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DOM-PEDRO-GARAJAU HERO

Definitely do not recommend. I was directed to the 6th building (sic that this is even the same hotel) and was welcomed in the room by a bunch of cockroaches. Rooms stink like a hospital (probably because of detergents they use to wash corridors). There is no WiFi, balcony doors wouldn't get locked because they were broken.
I couldn't even get from then an iron for my clothes - they said they don't have one. Double bed wasn't a double bed and the mattresses were super uncomfortable. 
Breakfasts - bread was really good which was the only one good thing about this hotel. Awful coffee, milk powder and a ham that looked and tasted like the one people were fed in the 90's in eastern block due to poverty.

Do not recommend

Having paid an almost ridiculously low price for this last minute holiday and having read reviews going back a long way...we arrived with "managed" expectations. And it paid off. Yes we were a long walk from reception, the beds were "firm" (and two singles pushed together), the coffee and eggs were indeed diabolical and it'a slightly hairy bus ride into Funchal. And yes it was rather sad to read in the display cases of the illustrious history of Dom Pedro Garajau and then look around at how dated it is now.
BUT. ... the rooms though basic are spotlessly clean, the showers hot and fast and what the breakfasts lack in variety and quality...they certainly make up for in quantity (orange madeira cake to die for) and the staff are just lovely. And honestly...I didn't miss WiFi in the room at all. In fact it was quite liberating to just have a quick catch up in reception a couple of times a day and then forget the world. 
The pools were very clean and we always got a table at breakfast but on those two points I can well imagine this might not be the case when the hotel is fully occupied.
 The football team were very high spirited around the indoor pool on Saturday afternoon but other than that we heard nothing from them.
You can hear your neighbour through adjoined rooms but the two different parties who were in the next room during our stay were respectful and quiet as we were.
Garajau itself has several lovely restaurants ranging from cheap and cheerful to very posh...and all of them treated us very well.

So..if its luxury you're after..look elsewhere...but if its value for money...sunshine (26° almost all week) round almost empty pools and sun beds..stunning gardens and high standards of cleanliness and you don't mind a bit of a walk to your breakfast...try this hotel in the off season and swap February weather for June.

Lovely with managed expectations.

We did not like the room very dated. We upset that how low all standards in this hotel/hostel are. Will not book here again. We left early in morning and came back late at night to avoid beeping too upset. They should put the true pictures up for people to see.

Happy birthday

This is a comfortable hotel with many nice features. It is good at what it is, and an ideal place to spend the night after diving at Garajau Marine Reserve. It is not a 5-star hotel, and people who stay here should understand this. My personal preference would be for brighter lighting in the room and more attention to minor maintenance. A couple of things were not working as they should, kind of like at home, yet I can't believe staff don't know about these things. That said, the room was clean, so I'm giving them a 4 out of 5 rather than a 3. (This hotel is a solid 3 1/2, so I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt). We appreciated the fridge and balcony. Living without WiFi for one night was interesting, and said as much about me as it did the hotel room. We played table tennis and foozball/ table football next to the bar-- after checking our phones! There were a wide variety of choices at the breakfast buffet. 

For dinner, I recommend the Snack Bar Restaurante Neptuno, a 2-minute walk down the road , although vegetarians may struggle with a choice of an omelette or salad.

Ideal hotel for Garajau Marine Reserve

Please understand this is a review of a 3 star hotel. My partner and I stayed here for 5 nights. 

This hotel is brilliant. The value for money and what we got for that is spot on. All the staff are absolutely lovely. The garden is stunningly beautiful. The indoor pool and bar has what you need. The room is very comfortable, and the bathroom good - shower was great both water pressure and temperature control. 

The breakfast was a decent continental affair. Good grub, good coffee machine and 2 juice choices. 

I absolutely can't complain about anything from our stay. They let us check out late when my partner came down with D&V (he ate something dodgy elsewhere) and were very understanding about it all. On a birthday day they left us some bubbly in our room too! We enjoyed that by the pool! If we needed anything they would go above and beyond to help. All the people working there are brilliant people. 

The only thing I want to warn people about is that there is only WiFi in the "public areas" and not in the rooms.

5 out of 5 for 3 star hotel

Located on the south coast of Madeira Island, at Garajau, famous for the "Garajau Nature Reserve", the only solely marine reserve in Portugal, a paradise for diving. With 263 rooms and Suites, a heated indoor pool that has a sliding roof, two outdoor pools and a pool for kids, the Dom Pedro Garajau is a pleasant and welcoming hotel to spend a few days as a family, a couple or with a group of friends. To help you enjoy Madeira's delicious cuisine to the fullest, we developed the new concept "Dine Around", which allows guests on half-board or full-board to choose from the hotel buffet or the Tourigalo restaurant in front of the hotel.

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Dom Pedro Garajau