Dom Pedro Baia Hotel

If you are looking for a hotel which is child freindly, then this is not the place to stay. Although the hotel in general was ok there were just too many stairs which are not helpful with a 2yr old looking to explore. The Hotel rooms were basic just make sure you book a room with a balcony. The hotel was set up mainly for all inclusive guest. But if you do stay b&b then the breakfast was ok. In Machico there are quite a few good places to eat which offer good value.

I cant understand the ratting of this hotel. Despite the areas are pleasant, the staff are helpfull, and the rooms are above average, this 4 star hotel lacks a simple minibar and AC in the rooms. If you want something to drink you have to go get it in the reception. It shoud be selled as a 3 star hotel.

an experience I never wish to repeat!! Staff were surly and unhelpful. seriously understaffed. waiters overworked. one evening 22 people waiting for a table as they couldn't clear tables quickly enough. Food very poor. choice consisted of one meat course, one fish course and one vegetarian dish, this is not 4star standard. cheap cuts of meat used, very grisly and unappetising. I like fish but the constant use of squid or octopus put me off. This hotel advertises two bars, one at the pool and one in the piano bar but if the poolbar was open then they closed the inside bar. those less mobile guests could not get even a cup of coffee!! I read descriptions of this hotel before i went and was impressed but the reality was very different. these descriptions included porterage, no porter, free parasols, they charge 1.5 euros per day, we paid extra for a club room with dressing gowns that were very small though marked XL, coffee making facilities but no coffee, we were told (very rudely) to go to the supermarket and buy our own. I could write more but can't be bothered.

A 3-star masquerading as a 4-star, this hotel commands the bay of this idyllic smaller town. Terrific views, excellent setting right above the ocean. Splurge on the club rooms with balcony, and then hold onto your pennies since the hotel will nickel-and-dime you to death for small things like the safe key ($2/day), pool towels ($2/day), modem speed internet connection ($2/minute when there is free wi-fi 100 yards away). Tired and sad breakfasts with essentially no variation each day -- the hotel guest book is rife with comments like "what did you do to the chef?". Front desk service that either shined or was absolutely horrible. Older European crowd that silently enjoyed the nightly (staid) lounge show. For the setting, and an escape from Funchal, it was great, because we were happy enough with the setting and our activities to overlook the (many) glitches.

Would highly reccomend this hotel but just go B+B, not all inclusive. Hotel overlooks (dominates?)one end of the bay and our room overlooked the sea, though a balcony would have been nice. Madeira is a fantastic island and delivered much more than I expected. Machico is a good alternative to stay rather than the capital Funchal, especially if you like a quieter life. Very close to the airport and good value. Breakfast good though other meals looked a bit nondescript and you would miss out on the restaurants in town. Take advantage of the tours that can be booked from the hotel - a good way to explore the rest of the island. The roads are mad - only rent a car if you have a suicide wish or are an experienced rally driver - leave it to the locals. Taxis are cheap and there is a regular cheap reliable bus service to the capital. We had a wonderful time here and would happily stay again. Agree with other comments that the bar is expensive if you're not on a deal.

Arrived by taxi only a few minutes from the airport late at night, we checked in without a problem. The key chain attached to the key is massive and I removed that instantly, you will see what I mean if you go here. Food was decent, we were on B & B and breaky was good for what you would expect in a 3 star hotel. 3 hot items, cold meats, cheeses, fruit, cereal, juice, coffee and breads. It got you ready for a nice day of relaxation. Restaurants in town, all are decent walk out the hotel and down the road and go all the way to the end, as you pass the fort you have a huge patio restaurant which is very nice and right at the end of the street a place that does great pizza and lasagna. Also there is a hostel with a restaurant just to the right of the fort you pass the big huge patio restaurant and it has a nice spag bol and other food. One of my favorite lunches was from the hot dog trailer on the beach, get it with the onions, carrots and potato thingys and ketchup, mayo and mustard it is amazing and only 2 euros. A nice lunch to tide you over. DO NOT BUY WATER FROM THE BAR! We had water blatters for hiking and filled them up with store bought water (REALLY CHEAP) from town and drank that. Beer is expensive at the hotel compared to the rest of the island. Final word to the wise do not rent a car the roads are nuts, bus rides are more like thrill rides. A beautiful place and will go back.

First time I stayed in this hotel and our room was very nice with a balcony overlooking the bay. The hotel is near the airport and you do hear the planes landing and taking off but they are not that many and you soon get used to it. The people were friendly and helpful. We stayed on a B%B basis as there are quite a few restaurants nearby. Breakfast time was like a battlefield but it´s the same in most hotels of this type. We are thinking of going back next year and staying at the sane hotel. Machico is a smallish village/town quiet and relaxing. If you like hustle and bustle, go to Funchal. If you are thinking of hiring a car, do it before going because once there it´s impossible. We really enjoyed our holidays here.

