Monte Mar Palace Hotel

The hotel is located in the north of the island in a small village, so keep that in mind when booking it

Spacious room and comfortable bedding Lots of services included in the price (sauna, hamam, swimming pool, squash, etc.) Very decent restaurant which serves quality dishes late (risotto and cod) Very decent breakfast buffet Very reasonable price Too brief a stay

2nd night on the island was on this side. Small village of Sao Vicente beautifully situated on the coast. Beautiful outdoor swimming pools (still too cold in March). The hotel is very outdated but clean and well maintained. Breakfast is simple but fine. Being early in the season, the hotel was almost deserted. There wasn't much to do in the evening. There was a bar. Location is fine

The hotel was definitely not 4 star class. There was mold in the room, and a cockroach in the pool area. My friend had an allergic reaction to mold. The hotel's brochures gave a wrong impression. They kindly refunded the price after one night. Otherwise, it didn't match the 4-star level. Located at the end of a winding road, 6km to Sao Vicente, only accessible by taxi. We got a room in Sao Vicente. Fortunately, we spent the end of this tour at the Riu Palace, you can always trust that hotel.

Let me start by saying that the choice was completely random. Arriving in Warsaw, it was necessary to choose something from last minute offers and buy it in 2 days. Considering that it was a velvet season, we didn’t have a lot of options. We didn’t even consider Turkey and Egypt, we had already seen the Canaries several times, so the choice fell on Madeira! So we ended up at the four-star Monte Mar Palace hotel and didn’t regret a single day!!! Our only regret was that we didn’t prepare for the trip, didn’t study it and didn’t have time to plan routes where, where and what to see. And there is an incredible amount of things to see in Madeira! But, about the hotel - I liked everything about it, even though it is very old, slightly shabby and tattered, but the staff is very friendly and tries to do everything to make your stay enjoyable. The room is spacious, with a funny call button in the bathroom and some kind of prehistoric hairdryer. The bed is comfortable, the linen is clean and soft with very cute embroidery. Refrigerator, kettle and dishes are all there. There are also ants, so don't leave sweets uncovered. The breakfasts and dinners are delicious, moderately varied, certainly not the Canary Islands, but you won’t go hungry. In the evenings there is a good music program. And incomparable sunsets and sunrises that can be observed everywhere, on the balcony, from the window of the room, from the restaurant, by the pool - everywhere! The hotel has a great indoor and outdoor pool. There is a bus stop next to the hotel. The town itself is small, but you can take a walk. There are not many cafes or restaurants nearby, but we walked along the road along the ocean and went to neighboring cities. So you can find something to do.

I wouldn't rate it 4 stars even by local standards. The entire hotel requires major renovation. The facilities are outdated and dysfunctional. The room has remained in its original state since the opening of the hotel and does not make you want to spend more than one night there. The bedding is uncomfortable. The wifi does not work in the room, we are still waiting for a response from reception regarding the intervention of the technician. There is a safe but without a key, this must be collected from reception and is subject to a charge. A first !! There are many infrastructures, we wanted to try the spa but no one at the reception, we had to go back to the hotel reception to announce ourselves because no one answered the phone.. We did not have dared to enter the hammam which had a foul smell. We did not try the evening restaurant because the smell emanating from it did not tempt us very much. Depending on the services and the people, the staff is more or less friendly. The hotel also has its good points... the view all around is truly incredible and you are well located for visiting the north coast!