Hotel Baia Azul

Just have returned from a week at Baia Azul Hotel in Madeira. I'd read all contradictory reviews on this hotel and had a mixed feeling not knowing exactly what to expect... But luckily it went very well for me, as a single traveller I am well used to getting worst accommodation and that was probably the first time I got a decent size room with a sea view at very reasonable price! The location is superb, close to the sea and Funchal also within easy reach. The staff were helpful, polite and friendly. Yes, the hotel itself is a little bit dated but very well maintained and definitely good value for what you pay. I can not comment on a swimming pool as I never use one, neither on a restaurant, though breakfast was okay. On the whole I'd recommend to go for B&B as there are plenty nice restaurants in the area. I would definitely stay in Baia Azul again.

I was a bit apprehensive at first..I felt the whole thing seemed like a blast from the past. However despite the need of updating the hotel had a charm of its own. Altough our room was poorly lit and the decor dark, it was clean and spacious and the view of the sea wonderful.The dining room also had a superb view and the breakfast had everything you could want, We often had lunch in the hotels coffee shop and the terrace with its large umberellas and fantastic outlook was a peaceful haven -my favourite place to sit and chill.My husband made use of the adequate gym but unfortunately could not find a partner to test his squash ability!! The pools etc were all fine however I do not understand why there was a charge for the rather treasured sunshades when the copious towels were free.We did not try the evening meals but there are many nearby restaurants worth visiting, I would give the Granny House a miss, the staff were aloof and I think the rather pretty facade far outweighed the standard of food - the house wine was atrocious. Getting back to the hotel its charm certainly grew on me - it was clean with good facilities.The staff were helpful and the hotel was conveniently located. My husband and I would have no hesitaion in returning.

Having read some of the reviews prior to our visit I was a bit dubious about this hotel but did keep an open mind. I went with a friend - first time we had been on holiday together - we met at school but lost touch until a school reunion four years ago - we are both a very young 56. We found the hotel to be excellent in all aspects, the room was a very good size, lovely balcony, the staff were all fantastic and very helpful with any of our requests. The food - well we could not fault it at all. Breakfast - buffet style but excellent was a choice of cooked breakfast - couldn't believe how they could do such delicious scrambled egg "en masse" without it going rubbery but they did, cereal, fresh fruit selection and gorgeous fresh rolls and ham and cheese - something for everybody. Dinner was a choice again, soup, two fish dishes two meat dishes, two vegetarian dishes fantastic choice of salads, lovely desserts and a fresh fruit selection. Bearing in mind you could mix your dishes if you desired and if you chose something that wasn't to your liking then you could always go back and choose something elsen I do not see how anybody could complain about anything. The food was always hot and regularly topped up and a different selection every night. I would definitely return. Would agree that it is not a hotel for children but we met a few young couples and they all seemed to enjoy it. The local folk company was the highlight of the week, after which most of our party (just the people we had met from the tour company) got up on the dance floor and had a great time doing a dance demonstration!! The rest of the guests must have thought so too as we got lots of clapping when we finished!!

Spent a week on a B&B basis and loved it. Hotel was nice and staff excellent. We were given a sea view room on the third floor with no extra charge. Room was very clean. Breakfast was good and varied. Never spent evenings in so can't comment on evening entertainment. Swimming pool area ok, charge €1.80 for umbrellas(?), free towels. Plenty of good restaurants along the main road, recommend La Paella (on Estrada Monumental) and "The Clube Naval de Funchal" (when you leave the hotel, turn left and then second on the left) it's basically behind the hotel right down on the sea, it's a members' club but open for non members too, excellent food and very cheap (€15 for set menu incl. a beer or glass of wine). Good bar: "The Local" a 15 minutes walk away on the Rua da Casa Branca. Worth hiring a car (we hired a car at the hotel reception, car was dropped off and collected at no extra charge) in the south we liked Cabo Girao, Camara de Lobos and Machico, on the north Seixal (north of the island can be cloudy and chilly, very dramatic landscape/cliffs); Santana was disappointing; middle of the island Ribeiro Frio for lovely walks and drive on the ER110 from Porto Moniz to Pico da Encumeada for incredible views. If you pass by Sao Vicente stop for lunch at the Restaurant Mamy right along the seaside, huge portions, incredibly good fresh food and very cheap. The entire island was like a vast garden, flowers and greenery everywhere. Maybe not recommended for younger people as lacks drink-holes and music places.

