Hotels near Gaviao - Dolphin & Whale watching trips, Funchal

After a very late flight cancellation, we booked the Carmo in haste. It was a real stroke of luck as the hotel proved to be fabulous. We loved that they've kept the sixties style and, although the rooms aren't the most modern, it makes for a stay with a difference, in contrast to so many chain hotels. The best thing is the staff who are terrific. Special mention to the lovely Tania who immediately calmed our stress and sorted everything in a calm, professional and friendly manner. She's an absolute star!

Very good location, various full breakfasts, staff available. The weak point is that there are only six places where you can park, but often you already have it. The possibility to park in the casino's parking lot is up to € 6.30 throughout the day. Another weak point of the soundproofing of the room is the sound of TV, doors in the adjacent room. Sufficient hotel, pleasant pool, jacuzzi hammam and small gym for 3/4 day!

This is a very good hotel and we would stay here again. WET AREA Indoor pool This is a great addition to the hotel and is kept at a perfect temperature with jets. It is semi-indoor so great on overcast days. Never too busy. The highlight of our stay. Outdoor pool Quite cool, but when complimented with the indoor pool, this is fine. It's a bit shallow but I imagine this is just how the hotel is built. Never too busy. Sunbeds More than enough, very comfy and clean. No need to reserve/scramble. Spa Massages available at a good price. Sauna and steam room free of charge, although the hotel doesn't advertise this very well. Snack bar Nice sandwiches, if a little overpriced. Could do with more variety of food. Great selection of drinks/cocktails as reasonable prices. Seems a bit silly that you can't pay by card. BREAKFAST A fantastic variety of tasty food; cooked, continental, cereals and pancakes. Lots of fresh fruit. We had one negative experience with a rude waiter; we were trying to take a banana and some bread each, as we knew we would be missing the breakfast (that we had paid for) the following day, due to an early hike. Before we could explain this, we were berated at length in front of half of the restaurant, even after apologising. This was unnecessarily embarrassing and marred our first day. Granted, we should have double checked the rules beforehand (we have stayed in places where this is allowed, in moderation), but, in our view, there was no need for such a public display. BUFFET We only had this once, but we felt that, for 30 euros, it was a bit underwhelming and drinks should have been included. STAFF Apart from the one exception above, we felt all the staff were a credit to the hotel, and very friendly and helpful. A special shout-out to Caterina and one barman's name whose name we regrettably didn't catch. LOCATION Buses to Funchal just outside. Close to supermarket and restaurants. Nice park and restaurant next door. ROOMS Very clean, spacious and good facilities. A bit dark at times. Good aircon. Free safe for valuables. TIPS - Rent a car with Auto Rent A Car - great service and friendly staff - Luggage room available free of charge - If hiking to Pico Ruivo, you really don't need a guide. The route is clear and is almost always busy. GetToHikes bus transfers are recommended and stop near the hotel.

5star hotel offering 4 different restaurants.Japanese,Maderian,Italian and International.Standard of food was excellent in all restaurants.My only small grouch would be ,as ever food in the main restaurant is always warm and not hot.Although you can get fresh omelette an breakfast which was good.Our room was great with our own large veranda and loungers overlooking the sea and pool,perfect.Only other grouch was the nightly entertainment was average singing or a bit of dancing groups.95% of the staff were very friendly and very generous with drink measures.Would defo recommend.

Very good hotel top location right next to the bus direction airport and direction center Well soundproofed because we had seen the works … and that's fine, we slept very well despite that Only downside is breakfast or on arrival they force you to choose a time In case of change, you must call the night before. It's super annoying! Especially when you don't have a precise schedule We didn't respect the schedule every day and it's ok, we didn't fail :) Receptionists are top notch and always available

This place is so nice and romantic. The hotel has great views and a lot of amenities. We stayed in room 601, new room, everything was nice and fresh and had one of the best view. The breakfast and dinner was delicious. The staff are very friendly, polite and helpful. Marcelo and Barbara lovely staff. Marcelo has helped us with tips and advices about Madeira. He has wrote a note for us with most of the attraction points. Lovely place to stay!

