Paul do Mar Sea View Hotel

The room had lovely views. The dinner was a fairly expensive buffet but it was very nice. I thought the bathroom looked good but was functionally a little lacking - the mechanism to open the sink plug wasn't installed properly, the shower tended to get water all over the floor, and there was no extractor fan.

Lovely indoor pool, jacuzzi and steam room. Amazing sunsets! Beautiful sea frontage, so quiet except for the waves breaking over the rocks, which are sometimes huge! Shame about the WiFi only available in reception area but ok.

Definitely not 4 star hotel in my opinion. Arrived after a 55 minute journey fron Funchal airport. Had a reasonable lunch no real taste. Took another 20 mins or so before we could get into our room because the key wouldn't work. The lock system needed new batteries. When we got into room which was self-catering, the fridge didn't work. There wasn't a kettle, no toaster, the lock for the safe was substandard and wouldn't lock. Dust on surrounding furniture. We asked to change rooms and they complied. The new room was slightly better but the fridge was leaking water because it wasn''t switched on, which soaked the floor in that area so we had to call reception to have this cleaned up. Lighting poor. Bathroom had a basic clean and no extractor fan. Ants around here and there on the bathroom floor and balcony. Microwave placed too high for shorter people. Bedsheets and pillow cases only 50% cotton, so tended to sweat in bed at night. Managed to get some tv stations in English but mainly Portuguese or German. Management left cleaning staff to deal with any problems we had with the room. Cleaning and changing sheets done on a regular basis. Chamber maids very pleasant and helpful and did their work as best they could within the circumstances. Had air con. Food buffet in the evenings very plain with very little taste and variety, though staff very pleasant. Free breakfast each morning but got bored with this after several days. Got groceries from local supermarket and prepared our own breakfast, much more tastier. Balcony doors and toilet seat awfully squeeky and noisy. Pool table lacked some furniture and the chalk for cue was falling to bits. No real entertainment at the hotel so would need to go elsewhere for this. Hotel quite remote from anywhere else except a few local bars and restaurants along the beach front. No sandy beaches, just great big pebbles and boulders which made it precariously difficult to get to the sea. The reception area was pleasant and there was a small bar with a choice of drinks both soft and alcoholic. No real entertainment for kids, just the swimming pool. All in all, made the best of our time in Paul do Mar Sea view Aparthotel in Madeira. Next time we would probably choose a hotel less remote with more accessible facilities in the area, and one that actually warrents a 4 star rating in terms of the rooms, perhaps Funchal? 🤔