Having read the "worst hotel..." review, we must have been staying at a different hotel because the one we spent a week at was excellent with evidence of a recent refurbishment, the reception area was most welcoming and staff friendly and helpful. We were given a welcoming drink on arrival and our bags were taken to our room.The seaview is magnificent - although I can understand the rooms fronting the main road could be disappointing. The room was spotless and the chambermaids most efficient and helpful. There was a good selection of food at both breakfast and dinner although the content depends on your view of Portugese cuisine. The pool facilities were good and the coffee shop was excellent with a varied lunchtime menu. The evening entertainment and the cocktail bar was no more than average but this did not detract from what was a most enjoyable stay and one which we would be happy to repeat

We stayed at the Baia Azul as part of a Travelsphere "Walks & Gardens" holiday; basically the hotel is stuck in the 70's and desperately in need of a refurbishment. Our room was adequate, although the housekeeping was fine, the sea view room had peeling paint and more cracked tiles than whole ones in the bathroom. Avoid the rooms at the front, we were told they were very noisy and the view of the coast road less than appealing. The restaurant is a joke; the buffet breakfast has thin orange juice, a poor selection of hot food but does have a good selection of breads and excellent coffee. Buffet dinner was so bad we ate out most of the time; long queues and a choice of three grey-looking, sometimes unidentifiable, main courses. The staff were anxious to sell drinks but there was no wine list or indication of what anything cost; it appears a bottle of beer cost 3 Euros and a bottle of water 2 Euros. Eating out is the best option, the Sumertime restuarant just along the road offers a welcome drink of Madeira, an excellent choice of starters and main courses, please a decent inexpensive wine list and a coast view which will probably disappear when all the building work in completed. Other places we tried were of a similar standard, all for around 50 Euros for two without wine. The swimming pool is fine, plenty of sun loungers but why charge 1.50 Euros for a sun shade, it must of cost the hotel more for the paper work than that. The hotel 'boasted' a gym, squash court, table tennis etc. but we never saw anyone using them during our seven days. During our stay we had tea at the Quinta Mirabela, what a contrast. Avoid the Baia Azul at all costs.

I read all the reviews about the hotel on this site before travelling and have very little factual to add. Yes, the hotel looks dated and a little gloomy due to its decor in places but the essentials for a good stay are all there. The rooms are large, spotless and comfortable even if the furnishings are a little worn. Hot water is plentiful and the bath room is spacious. The buffet breakfast has enough choice and variety for a week's stay without being bored. I did not sample the evening meal buffet but reports on it seemed mixed. There are plenty of eating establishments surrounding the hotel to suit most people. I found staff cheerful and courteous at all times. The location is superb if a little far from central Funchal for easy walking despite the pretty prom walk way. The hotel bus ran everyday into the centre and taxis were plentiful. If on sightseeing trips most days the hotel is a comfortable place to return to. I did not have enough time to try the pool area but it never looked crowded. Evening entertainment was of short duration and low key as has been said by previous reviewers.All the public rooms and reception overlook the bay and I had a seaview room - unusual for a single traveller to get that and a balcony. It all enhanced a wonderful first time stay in lovely Madeira where old style politeness and courteousy stiil reigns.

We just returned from a short stay at this hotel. We arrived in Funchal without a reservation thinking we would see what we could find. First impressions were not great - the hotel is extremely retro, the decor has not been touched since 1970, and there were some funky smells around. However, they offered a price of 67 euro/night including breakfast for a double and once they showed us a room and opened the blinds to the view of the bay and balcony, we were instantly won over. Overall we found our stay to be good value - friendly staff, nice pool, free parking, decent breakfast (best we had of the various hotels in Madeira though that is not saying much). Be warned however if you are under 65 you will be seriously outnumbered. We are a young couple and were surprised that Madeira seems to be entirely populated by older package tourists. We had heard this beforehand but were still a bit surprised given the beauty of the island and walking and other activities available. Maybe its because the budget airlines don't fly there yet!