This hotel is classed as three/four star, but none of the rooms have aircon, which we were only told 3 weeks before departure. we were told that fans would be made available on request which we took up at no extra cost. However I cannot see how this hotel gets such a high rating. The hotel reception and rooms and public seating areas are normally very clean and tidy. The maid service for the rooms was excellent and they were always smiling and said hello. Pool service was okay, you have to get towel cards from reception which is not a problem but if you didnt get a card for a parasol also from reception then the pool men would expect 1.5 Euro a day in cash for the hire. And this when you were All Inclusive. Luckily we worked this out unlike some others who were made to pay. Downside was the restaurant, which allegedly is the only part of the hotel with airconditioning, which appeared never to be on, and has ceiling fans which have no effect. There are no windows able to be opened that I could see. Having found the open bar by the pool we found that although we had wristbands to show we were AI, we had to sign a receipt for all drinks, including water that was poured into a plastic glass if still, but bottled if fizzy, and even for ice cream that is only available for an hour between 4-5pm each day. No explanation as to why, and it contributed to the slowness of service. Our first meal in the restaurant, which I would describe as the 2 weeks dragged, as more like a school dining room. Greeted by someone who we thought was the restaurant manager who showed us to a table (four in our party). Drinks order taken by a waiter, but if still water wanted this came in a jug and was normally warm!, but after the first order they never came back to see if more was needed. Also plates, cutlery etc was left to grow in number on your table, and also on tables nearby that had been vacated. Staff seemed totally disinterested in their jobs and were slow. In the first week there was no smoking at all in the restaurant but in the 2nd week, the sign was moved and so when entering we had to walk through a cloud of smoke to get to a table. That is of course if you could find one that wasnt covered in dirty plates etc from the persons before, on more than one occasion we had to wait while a surly waiter cleared a table and reset it. Food- same sort all 2 weeks, lots of salad, but by the end of 2 weeks we'd had enough of lukewarm food, I think the only thing I ate hot was the soup and food from a restaurant we found above the clouds!. Sunbeds not a problem, pool men were normally happy, and sorted you out towels and mattresses etc. Bar service during the day was normally quite qucik, only a 10 minute queue for a drink, because you had to sign for it, but having to wait for 15 minutes in the evening became a joke. If I was cynical I would say it was to save the hotel money in that fewere drinks would be served! The final straw of this holiday was the private garden party on 5/8/06. A note put under our room door on the Friday was that they wanted to clear the pool area from 5pm as the function started at 7pm. So at 9am the following day they started to put up lights, and flag polesetc, which wasnt conducive to a calm day by the pool, then at 4.15pm they started to drag away empty sunbeds and bring out large tables, and at one stage about 12 staff were stood at the side of the pool area obviously waiting to clear away as soon as people had gone. This had the effect of, in my view, intimidating people to leave the pool area. Anyway a lot of tables and chairs were set out for these 'special guests' together with bottles of wine (we had to do with carafes of local wine) and international spirits. That evening there were 4 waiters/staff for the restaurant and paying guest and 12 upwards for the private garden party! The following day, on going down to the pool area, at 9am none of the sunbeds had been put back and the bar area still had glasses and food scattered around, and broken glass on the floor. The pool men had to clear away. An enquiry for more staff to help them by me at reception was met with a shrug from the male receptionist who didnt seem to care that his guests were being treated shabbily. As for the entertainment, the only good part was the local folk group, but we saw them twice and it was the same routine. The rest, well, I'll just state that I though it was dire! I would not go back to this hotel if you paid me, thankfully we hired a car for the week so were able to see the island which is beautiful, especially if you can get above the clouds in the middle of the island and find the restaurant/hotel where you can eat outside. Also the 2nd week we were there was Machico Gastronomic week which meant the sqaure was packed in the evening of locals eating out, no problem in that except there was also a music/sound stage which on the Saturday belted out music until 5.30am Sunday morning. We were not aware of this prior to going nor did the hotel offer any information about it! Lovely Island and some beautiful sights. If you have to go just dont stay at the Dom Pedro Baia.

This was the first time in Madeira, infact , the first time to anywhere other than USA. Lovely hotel, friendly staff, close to many restaurants, like 2mins. Try the restaurant mercado velho, very friendly and the food is delicious, try the espada(scabbard fish), tasty. If you like stout ale try the Coral tonica, very nice. Breakfast at the hotel is varied and very good, sets you up for the day.

We were originally staying at the sister hotel - dom pedro garanja but they were overbooked so we were moved to here. We were very dissapointed with the room, for a hotel that was next to the sea, the rooms didnt have any balconies, just corner windows. We did complain about this as staying at our original hotel we did have a balcony. One of the nice things about being on holiday is being able to sit outside. They were very accomodating and moved us to a "club room" same style room but a balcony overlooking the sea, top marks there. The food was average, we found that the restaurant area for breakfast was very much like a pig trough, people pushing and very noisy. We discovered some trays one morning and were able to take our breakfast back to the room and sit on the balcony and have it, I recommed this is you do have a room with a balcony. The evening entertainment is on 7 nights a week but very limited. Only 2 acts spread throughout the week, the organist (Brian from Scotland) was very entertaining and funny. The pool area doesnt have enough sun beds and we struggled 2 days to find anywhere to sit near the pool so we had to go on the terrace. Maids were fantastic and kept our room clean throughout the week. Drinks were very pricey if not on an all inclusive - 3.50E for a beer, outside the hotel prices started at around 0.80c for the same thing Overall for a weeks break it was pleasant friendly and clean