. The only reason I didn’t give this hotel a 5, is because the food was just mediocre. Nothing special except in one of the a la cartes. Otherwise the buffet could be improved. For example, on Asian night, the use of spaghetti in a noodle dish left a lot to be desired. Stick with Portuguese food, as this is what folks like me truly come to enjoy!

The rooms are pretty big, loved that there were separate rooms for more privacy. The drinks at the bar were good to and food was great. The pool was also very nice and the ocean was near. Also liked the sauna and the gym. I was here in December so decorations were everywhere and they were beautiful and they brought vibe for Christmas.

A relaxing week away - quiet hotel - laid back for us to do "nothing with a bit of nothing on the side"||Great staff, place is immaculately clean and kept that way. Restaurants offer good choice - always something interesting. Bar staff were good - all inc cocktails looked good and were in demand.||I know we got a quiet week (end of Nov) sea was warm enough to swim, outdoor pool was a bit cooler - indoor warm. Hotel was transformed into Christmas wonderland - if you have kids they'd love it (adults also will)||A place on our "we would go back" list.

Needs a thorough refurbishment, not like its last, being a coat of paint over the bathroom tiles, it had a leaking tap, and a water damaged swollen door. However, it was spotlessly clean. Bed linen tired torn at seams, towels worn thin. Bed extraordinarily hard, pillows tired. Fridge interior broken and hardly cold. Aircon noisy and set at 19’. Rooms facing pool/sea view have noise from entertainment, rooms with cliff view face a building linked for self catering rooms above a grocery, car park, chemist and tourist info shop. Taxi rank outside hotel €40-50 to Funchal 30 min drive. Local bus in Calheta village very inexpensive taking the original old roads into Funchal, well worth it for exquisite views. Food pleasant, hot and a reasonable selection, servers very friendly. Pool lovely and clean, super separate shaded pool for toddlers. Planting lovely with species named. Beach clean with sheltered swimming. Pleasant promenade to stroll. Reception attitude hit n miss- hotel vibe favoured German and French guests. Could be a jewel in the crown with investment for refurbishment and staff training. It’s definitely not 4* but a very good 3*. Be sure to check a map to note its location. If you are happy to pay a bit more to access excursions and return to a slower paced area it’s great, if you just want pool or beach days then the location is perfect. Pool towels available for a daily fee from the reception. Luggage scales in reception area €1 per weighed case, you can’t slip another case on before removing the the first. Beware slippy lift floors, guests from the pool use them. Beware the corridor lighting is sensor activated, it’s timing and location to activate needs tweaking, requiring guests to walk in pitch black for considerable distance.

Locstion is further away from the main tourist areas than we realised... potentially renting a car would be a good idea to enabke visits to other locations on longer stays. Staff were so friendly, really made an effort. Most are multi lingual and happy to chat or help you feel involved. Facilities and room were amazing, albeit the buffet didn't always cater for fussy kids eating. Two attached restaurants were lovely and had a separate kids menu. Pools and spa were lovely, but the outdoor one was freezing cold! We would stop again

We would like to give special thanks to Zé at the reception. He is a true professional who performs his work impeccably and with great attention to detail. Always pleasant, polite, and genuinely welcoming he represents the hotel at the highest level. Thank you, Zé, for your professionalism and warm attitude throughout our stay.

26 Sept - 6 Oct in room 407. Overall enjoyed our stay in this hotel but not sure I'd recommend it to others. The location is OK if you're looking for a relaxing break with a beach and a few extra restaurants around if you prefer to eat out but beyond that there isn't much in the area. If you want to explore the island you're better off located in the capital Funchal. You can do trips from the hotel but probably easier from the capital unless you have a car. There is a hotel run bus to Funchal but it's 30 euros each making it a costly choice, the bus goes at 10 am and comes back either 16;30 or 18;00 depending on the day. If you go out request a packed lunch the day before and collect at breakfast time. The hotel itself is clean, compact with a good relaxed atmosphere. The service from the staff is good most of the time I'll expand on that in the restaurant bit. If you want to relax by the pool be warned that the entertainment staff do like the opportunity to pump up the volume and try and shake you off your sunbeds so the noise can get a bit overbearing at times. Getting a sunbed was never a problem but then again I don't think the hotel was more than half full most of the time so this is a great time to go. Make sure you check out the sun terrace on level 5, well worth a visit for those sunsets. Food was reasonable but my wife has a gluten allergy which makes things difficult at times. There were labels on the food and if asked someone will show you around and tell you what you can have. The first few days the Chef was excellent and said they could do GF pasta and alter some dishes so we thought great, then the chef changed mid way through and on Italian night when asked this one said no pasta no pizza so basically no Italian. If all inclusive you can eat in 2 other restaurants but it's a limited menu unless you pay extra. Overall 6/10 on the food score. Entertainment was ok some good some not so but that's personal choice. Again the entertainment is by the pool so those in rooms facing it can be very loud but it does stop at 22:30. If all inclusive you can eat in 2 other restaurants but it's a limited menu unless you pay extra.

Gorgeous views and great location with lots of activity but if you are English speaking I wouldn’t recommend this hotel - they are primarily Portuguese speaking and come off a bit rude to any English folk, or that’s how I felt. ||Building is outdated and Food is mediocre. Lots of selection for food and they were accommodating to get my toddler a meal she would eat, however a lot of the food looked like it had been reheated from prior meals.||We had an ant issue in our bathroom and had to call reception 3+ times to get it taken care of. Ants all over my daughters medicine and they did nothing about it except tell me to put it in the fridge and sprayed ant killer in the washroom. ||Kids club again, speaks mostly Portuguese and barely included my daughter because she was English speaking. ||Excellent park just 5 minute walk from the location and beach is kid friendly. Definitely a good location for toddlers and kids alike.