Just spent a week at this "not bad" hotel. If only the management would heed the comments made by most guests we spoke to, and act on them, reviews would improve dramatically! Let's start with the positive: The staff were great, always helpful, courteous, and friendly. The rooms were fine, always clean and well presented. The hotel itself was always spotless and looked pretty good in the reception area(I'll come to other areas shortly). The position of the hotel was good too, but I would recommend a seaview room as firstly the view is beautiful, but secondly the front is on a busy main road - could be a bit noisy. It's 45 minutes walk to town but there is a free bus and very regular cheap local bus services. Taxis are not expensive either. Now for the gripes! FOOD : BORING. Breakfast is ok but evening meals are self -serve and somewhat uninspiring. If you're on half-board hard luck! If you're on B&B at least you have the choice, but if you decide to eat in it will cost you 17.50Euros for a mediocre three course meal. They do have an a-la-carte menu which they hide in a drawer and you will have to ask for. The food on that wasn't too bad, but we ended up eating out a lot - plenty of places to choose from. The entertainment was pretty poor but we were out of season so maybe that was why. Finally the "other areas" I mentioned earlier. The bars, restaurants etc. were all dated and in need of an overhaul. They weren't dirty or badly decorated but just dull and did not have that 4* feel about them. Just one last point to remember when choosing your hotel. My wife and I are both mid-late 50's and at times we felt positively young!!! It seemed to be definately a hotel for the oldies - no disrespect intended - but if you do have a family I'm not so sure this is the place for you! GOOD HOLIDAYS

Having just spent two glorious weeks at this hotel I can honestly say it lives up to it's 4 star rating in every way. The reception area is very spacious with beautiful flower displays and comfortable armchairs to relax in. Staff were very helpful and welcoming at the reception desk. We were very impressed with our room, they are carpeted rather than tiled but the rooms were cleaned every day as well as the towels and beds changed. The sea view was an added bonus to the accommodation. Soap, shower gel and a hair dryer are also provided but I still preferred to use my own travel hair dryer. The pool area is very spacious and what impressed me was the fact that towels are provided by the hotel, so this did away with people getting up early to leave their own towels on the sun beds. There is so much to see and do in Maderia that we only spent about five days in total around the pool anyway. [thats generally the case for others too.] Basically, you pick up a towel and take up a sun bed. The towels are not put out until the pool area opens. We always got a sunbed when we went down. Parasols are 1 euro to hide but we only had one for two days, this is added to your hotel account which you pay at the end of your stay. Throughout our stay I would say that Sunday was the only day I noticed that the pool area was full, other days you could get a bed wht ever time you went there. -and this was the start of the main holiday season. Breakfast as has been previously stated is a combination of English and continental, based on a buffet service so you can have as much or little as you want. We did have one meal in the restaurant in the evening which was very nice with a choice from two meat dishes, pasta dish, fish dish, soup/ fruit for starters and a variety of desserts/cheeses to choose from. Apparently this is on offer every evening for those choosing half board. [this cost us 35 euros which included two beers and a bottle of wine. [aprox £21] Entertainment is very low key, but we liked this- nothing worse than a karaoke blaring out! For half an hour we were entertained with folk dancing, other dancers/singer, a resident duet each evening and a magician! usually every other evening from 9.30pm to 10pm. Other than that we enjoyed meeting new friends over a cocktail or two. The walk into Funchal took us 45 mins- strolling, which in the morning was a very nice walk. There is a courtesy bus at the hotel which leaves at 9am then 10am and other times to and from Funchal. So although the hotel is quite a walk from Funchal, it has the added bonus of being just around the corner from the new town which has a shopping mall and restaurants there. If I was to return to Maderia in the near future, I would certainly book this hotel again without a doubt.