Residencial Vila Camacho

1 reader found this review helpful

Not the best of hotels I've stayed at. In fact whilst staying here I bought week 33 (mid August) of a 1 bed timeshare at Porto Mare Residence!
This was mine and my partner's 1st trip to Madeira and as we booked about 8 weeks before leaving, we wanted somewhere cheap; as long as it had a pool. It was a very basic hotel. All the rooms had en suite facilities, twin beds, a wardrobe and a dressing table. The pool was questionable. When we were there it seemed murky. I did swim in it as thought it was me being paranoid. The food was okay. We bought on a room only but ate at the hotel about 3/4 times we were there.
On the final night we ate at the hotel. BIG MISTAKE! I became ill within two hours, which gradually worsened. It was a relief to be going home the next day as within 36 hours of landing on British soil, I was seriously ill in hospital with Colitis where I stayed for a week and took me a month to recuperate.
I know some people gave this hotel a glowing report. The hotel itself is fine, basic, but adequate for many people. Unfortunately I had a particularly bad experience whilst ending my stay there that I would not like to repeat!

3 readers found this review helpful

I recently spent a week at the Vila Camacho in Funchal on half board and I have to say it was the best package deal holiday I have ever had.
The Vila is a small residential hotel overlooking the Bay of Funchal and although there was building work next door, the general ambience of this lovely little hotel was charming. The staff were extremely courteous and attentive, yet unobtrusive, arriving at just the right moment to politely remove plates etc from your table.
The home-cooked food was delicious with a splendid variation each evening for the "specials", although half board residents could also choose from the a la carte menu. The continental breakfast was more than adequate with some optional extras for a small fee if you so desired. Mostly, we were able to enjoy our meals on the delightful garden terrace but the Flame restaurant was equally charming when the weather demanded a warmer venue.
On site were a husband and wife team, who performed the music on three of the evenings. This was delightful with a piano accordion and electric piano proving the perfect accompaniment to the evening meal. The musicians doubled as the resident masseurs during the day.
The Vila was ideally placed for a walk down to Funchal and bus rides through mountain villages. The bus stop is just down the road and a taxi ride back from town did not break the bank if you had run out of steam. Although I had read previous reviews stating that there were 25 steps up to the hotel, these did not prove demanding, even after long walks during the day.
On the last day, we had a swim in the pool, which is not heated and took our breath away but this added to the fun and there was a hot shower awaiting in our room.
I would definitely return to this very special hotel and would recommend it to anyone who wanted a quiet, pleasant break, no noisy nightlife and that all too rare commodity, common courtesy.