Estalagem da Ponta do Sol

Bydleli jsme na 4 noci v říjnu. do listopadu. Příjezd na recepci byl velmi příjemný. Dostali jsme upgrade na pokoj s výhledem na moře. Pokoj byl prostorný a čistý. Pohled byl ohromující. Jídlo bylo vynikající. Služba je profesionální a přátelská. Nekonečný bazén byl skvělý, také s čistou studenou vodou, jak se mi líbí. Náš první pobyt na Madeiře jsme si užili v tomto hotelu. Místní ceny a ceny byly pro tuto hodnotu skutečně velmi mírné. Shuttlebus pro pěší turistiku a návštěvy v Funchalu byly vynikající. Mohli bychom si odtamtud půjčit auto tak odtud a po odjezdu jsme po Madeiře cestovali. V hotelu se opravdu nemusíte stýkat, ale pouze WiFi signál byl v naší místnosti velmi slabý, - silnější Wifi zesilovače, které by pokryly celý hotelový prostor, by se možná ocitly.

We spent nine wonderful days at the Estalagem da Ponta do Sol design hotel – already our third stay there – and enjoyed every single minute of it. The Estalagem, a modern four-star hotel, beautifully combines a historic quinta with contemporary minimalist architecture. The entire property is spectacularly located on a cliff plateau high above Ponta do Sol – one of the sunniest places on Madeira. From our room, we enjoyed breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean, the charming village of Ponta do Sol, and the impressive sunsets. In our opinion, all rooms benefit from an excellent location, regardless of the direction they face. What makes this hotel truly special is not only the architecture and the harmonious layout of the buildings, but above all the people who work there. The photographs online are absolutely authentic and reflect reality perfectly. One of the highlights is the infinity pool with its magnificent view across palm trees towards the open Atlantic. Experiencing the sunrise over the mountains from the pool in the early morning and watching the sun set into the sea each evening from the terrace beside the lounge bar is pure romance for us. We happily spend time there every evening. The culinary experience is equally outstanding. Breakfast is extensive and of excellent quality, with five freshly prepared egg dishes changing daily, alongside a buffet that leaves nothing to be desired. The restaurant offers both Portuguese and international cuisine at a very high standard. We dined there several times and thoroughly enjoyed every meal. The entire property is maintained in immaculate condition. A large and dedicated team of staff takes exceptional care of the hotel every day, ensuring cleanliness and a welcoming atmosphere throughout. The service is attentive, friendly and genuinely contributes to the unique ambience of the hotel. We would especially like to praise Mrs Graça Dionisio at reception. She looks after guests with exceptional attentiveness, warmth and professionalism, making everyone feel genuinely welcome from the very first moment. We also appreciated the relaxed departure arrangements: rooms only need to be vacated by midday, which is particularly convenient for guests with late afternoon flights. The guests are international and pleasantly mixed in age – from younger travellers to older guests, most of whom enjoy hiking and exploring the island. The value for money is absolutely right. The range of leisure and entertainment activities is extensive and clearly presented on the hotel’s website. For us, the Estalagem da Ponta do Sol is truly a dream hotel. We always look forward to returning. Our sincere thanks to the management for creating such a special place – and to all the staff for maintaining this unique atmosphere every single day.

Great place to relax and look over beautiful Ponta do Sol. We had Rm.401 both near the pool and self-serve bar at the point of the property, and an amazing balcony view east of the south coast. Hotel and restaurant staff were friendly, helpful and multi-lingual. Room and grounds were very well designed and maintained. But, as others have noted, a hotel built into a cliff requires multiple elevators AND a lot of stairs. Worked for my wife and I on this trip but, unfortunately, we could never stay here with our wheelchair bound son. Finally, as others have noted, there are much better restaurants a short walk into town than the one here onsite.

This hotel setting is incredible however be prepared to walk for ages and take up to three lifts to get to your room! Reception is after the lift from the car park entrance and is manned by good friendly professional staff. Breakfast is up one floor from there and was ok without being exceptional. The second lift takes you further up the cliff(with lovely gardens) , across a walkway and onto the third lift to the room. The room was a good size, functional,as was the bathroom. Both could do with a little tlc. Two single beds, pushed together, made the double. They were firm but relatively comfortable. Porto do Sol is very nice with a great array of good restaurants. We ate twice at the Caprice ,which was excellent. Parking is in a small narrow car park and is not nearly enough for all the guest rooms. Roadside parking is also available but on a road frequented by large truck traffic, through the day. Finally the views across the ravine and down to the sea are what makes this hotel stand out as do the sunsets which were amazing.

We had a the loveliest week at the Estalagem: super friendly staff, beautiful setting and gorgeous food made for incredibly relaxing surroundings. The 'garden view' room had a side sea view and despite being a light sleeper, I slept really well for the first 6 nights (there was some road noise and the sound of the waves). I agree with other reviews that the interior looked a little worn in places (bathroom floor & furnishings, cracks in wooden floor) and some of the furniture appeared a little cheap (lamps, thinly disguised plastic chairs, balcony furniture). However, this didn't really bother us too much. When "Purple Friday" was announced we were initially curious despite the fact we don't particularly enjoy techno. But the reality of the event and how it was managed had more of an impact on our last day than we would have considered reasonable. Our last dinner was fairly noisy & chaotic with people getting lost on their way from reception to the pool area and the (otherwise lovely) kitchen struggling to cope with demand. Even the poor reception dog was visibly distraught and tried to hide at the kitchen door. A brief visit to the party tent was followed by a rather sleepless last night due to noise from the bar below late into the night and a sad goodbye the next morning to a pool area littered in fag ends. It was just such a disappointing end to an otherwise perfect stay which left us puzzled as to why the hotel hosts these curiously ill-placed events. I imagine that the degree of bother will largely depend on which rooms you're in - those facing the pool get a lot of the party action, those facing the bar get the later noise. Presumably the top building with SE facing rooms (4xx/5xx) is relatively unaffected. I'm still not sure what my overall verdict is. It was a perfect holiday until the last day. Would we visit again? Probably not on a Friday night if Purple Fridays are still on.