Santa Maria - Hostel

For one night, it was fine, but I wouldn’t recommend staying longer. The street is packed with restaurants and noisy, but if that suits you, the location is hard to beat. At first the receptionist seemed very nice. The day after I arrived, the front door code had been changed. They said an email had gone out, but I never received it. A kind waitress let me in. Otherwise, I would have had to call, even though reception is meant to be open around the clock. I was in a mixed dorm. There were no bugs, and each guest gets a locker key, but there’s no bedside lamp or shelf. That matters when people arrive around 10 p.m. and have to use their phones because they don’t want to wake everyone by turning on the main light. Towels cost extra. There’s no air conditioning either. I stayed in mid-September, when it was hot but not deadly. Even with two electric fans and both the window and door open, it was still unbearable. The bathroom smelled bad, and the showers smelled worse. Soap was by the sinks, but there was none in the showers. It’s really time for a renovation.

Great hostel. The room was amazing and so cosy, the location was perfect, and the restaurant felt really gourmet.

We had a good stay overall. The place is calm and kept clean and tidy, with friendly people working there. It’s in Funchal’s old town, and there’s a large fresh fruit and vegetable market about a five-minute walk away. The shared area is spacious enough to work in, and there’s a kitchen on the second floor. The central spot does get noisy at night. Wi-Fi wasn’t very good and sometimes could barely handle a video call. The kitchen also lacked utensils and wasn’t fully equipped. Still, considering Madeira property prices, it’s good value for the money.

It was easy to arrange both check-in and the airport transfer. The receptionist was lovely and let us leave our bags while we went on tours around check-in and check-out. The rooms and bathrooms were very clean, and the location is excellent, with plenty of restaurants nearby and the main sights easy to reach on foot. The main downside at night is the thin walls, so noise depends on which room you get. The floors creak a lot too. Bring earplugs and you should be fine.