PortoBay Serra Golf

Absolutely wonderful small hotel in the hills of Madeira with gorgeous surroundings with forests and countryside and such peace. Located only less than 15 min from the airport is also very convenient. Rooms are tidy and well equipped. We visited at the end of February/beginning March, and at that time, humidity was a bit of a challenge. It was very difficult to dry your hiking gear during the night. Said that during the high season, I believe it's not a problem at all. The hotel also has a very nice heqted and roofed pool area with an excellent sauna, which we as Finns appreciated very much. The restaurant and lounge area was cosy and beautiful and had a big fireplace, which gave the lounge a very homie feeling. Food in the restaurant was excellent and had a lot of choices from where to fill yourself up. All in all, it is a brilliant place to visit and stay, and let's not forget the always friendly and helpful staff ready to help when ever needed. Thank you for the unforgettable two weeks =o)

We have selected this hotel with my wife as its location is further from city life, so that it is not so busy. It fulfilled our expectations almost to 100% , room was cozy and clean, personnel was nice and very helpful in any of our questions. Anyhow there are some points to peak out: It is a 4* hotel, I have visited lot of 4* and even 3* hotels with better service. 1. Breakfast - there was always several foods to choose from, but the offer was everyday the same. Some light exchange for example the eggs (mashed, omelette, scrambled) would do alot. Same applies for the sausage - always the same type. If you are not staying longer than few days, you should be fine. Anyhow, the food quality is very good, so nothing to claim about. 2. Pool - we have chosen the hotel because of the claim of heated indoor pool, however when we had been there, we used it only once, as the water was cold, around 23 degree, despite onthe table written 28. 3. Sauna - during our stay the sauna was out of service, so if you are considering the stay here, please ask first at the information desk of the hotel about current status if you are looking for pool or sauna as a wellness after some hiking. 4. Cleaning service - we were one day surprised when we came from breakfast around 9am and the cleaning service girls were already clenaing our room, so we had to somehow sneak in to be able to pick up some of our stuff for hiking, but anyhow had to wait till they finish so that we can go to the bathroom and dress up for the hike. This is standard in most hotels I have been to, to start after the breakfast time ends (mostly 10am), so that guests in most cases already left the rooms. Overall, the experience was fine and we will happily return back on our next visit of Madeira.

Our stay was only mediocre. What we’ve liked: pretty building, calm surrounding, walking distance to a beautiful park and Sunday market in Santo de Serra. What we did not enjoy: staff was not guest oriented and attentive (no hello/good morning, preparing the tables for dinner while guests still had breakfast), breakfast had too basic choices for 4 star (especially coffee/tea/bread selection), sauna was only on demand and overall outdated interior. As a young couple we would not come back.