- Madeira Holidays
- Funchal
- The Cliff Bay
ELEGANCE AND SEA ACCESS... classic, sophisticated, gourmet cuisine, direct sea access, views, quality service, spa, healthclub, free Wi-Fi...
The Atlantic Ocean stretches as far as the eye can see at the foot of The Cliff Bay... Perched on the top of a natural promontory, the hotel is surrounded by gardens - with innumerable secluded corners and centenary palm trees extending to the very edge of the cliff face. The panorama is completed by a magnificent view over the bay of Funchal to the east of the hotel.
This 5 star hotel, one of Porto Bay Hotels premium resorts, assures that every single little detail has been carefully conceived to present genuine peace, well-being and elegance. In the hotel's sea access area one can combine the Atlantic Ocean breeze with the spell-binding views when choosing the new pontoons and solariums.
The most influential restaurant guide in the world, the Michelin Guide, has awarded the Il Gallo d'Oro, The Cliff Bay's gourmet restaurant, run by Chef Benoît Sinthon, with a star. This is Madeira's first and only star.
Due to the surrounding area and the number of steps around the hotel, it may not be suitable for those with mobility difficulties.
This is a lovely hotel, staff are great and friendly, rooms are spacious clean and comfortable. Food at breakfast and dinner was superb. Located within walking distance of Funchal but if you need a taxi back they are not expensive but there is a bus stop right outside the hotel. Can't wait to return
What a hotel. From stepping out the taxi and being welcomed at the door the welcome drink at reception makes it feel special already. We had a standard room with a beautiful view over the sea and funchal. The room was spacious with a chair and sofa a lovely balcony, the bathroom had a bath and seperate shower and plenty of room. Bed was super comfortable. Breakfast was plentiful with a good choice, we also had dinner in the hotel restaurant on three nights and were impressed. The staff make this hotel, so friendly and helpful I have never seen a team of people work so well together, they are a credit to Cliff Bay.
We recently stayed at the Cliff Bay hotel for a week
The hotel has lots of positives but still has plenty to work on for a truly 5* experience since you are defiantly paying 5* prices.
We were staying the week on Madeira for our wedding anniversary and let the hotel know this via Email. I asked for a quiet room away from lifts and footfall and a high floor room and we were allocated room 427. They also left a nice bottle of fizz chilling in our room on our anniversary which was a nice touch and appreciated.
The view from the balcony over Funchal bay was amazing (see photos) and made up for the dated and small interior of the room. I presume room 427 is one of the rooms that hasn’t had the refurb as the décor was nothing like in any of the photos on the website ? It was clean and tidy just a bit on the small size. Bathroom was OK and the water pressure was fine for a shower but it took an absolute age to run a bath.
The outdoor areas of the hotel were very nice with lots of sunbeds and different places to sit to enjoy the views. I swam in both pools most days as well as the using the direct sea access for a bit of snorkelling.
Breakfast in the Rose Garden was OK, if a little repetitive. There was plenty of choice of both hot and cold dishes but nothing changed for the 7 days we were there; it’s the same every day but I always found something.
The clientele of the hotel is predominately elderly, well to do British and the general feel of the place reflects this as well as the evening entertainment been clearly focused for this age group so you need to be aware of this before booking. I didn’t my research before hand so know this but we were one of only a handful of couples in our early 50’s and felt very young in this hotel which is odd because we are not !
All the staff we pleasant and polite but nothing you shouldn’t expect from this class of hotel.
Overall, we had a lovely week in Madeira. This was one of the most expensive hotels I’ve stayed in and I don’t mind paying 5* prices but I expected a little more and it fell a little short on delivering for me.
The Cliff Bay is an indulgent luxury in an un-stuffy sophisticated contemporary style hotel, set in beautiful surroundings, where our every whim was catered for by the unfailingly helpful friendly staff. The wonderful culinary creations at the hotels fabulous restaurants were an absolute delight for our tastebuds! The hotel is ideally situated for exploring the vibrant centre of Funchal and its old town etc, being only a short bus ride, or only a pleasant easy stroll away. The high number of returning guests is testimony to the hotel being the ideal place for a relaxing holiday.
The staff add a warmth and a smile to the perfect setting of this hotel. Every aspect of this hotel exceeded our expectations, from the pre visit communications, through tour and taxi organisation to the excellent food in the many restaurants. Would definitely recommend and it is on my list to return
