Saccharum Resort

The hotel takes a bit of time to figure out, with all its different sections and lifts, but it's a really nice place. We had a large room with a lovely partial ocean view, and the pools and gym were good. It's outside Madeira's main city, though there are plenty of hikes and nature nearby. Breakfast was delicious, and the staff were good.

The kitchen garden and walk up to the miradouro were nice, and I enjoyed sitting on the balcony. The rooms are large, have plenty of storage, and the mattresses are very comfortable. It's a modern hotel that fits fairly well into the landscape, with several pools, bars and restaurants, plus a solid gym. Still, I wouldn't call it five-star. Most staff seemed undertrained or unmotivated and did only the minimum, though Manuel at reception was an exception. There were some odd design choices: not much lighting, bathrooms that weren't very practical, and soundproofing that could be better. A wedding on the rooftop terrace could be heard on the third floor, but with the windows shut it was manageable. Breakfast had lots of options, though most were disappointing apart from the pancakes. The place feels built for influencer photos, more like a showcase investment where saving money seems to come before guest satisfaction. There's room to improve that.

The rooms are nice, especially with an ocean view, Trapieche served good food, and the location worked well for exploring Madeira's west side. But the service was so bad that I wouldn't stay here again. On our ten-day honeymoon, this was the worst of the three hotels we tried. We'd mentioned the occasion in our reservation, and nobody even congratulated us. Other places had given us champagne or an upgrade, though I know those were extras, not necessities. From check-in onward, we felt like a bother. Requests seemed to irritate the staff, who showed little interest in helping. The valet setup was strange too. The door was often unattended, so we left our keys at reception. When we wanted the car, it wasn't ready, and we ended up collecting the keys and finding it ourselves. Getting a drink by the pool meant hunting down staff ourselves. Nobody checked whether we needed anything, and when we found someone, they acted annoyed. Once a drink was empty, nobody asked if we wanted another, so we'd have to track someone down again. The pool area was crowded and noisy, with leather chairs sitting in the sun. It felt more like Disney world than a luxury resort. Breakfast was just as disappointing, more Disney world than high-end, and at 31 euros per person it felt downright offensive.

The common areas were clean and pleasant, with a good range of bars and restaurants, and the staff were kind and accommodating. We booked an inner courtyard room but, when we visited at the start of March, the hotel was quiet and they upgraded us for free to a sea-view room. It was clean and the bed was very comfortable. Parking costs money, though there is free street parking outside. One day we left early for a hike and staff arranged a lunch box instead of breakfast, which was helpful. Its contents were disappointing, just two apples, a sandwich, water and juice, and much poorer than the breakfast selection. The buffet dinner wasn't worth €40 per person either. The food quality was low, and local restaurants were much nicer. We still enjoyed our stay as a relaxing break, especially if you're happy to spend most days at the hotel and make the most of it.