Hotel 3-Star di Madeira Archipelago, Portugal

This was a very decent and affordable hotel — nothing fancy or luxurious, but it covers the basics quite well. It’s clean, efficient, and does the job for travelers looking for a simple place to stay. One of the best surprises was that if you’re lucky enough to get a room with ocean views, it really adds a lot of value to the overall experience. That said, there were some clear drawbacks. The room itself felt extremely tight, especially for two people with a couple of suitcases. There was very limited space to move around, which made things feel a bit cramped and uncomfortable. The bathroom was also quite small, and while functional, it lacked the comfort you’d hope for in a multi-day stay. One highlight was the balcony. Though the interior space was tight, the room had a good-sized balcony where we enjoyed golden hour and sunset views — that part was genuinely lovely and added a sense of openness and relaxation we didn’t get inside the room. The most significant downside for me was the parking situation. The hotel only has three official parking spots, which are always full. Given the area is busy and surrounded by in-demand places like grocery stores, cafés, restaurants, and a laundromat, street parking is very limited and expensive. I had to park at a nearby garage, which cost 10 euros overnight. As for the rooftop, the amenities there weren’t particularly impressive — nothing that would stand out compared to more upscale hotels. But once again, the ocean and sunset views from the rooftop are stunning and give you a brief illusion of being at a five-star resort. All in all, this hotel offers good value for money, especially if you’re not planning to spend too much time in the room. It’s a solid base for exploring the area, as long as you’re okay with a few compromises in comfort and convenience.

Booking this hotel for just over 200 a night was an absolute steal! The only downside is its somewhat remote location; you have to walk over 20 minutes to catch a bus (though there are buses outside, they are infrequent). Directly below the hotel is a large Christian cross, and it faces the sea – it's just beautiful. It’s super convenient to wake up early and watch the sunrise from the beach, only a 20-minute walk away. Picture 5 shows my experience doing just that. The hotel breakfast is also very generous. On my last day, because I had an early flight, they let me in to eat breakfast ahead of schedule (I ate at 7 AM, even though it usually starts at 7:30 AM). As some other reviews mentioned, WiFi is only available in the reception lobby. However, they have free live music on weekend evenings, so I don't mind heading down there to grab some WiFi.

We booked a triple room 3 beds last min with late bird price. However they gave us double room 2 beds. It's on the 1st floor just next to tennis court which is quite noisy. It's 31 degree F, no air conditioner. Only 1 tiny window can be opened for fresh air but its facing a foot path with many guests access to the indoor pool, gym...etc. Not enough privacy. Location is ok as many small supermarkets, restaurants and bus stops near by within walking distance. Hotel facilities are good for the price.

We were pleasantly surprised by our stay at the Valley View Hotel Encumeada and honestly would have preferred spending more days here over some of the other hotels we stayed at on the island. The front desk staff were incredibly accommodating and available around the clock, always ready to help with anything we needed. While the rooms are a bit outdated, they had everything we needed — a spacious bathroom, comfortable beds, and a charming balcony to relax on. The property also offers plenty of parking and is in an ideal location, very central to many of the island’s most popular hikes. The breakfast was average; it was the same offering each day and much of it would be gone early thanks to the hikers, but the coffee machine was great and always hit the spot. Overall, we would definitely recommend adding extra days at this hotel to your itinerary — you won’t regret it. One last detail worth mentioning is how clean the room was, something my girlfriend specifically appreciated. My only small criticism would be the pillows — each side only had one small, fairly uncomfortable pillow, so that could definitely be improved.

The indoor pool was closed for renovations and there was construction in the hallway, resulting in a lot of noise from 8 am. The breakfast buffet was well-stocked. The cleaning staff was very friendly. Climbing the 130 steps to reach the hotel at the end of the day was tiring.

The hotel is beautiful and super homey, you can get to the city centre really easily as there is like 3 different buses and one that is less than a 3 minute walk away from the hotel, the staff are kind and friendly, we initially got given a room right next to the entrance, due to the really thin walls it was unfortunately really loud, but the staff moved us to a much better room with no problem at all, the rooms aren’t super clean as there was some hair left after cleaning and a bag of medicine another guest had left, but it’s an amazing hotel and I’ll be staying here again next time I visit. The pool is not usable (extremely dirty) and the breakfast and coffee are way too much for what you get.

The location is very good, next to the natural swimming pool, breakfast is available in the sister hotel next to and the view of the rooftop restaurant is very good. We can also use sauna and swimming pool in all three hotels. The staff is very friendly and has provided us a satisfactory room. We also received gifts for Christmas.

A lovely Hotel, with a high level of service and a great restaurant an amenities. The location is only good for those willing to taxi or drive to Funchal- otherwise it is a 30-35minite walk, allow more time for the way back all uphill. The decor of the rooms is dated- very 1990s in style, the carpet is wearing thin in places. The pool side area is nice but could benefit from a modernization to make the decor match the level of service. Can't fault the stay otherwise. Shout out to Sandra, the Maitre 'd, D for her amazing level of service. Obregado!

Great location, nice size and overall room/amenity quality. Only annoying or rather negative point to note would be the limited h of the reception desk. Several of us arrived in the evening and even though it was indicated that we will be contacted with check in details, we were faced with a locked entrance upon arrival and had to call the number stated there on the board. A person arrived like 30min later only to do the check in process. Same with check out since the housekeeper had to come from another hotel to open the door for us.

The apartment's cleanliness was acceptable, but there's room for improvement, especially in the bathrooms, which weren't as clean as they should be for a place with high traffic. For our 5-day stay, it would have been nice if cleaning service had come through mid-stay to check on and/or replace towels and other items. Additionally, it would be advisable to inform guests that the apartment is located in the building's basement. From the parking lot, one could easily access the balcony, and directly above, at street level, there's a grocery store. Another area for improvement, for us, concerns the store. The staff uses the building's entrance hall to rest, sit, drink, and smoke (we often encountered 'gatherings' at the door, especially at night). The store staff uses the building's trash room, which is accessed via the parking lot entrance. On several occasions, we saw them force the entrance open to take out trash, leaving it unattended and open, which poses a security risk. The overall experience wasn't bad, but there's definitely significant room for improvement.