Hotel The Cliff Bay

We have just returned from our 2nd stay at the superb Cliff Bay Hotel & once again - have nothing but the highest of praise for all aspects of our stay. The view from our Funchal Bay room was stunning - made ever more so by the fantastic Christmas lights to be seen all over the city. The hotel was decorated beautifully throughout for Christmas and the poinsettia ‘tree’ in reception was absolutely amazing. We ate at Il Gallo d’Oro, Avista Mediterraneo and the Rose Garden with all meals being superb and fabulously presented. Every single member of staff we encountered during our visit - from reception, restaurant, bar - even the lady who cleaned our room to perfection every day were extremely friendly, helpful and completely professional at all times - each one of them worth their weight in gold. Thanks for another superb visit and look forward to visiting again soon.

We, family of 4, just came back from a 7 nights stay at The Cliff Bay hotel. It is simply an awesome place to stay. The rooms and decor are outstanding, views and scenery breathtaking and the service from staff in all departments are outstanding. We only had breakfast as we were out and about during the day, and explored various restaurants all over Madeira. The breakfast spread is really nice with lots of options. Highly recommended!

Unfortunately, the first impression of this beautiful hotel was ruined during check-in. The front desk staff were rude and unwelcoming, showing a low level of professionalism and hospitality. The rooms are spacious and very comfortable, with a well-thought-out layout and a cozy atmosphere. Unfortunately, we had noisy neighbors in the adjacent room, and the staff was unable to do anything about it. Breakfast was the second disappointment overly formal and unfortunately not tasty, despite the breakfast restaurant itself being beautiful and comfortable. On a positive note, the hotel grounds are truly impressive: well maintained, with a wide variety of beautiful plants. The oceanfront terraces are well located, surrounded by greenery, and create a cozy, relaxing atmosphere.

Wonderful hotel built on a cliff. We stayed 2 adults and one child in this accommodation. Lovely rooms, great facilities including children indoor play area/playground, swimming pools indoors and outdoors, super friendly babysitting service. Attentive staff, tasty morning breakfast including plant based food. We enjoyed our stay. Would recommend.

The staff at The Cliff Bay really make the difference! I was traveling solo and when I arrived there was a slight issue with my reservation and they not only fixed it right away but did it with a smile. Traveling solo, there’s a lot you take into account, including safety and after a day of hiking and exploring the island, I always felt great coming back here. I was probably half the age of most guests but even the guests were super nice and most come yearly. I saw a lot of reviews talk about the rooms being outdated-they are clean, have everything you need and are quick to replace anything you use. I would definitely stay here again!

A fantastic experience spending a week here on holiday. It's one of the quieter hotels that I have stayed at with the guests mostly being retired. This means that any entertainment is relatively low key, but certainly doesn't lack quality. There is very little that can be criticised; everything is clean & tidy, the food is great and the service is awesome. the team that work there all take pride in their work if they're running the restaurant or helping to set up the sun loungers by the pool. Be aware that there is a dress code (particularly for dinner) and unlike most places it is enforced. So don't think that you can turn up to dinner in flip-flops and your football shirt. It's all very discreet and well managed, but it is there. This makes the whole experience more valuable. If you want to relax in a great location, I'll highly recommend this. You'll find cheaper hotels, but you will have to go a long way to find a better one.

We've stayed at the Cliff Bay now 5 times in 2 years & each time it's been superb. The hotel is so clean & comfortable, all staff are friendly & helpful, and breakfasts and dinners in the Rose Garden Restaurant are excellent. We choose a room with the Funchal Bay view and it's the best place that we've ever stayed anywhere.

The hotel offers a range of rooms, all of which are looked after superbly well by a friendly staff. It is a quiet and elegant place to stay for a relaxing time on Madeira, with excellent views and easy access to all the facilities that Funchal offers. The clientele largely comprises retirees and the excellent quality of service clearly entices many to return on a regular basis.

