Hotel Apartamentos Baia Brava

I left after the first night, even though I was supposed to stay five, and had to find somewhere else. The owner and I spoke about a refund, but there was no English. This place isn't worth the money, is badly managed, and needs refurbishment. I wouldn't recommend it. The bed was extremely uncomfortable, an old string bed wrapped in plastic under the sheet. The apartment couldn't be locked from inside because the double lock didn't work. The electronic plastic card was the key, and there were visible signs that someone had tried to force the door. There was no kettle, and only a minimum of utensils and cutlery. The balcony doors were very hard to open and made a huge noise. The cleaner checked me in and barely spoke English. The pool was dirty, with broken sunbeds thrown in a corner, all visible from the balcony. The freezer door in the fridge wouldn't close, so all my food froze. There was no WiFi in the room, only in the corridor.

The breakfasts were delicious, and the view from the window was incredibly beautiful. The apartment was wonderful, cosy, atmospheric, and quiet, the kind of place you want to return to. I'm so happy I met the staff. They were sincere, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. Definitely recommend! I hope to come back ♥️ Thank you so much!

Similar to what other reviews mention, there's no WiFi in the rooms, the beds are very hard and uncomfortable, and there are no shower curtains. The hotel is aging and not well maintained, though the staff have been kind and courteous. For the price, we weren't expecting anything fancy. We noticed on the first night that there was no sound insulation, but the place quieted down at a reasonable hour, so we thought we could live with it. The next morning we saw a sign on the main entrance saying there should be no noise between 11 pm and 9 am. We'd have preferred quiet to start later, but appreciated the policy. On our third day, we hiked up Madeira's highest peak, a long and exhausting day. When we got back shortly after 8 pm, all we wanted was a shower and bed. Instead, there seemed to be a party in the downstairs dining area right outside our room. We kept saying it would be over by 11, but it wasn't. A little after midnight, I got dressed and went to find an employee. She was very apologetic, but said it would probably carry on for another 30 minutes to an hour and didn't try to help us. Just after 1 am, some guests had left, but the party and noise outside our room were still going. I don't blame the party guests. The hotel booked this event, which the employee kept calling a 'once a year' occasion, without warning paying guests or offering any alternative. It went past 2 am.

The view was the one good thing, along with the lovely staff. The ownership was bad, the rooms noisy, and the bed hard. There's no tea or coffee facilities, and it's a rural location where you'll need a bike or car. I was overcharged 298.00 Euros when only 77 euros was due. Management insisted that I pay the 298.00. I tried emailing and calling, but got no response. I was robbed by the owners, and wouldn't trust this hotel. They seem like scammers out for whatever they can get. Avoid it.