Pousada dos Vinhaticos

We stayed in the wooden lodge building which was cosy, comfortable, and warm with breathtaking views down the valley. Traditional breakfast and dinner in the main hotel were delicious with friendly and helpful waiting staff. Perfect base for hiking and running in the beautiful Madeiran mountains.

We really enjoyed our stay here - amazing location, excellent food and delightful, slightly eccentric staff. In fact the whole place is slightly eccentric which we liked very much. We were in the wooden annex, which is a bit of a walk from the main building and feels like a log cabin, with stunning views. Clean, simply but pleasantly furnished and with a perfectly nice bathroom but not wonderfully soundproofed and, as everywhere in Portugal, hard beds and pillows. Breakfast good and evening meal quite up-market - relatively interesting menu and well cooked tasty food. Nice lounge in main building. WiFi only in reception sitting area. Lovely walks nearby, also the Ethnographic museum in Ribeira Brava.

The hotel is in a lovely location with stunning scenery. We were able to check in early, which is always appreciated. Our room was in the wooden lodge building and was pretty with a fantastic view. The bathroom smelled awful at times, I think, due to the drains. The sound proofing in those rooms is non-existent. We could hear everything out upstairs neighbors were doing. Breakfast was a small buffet, which was perfectly adequate. Dinner was delicious but a bit over-priced. There is a nice cocktail bar and lounge are which was very under-utilised. I kept having to turn the light on to go there. Overall it is a great spot to base yourself for exploring the mountains and north of the island (check for road and tunnel closures though). As long as you don’t want to spend too much time at the hotel, it is fine. I wouldn’t call it a hotel, more like a hostel and more like 1-2 star.

My favorite hotel on our Madeira trip. Our room was in the main building and the views were incredible. Great patio to unwind on after a long days hike. Fantastic traditional food selection in the dining room. Excellent staff. If you like a hotel with character, this is the place. Quaint and quirky. Only downside, weak wifi signal. But all in all, loved the place.

This hotel is in an amazing spot about 20-30 mins from Funchal. There really is nothing else around unless you fancy a hike into the local village. Most people come as it's a fantastic place to start some hikes from. Equally the views from the terrace are just sublime and it's a great spot to sit and chill and read your book. There's also a lovely (mostly unused) lounge area downstairs. I had evening meal every night and the food was just great - massive portions. Sadly some of the amenities were not great - for example I had to hold my shower head to shower myself. There was also a lot of peeling paint in my bedroom, so don't expect slick and pristine internal environment. I really didn't care though as the rest more than made up for it