Vila Baleira Residence

This was the worst experience of our 12-day trip to Madeira. Breakfast arrived with several hairs in the food. We ordered two breakfasts, and though the plates looked impressive at first, each had about three hairs mixed in. When we complained, the person who seemed to be the manager or owner insisted they were “mushroom roots” the cook had forgotten to remove. That was clearly untrue and insulting. My wife later became sick and vomited. It was an extremely unpleasant and unhygienic restaurant experience. Definitely not recommended.

The room was very clean, but there was a constant unpleasant smell from the bathroom. The Deluxe room was much smaller than the website photos suggested. Breakfast was fresh and plentiful, though the choices were limited. Paula, the breakfast waitress, was lovely, attentive and efficient. We really missed her on her days off, as the male waiter wasn't as efficient.

At Christmas, I even got a little treat, and the festive lights made the view beautiful. It was a very pleasant visit, with clean, nice rooms that could sleep 3 or 4 people thanks to a sofa bed. The room had a fridge, stove, microwave, toaster, kettle, and cookware and tableware for making meals, as well as USB outlets. Breakfast was good and table service was excellent, unlike the self-service at some other hotels, though the selection was limited and the same every day. One dining room assistant didn't speak Portuguese. The elevator was very slow, and the rooftop on the seventh floor was under construction and covered with black plastic. There was some dust inside one of the kitchen cupboards. Sometimes cooking smells from fried food in rooms below or beside us came in through the extractor area. I also struggled to use Netflix on the room TV, and there was no leaflet explaining how the television system worked. We had a good visit and I'll return in the future. The hotel offers other services such as massages and a jacuzzi, but unfortunately we didn't use them. Thanks to the whole team. Photos attached.

The bed was comfortable and breakfast was delicious, but the room had a bothersome unpleasant smell. The elevator was a complete disaster: it stops at every floor, so the wait can be really long.