The Avista restaurant is beautifully decorated with a gorgeous view. The seating is very comfortable, the drinks are good, the food is great. The shrimp and beef tartare starters are must-gets and the veal in beurre blanc was incredible. The rice that I got as a side was plain rice however it was the most flavorful plain rice I've ever had a restaurant. This would be a 5 star review had it not been for the terrible service. A member our party has a nut allergy and alerted our waiter to it and he kept asking her if it was just an intolerance or an allergy to which she kept replying that it was an allergy. He'd make a face and then take 5 minutes to write it in his notes. He barely checked on us throughout the night and proceeded to give us dirty looks when HE tripped near our table and almost spilled something on us. When we were ordering food (with the intention of taking some home so we could try more) he kept insisting it would be too much food for us and made us feel bad about ordering so much. I would have loved everything about this restaurant if it weren't for that waiter.

A stunning hideaway! Gorgeous views and delicious food. Great experience guaranteed:) The first floor has fish, steak, pastas, all you could ever dream of, combined with the view it really might feel like a dream! The second floor is sushi only and is only open on weekends- chef's choice in sushi assortment but everything we got we loved so trust the chef! Either way, a reservation is pretty necessary so be sure to make that with them or the concierge at your hotel. Be sure to get a glass of Madeira wine with your Tiramisu! Also if you get cold, they have heaters and blankets for you :) Thank you to Leonardo and João for taking the best care of us!!!

You will feel like you are in Positano or Torrey Pines, but better because this jewel box of a location remains relatively undiscovered by the masses. Yet every luxury demanded by even the most discerning international traveler is exceeded. Wow. Wow. And wow. Sit in the terrace for the view, then order a 5 star meal at Avista. Can't wait to return!

It's a nice property but the service from the administration is ridiculously poor. The snobbery, unfriendliness, and bad management are nowhere approaching professional. Perhaps they didn't like us. We were repeatedly approached to ask if we were staying there and treated like were were trespassers. We were staying for over a week. Very odd. After a full week at the hotel and constant poor service and just weird interactions bordering on offensive, we asked for a late check out and were immediately told no. I mean, immediately. Like she was taking pleasure in it. Like we were begging from her. Normally a top quality hotel will at least pretend to check to see if anyone else is taking the room. Perhaps charge us more money? Whatever. We were given a hard no. Yes, soooo sorry we spent thousands of dollars at your hotel and asked for an extra hour. My bad. I recommend stopping by for tea, if you want to see the property. Reid's is nicer. Then again, there are a whole lot of nicer places on the island that don't require you to receive service from the hotel people, bordering on abusive rudeness, certainly when it comes to the hotel staff (the service at the restaurant is good, meaning pretty standard). I do notice that most of these Yelp reviews are for the restaurant, not the hotel. Tripadvisor might be different. If you want a superior experience, look elsewhere.

Cliff Bay is a five-star, European spa of great style and refinement. Staff, food, facilities and service are top notch. Plan on dressing for dinner. I highly recommend the resort to American travelers seeking a high-end spa experience; Cliff Bay is a well-kept secret of German, French and UK guests. Dining, swimming in the sea, wine by the pool, spa treatments and working with reception on excursions around the island (whale watching, hiking and more) are all fabulous. My recommendations: join the Prestige club online first. Choose a premium package room with daily breakfast, and a water view. Book hotel dining reservations several weeks prior to arrival (at least). But if you don't, there are many options. Not to worry. Relax!

Great restaurant with a very vibey outdoor patio and great food; great for a date night.

We had a great sty the food is good but pricey. The staff at Avista (restaurant and pool) was great and fun to be around. These people deserve 5/5 The reason why only 3 out of 5 The management of this place is mediocre at best. When we arrived we had a lengthy and exhausting process of checking in. But where I lost my confidence in the establishment was when a 400$ bracelet went missing after the room was cleaned. The management was in no way accommodating or even thought of taking any responsibility and blatantly said "well go to the police then" (it was our last day). Their "investigation" into the matter was a bad joke. "We asked the girl who cleaned the room and she never saw it" -- sorry but not good enough. Hotel management was not trying to help but was defensive and deflected. Even trying to get them to recognize this incident at all was a fight. It was handled poorly and reflected atrociously kn the entire stay.