Vidamar Resorts Hotel Madeira

“Definitely return”

Came to Funchal to experience the NYE fireworks which are incredible. Chose Vidamar because it did NYE gala dinner with access to rooftop to view fireworks and didn't want to be walking around at midnight. POSITIVES: lovely friendly welcome and given the itinerary for NYE but no welcome drink which… more

Came to Funchal to experience the NYE fireworks which are incredible. Chose Vidamar because it did NYE gala dinner with access to rooftop to view fireworks and didn't want to be walking around at midnight. POSITIVES: lovely friendly welcome and given the itinerary for NYE but no welcome drink which is unusual. We where on the tenth floor which is top (the lifts pretty quick) fab sea view. Staff friendly the lady in restaurant who serves the eggs/omelette for breakfast always chirpy and singing even though she never stopped working and wished everyone a nice day. Location was OK for us 30mins walk to marina which is breathtaking the lights down there fantastic and the Xmas markets especially at night. NYE was ok the set up in restaurant was lovely with party hats and entertainment although we went HB it was free drinks that night. NEGATIVES: the hotel does lack atmosphere quite dull and the evening bar The Lisboa bar was hit and miss which is ashame just the one night they had young couple on a young lad on guitar and young lady singing they where very good but other nights poor so went across road to the Hole in one pub. Now the food on NYE needs addressing it was set meal with 5 coarse and none of it was nice and it wasn't just us there was 8 ppl on our table and none of us ate it. Also the food in restaurant at evening was like warm which i guess because its buffet service is hard keep hot. But would we come again...yes.

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“Ain't a 5 star hotel ,but not bad.”

Pros:great location,nice and large rooms with fantastic sea view,access to the sea,great service,fast wifi in the rooms and the whole hotel area,free parking if you rent a car. Neg: the food is nothing special,you're not gonna be hungry or sick but the quality is very average or under average.The h… more

Pros:great location,nice and large rooms with fantastic sea view,access to the sea,great service,fast wifi in the rooms and the whole hotel area,free parking if you rent a car. Neg: the food is nothing special,you're not gonna be hungry or sick but the quality is very average or under average.The hotel has no charm, lacks atmosphere and is soulless. It feels that it's not a 5 star hotel. But Madeira island will recompensate you for that- it's a paradise island !

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“Nothing wrong with it, but definitely lacking something and looking rather tired ”

I've wavered over giving a rating of 3 or 4 stars..... I think I'd probably go for 3.5 if I could. This was actually our 3rd visit to the hotel over the past few years. There was nothing really wrong with our stay this time, neither of us felt it was quite as good though. Previously we've stayed i… more

I've wavered over giving a rating of 3 or 4 stars..... I think I'd probably go for 3.5 if I could. This was actually our 3rd visit to the hotel over the past few years. There was nothing really wrong with our stay this time, neither of us felt it was quite as good though. Previously we've stayed in a garden view room, this time we had a sea view which was lovely. Seeing the cruise ships arrive all lit up early in the morning was just lovely. As others have said, the rooms are looking rather tired. The beds are comfy though and we slept well. We could certainly live without the floor to ceiling mirrors in the bathroom and the lighting in the room could definitely be improved, as could the number and placement of electric plugs. Our sliding patio doors also couldn't be locked. The set up of the buffet area had changed and we're not sure whether the selection has also reduced or of it was a case of certain bits being quite crowded. Somehow it just didn't seem to flow, various pinch points/ congestion with popular areas/ food. The hotel is rather characterless, there's a small bar with live music some evenings. The couple of nights we popped in and the music was good (as we're the cocktails). The bar probably seats 80-100 people. There's definitely no real nightlife in the hotel. I guess most people head out. We spent a day by the outdoors pools (chilly!) and in the sea, great to have direct sea access. No problem getting a sun lounger at all, beach towels changed on demand. Don't get me wrong, we had a lovely week on the island. Will we head back to Madeira for a 4th time? I think there's a very good chance we will. Will we stay at the VidaMar again? I have a feeling not....

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