Hotel Orquidea

This isn't my usual kind of feedback. I'll add a photo of two fantastic bartenders from Hotel Orquidea in the 80s, when I was a kid and travelled around Madeira a lot with my Father. The picture shows Antonio (Rest in peace) and Carlos (Retired).

I arrived yesterday, and the view has already helped make breakfast on the 6th floor a great start to the day, with the city panorama spread out in front of me. My room's view is lovely too, and it's very clean, with fresh towels in the bathroom. The location is perfect, with the port about 10 minutes away and plenty of coffee shops and restaurants within walking distance. The staff have been a real bright spot. Beatris was amazing, helpful, and so kind, with a smile that made my evening.

We arrived before 2am and stayed for one night, or maybe 1/2 night as the review says. I couldn't sleep because the AC kept making a bubbling sound even after we switched it off. The bathroom flooded because there isn't a proper shower. The hotel had 3 stars about 15 years ago, but the building and rooms now need renovation. If you want to leave luggage for longer, it costs 5 euro per day, paid in cash, with no receipt.

The beds were comfortable and breakfast was good, and the rooftop view is nice. But Madeira has views like that all around, so it didn't make up for the rest. The rooms smelled, had holes in the walls, and all night we could hear running water and the building's AC. Staff were horrible. They gave us the wrong room, and when we complained, the receptionist on duty on the 22nd at night blamed us while eating dinner, even chewing as she spoke. She said, “it’s not only your fault, our employee did the wrong thing too”. I'm sorry, trying to downgrade my room isn't my fault. If you can't find her at reception, she's probably smoking at the restaurant next door. A little etiquette at reception would help. They also wouldn't help with an early breakfast, even though it's paid for. Find somewhere else and enjoy Madeira.