“Unbelievably good service at a difficult time”

For the first time in our decades long holiday experience my wife and I went on a package tour organised through Jet2 and booked through our local travel agent, Bay Travel Morecambe. This trip was supposed to take place in January 2024 but was postponed for a year due to my mother passing away. A… more

For the first time in our decades long holiday experience my wife and I went on a package tour organised through Jet2 and booked through our local travel agent, Bay Travel Morecambe. This trip was supposed to take place in January 2024 but was postponed for a year due to my mother passing away. All the arrangements went very smoothly, boarding passes arriving in good time, flights on time, transfers really efficient, and all at a good price. We had read some of the hotel reviews and they were a little mixed, but we were very impressed from the moment we arrived on Saturday afternoon. Check in was quick and efficient, and the room was a really good size, with a balcony and sea view. On check in we immediately asked for a kettle ( a top from an earlier review) and tis arrived in our room within 10 minutes. We had brought our own tea bags :) The room was very clean but there was no plug in the bath, and the knob on the mixer tap to change from bath to shower was really stiff. A quick call to reception and these were both fixed within 30 minutes. We arrived at the hotel about 4.30pm om Saturday. That evening the rain was very heavy (the only rain in the whole two weeks) so we didn't go out, and just had a snack at the bar for dinner. The next morning I didn't feel well at all, and spoke to the Jet2 rep at the hotel. To cut a long story short I went to the Emergency department at the local public hospital (never go anywhere without your GHIC card) and after a number of tests and scans was diagnosed with a potentially life threatening bilateral pulmonary embolism, and spent the next 8 days in hospital. Had it not been raining on the Saturday we arrived I might have gone out for a walk in very hilly Madeira and suddenly dropped down dead (statistics show that for 25% of cases of pulmonary embolism the first symptom is "sudden death". I am sure you can imagine how traumatic this was for both myself and my wife. The staff at the hotel could not have been more understanding and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble. My daughter flew out for a few days to support my wife and the hotel allowed her to stay in our hotel room at no additional cost. The Jet2 rep was also very helpful. When I was finally discharged from hospital we had five days left of our holiday. We spent these relaxing at the hotel, enjoying the good weather and the lovely sea views. Everyone was very very coniderate and concerned to make sure we enjoyed our few days. I needed several documents relating to my health insurance, fitness to fly etc scanned and emailed to various places and the hotel reception assisted with this very well, and once again without charge. Nothing was too much trouble. So, what about the other more usual aspects of the hotel. Breakfast each day was an excellent buffet, with a wide range of food available. My wife enjoyed the free glas of Cava and I enjoyed a fresh made omelette each day. We were not booked in for dinner but ate in the hotel a couple of nights. Dinner in the main restaurant is again a fixed price buffet, with a different theme each day of the week for a price of 35 Euros. This was ok but we much preferred to use the many excellent restaurants within walking distance of the hotel. The poolside bar was very friendly, as was the open air bar overlooking the cruise terminal and the sea. Hppy hour from 5pm to 6pm was particularly welcome with 3 euro glasses of good wine and cheap cocktail of the day. The hotel is really well situated, with a variety of shops and restaurants nearby, and a regular and cheap bus service into the main area of Funchal. Taxis are also very good value. Despite my health scare we are already sorting out a booking for Feb 2026. I cannot recommend this hotel highly enough. The facilities, rooms and especially the staff are just wonderful.

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