This is genuinely one of the best hotel stays I've had. The location itself is wonderful, sitting on a hilltop looking down and across into Madeira. It's beautifully peaceful and you get a sense of calm and quiet. The facilities are great, choice of restaurant, great breakfasts, extensive gardens to walk in as well as events over the week for you to join (or not). The staff are absolutely incredible, genuinely made the experience fantastic and so special.

Travelled with my husband and adult son, 2 rooms, one week all inclusive and had a fabulous time. We chose this hotel as we wanted a short transfer from the airport, and it didn't disappoint! Even the shuttle transfer only took 10 minutes, 5 minutes by car. We had an early flight, rooms are available from 3pm , but after a quick check in at reception we were invited to have lunch and then call back to see if our rooms were ready... we waited a short time, but by 2pm we had both rooms available... the staff throughout the whole week were friendly and efficient. Rooms: We had a sea view, beds were comfortable (although a bit squeaky due to mattress protectors) , air conditioning worked great, TV channels fine with some films available, wifii good, mini bar (chargeable) we didn't use. A free safe, no kettle in the room (we took our own) but apparently available if you ask. Pool: indoor pool and spa (we didn't use) Outdoor pool cold, but fabulous! Towels available on all inclusive, just ask at the Spa or reception. Transport: We booked the hotel's free shuttle into Funchal which leaves at 10 and comes back at 5.30pm... book early so you don't miss out , it's a mini bus so spaces are limited. Having said that - the buses are frequent and reception were really helpful and provided us with a bus timetable... In the opposite direction Machico is lovely with a manmade sandy beach and some nice bars and bakeries, 12 euros by taxi and about 3 euros on the bus. All Inclusive option/ food: I would say that AI guests were in the minority.. lots of different nationalities (which we loved) Lots of cabin crew staying too, a real variety of guests..... in some ways it felt like a conference hotel, but worth it's 4 stars... we enjoyed the food. One A la Carte meal per 7 days on all inclusive and it was really good! Be sure to book early, although off season, we didn't have a problem. You get a menu and select your choice the day before... excellent! Drinks were of high quality.. one cocktail 'special' per day , plus beer ,wine, local spirits etc... Lunch time we preferred the snack bar... hot dogs, salads ,toasties , fries etc.. all inclusive cake or ice cream including magnums, Cornettos etc! A shout out to all of the bar and restaurant staff, and the reception too! Sandra in the restaurant... always a smile and a chat, made our day! Entertainment: Not a lot going on during the day, which suited us just fine, live entertainment most night's which we enjoyed. Other: We hired a car from reception.. there is a car rental close to the hotel, which might be cheaper, but for ease and peace of mind booked from the hotel... delivered to the underground carpark (7 euros per night to park) and left there afterwards. Area: We really loved Santa Cruz, as we like traditional and quiet.. there isn't a lot there, just a few restaurant's and bars, but it has a lovely atmosphere in spite of the air traffic. We had a visit to the local dentist

The super staff couldn't have been more accommodating, from reception through to housekeeping. The restaurant was elegant and beautifully appointed. The room and en suite were spacious – particularly for one – and the bed so comfortable I found myself barely able to wake up in the mornings. Its quiet setting in lush, tranquil gardens makes for a peaceful, gentle holiday atmosphere, yet with good access to local buses, challenging golf course, hikes and a lively Sunday market.

I cannot say enough about what a wonderful time my husband and I had staying here. The staff at the hotel was warm and welcoming and could not do enough to make our stay exceptional. The room we had allowed us both a sea and garden view and I recommend that you book one of those. The view of the sea is breathtaking. We also took advantage of a couple of the classes they offered and made our own bread which we took to our dinner later. Dinner at the restaurant was really good. We ate the a la carte options and enjoyed all three dinners we had there. The service of Shafayet was exceptional and he deserves a mention here. The pizza from the pizza place was also a great choice for a more relaxed bite. Overall this hotel was a beautiful relaxed place to spend a few days.