Madeira Bright Star Hotel

The pool is small but was enough for us, since we only used it for about an hour each evening. Reception provides free swimming towels. The rooms were spacious and clean, and the staff were very friendly and helpful. There’s a safe in the room as described, but it costs extra. My sons also used the games room, which was an additional 10 Euros per hour. The hotel is fairly central, around a 15 to 20 minute walk from Funchal Marina. A taxi back from the marina is about 7 Euros if you’re tired, since the walk back is uphill and can be tough in the heat after a long day out. Breakfast was plentiful for meat eaters, but limited for vegetarians. My children were happy with the cereal choices. We hadn’t mentioned that we were vegetarian when booking, so do tell the staff if that applies. We’d happily stay again if we returned to Madeira.

Our reservation was cancelled less than 24 hours before we were due to arrive. They said they had taken too many bookings and would have no room for us, and admitted they’d known about the situation for a long time but had waited until the last moment in the hope that someone else would cancel. It was a terrible experience and showed complete disrespect. They offered another hotel as a replacement, but it was a much lower standard and they didn’t compensate us for that at all. They said we could cancel for free, which was supposedly generous, but with less than 24 hours to go, the only hotels we could book were at least 60% more expensive. I strongly advise against booking this hotel. If you want to avoid this kind of problem and treatment from staff, book somewhere else and enjoy your trip.

The rooms are plain, and the walls were broken and moldy, making the apartment look as if it might collapse. For a four-star hotel, this was unacceptable. There were black marks all over the floor that looked like ink. Cups, plates, and utensils weren’t cleaned, and coffee and tea weren’t restocked. When I asked reception for sugar packets, they said no. The useless light switch on the furniture didn’t turn anything on or off. There are no chargers near the bed either, so you have to charge things on the other side of the room. Such a miserable stay.

We travelled with our five-year-old son and got an extra bed at no extra charge. It was worth it, since the room was big. The rooms were comfortable and spacious, and the quality for the price was good.