Saccharum Resort & Spa

My daughter and I booked an indulgent escape for our visit to Madeira as a special treat compared to what we would usually do. We weren't disappointed at all, the hotel was lovely and the staff equally so. Reception staff were incredibly helpful throughout whenever we had any questions. During our stay we asked for advice on hiring a car and they organised all but signing the papers and paying! We had a 'corner sea view' room and it was perfect. The balcony offered gorgeous views of the gardens and the sea. I actually think this may have been better than a 'full sea view' as this put us off the main road. Whilst it wasn't a busy road there would have been a degree of traffic noise. I'd certainly recommend taking this option when booking. We definitely didn't miss out on views. The room was lovely and spacious with many TV channels available. Obviously no one is there to watch TV but a bit of bed time viewing is a nice relaxing end to the day. The cleaning staff were lovely and the room was spotless every day...along with a sweet treat every night when the beds were turned down :) The infinity pool on the 8th floor was the most relaxing thing ever and probably one of our highlights. It was just glorious. There were plenty of sun beds available and we had a couple of hours each evening around the pool when we returned from days out. It was still hot between 6pm and 8pm so it was a lovely way to end the day before going for dinner. The food is buffet style and we certainly had no complaints. There were plenty of choices every day for both breakfast and dinner with a theme each evening. The only problem, if I had to say there was one, is the fact that there were too many delicious cakes on the dessert counter! There's no way you can pick just the one...unless you're far more controlled than we were. Expect to put on a few pounds unless you make use of the gym... ...which we did...just the once. I must say though I was impressed with the amount of equipment in there. It was far better kitted out than I expected for a hotel gym. There were treadmills, cycles, cross trainers, weights and resistance machines. As well as that there is of course the full spa which we did take advantage of on our last full day. We both booked a massage which gave us full use of the spa for the day. It was wonderful! I would definitely recommend it.

Excellent Hotel, Staff and location. Very quiet location, food at the hotel was very good and the choice excellent. The rooms are very relaxing and the bed was very comfortable, a Sea View room is recommended, the view is spectacular.

A superb hotel in a wonderful location. Recommend front or side sea view rooms. Hotel accommodation, cleanliness, housekeeping, service and food outstanding. All staff polite, friendly and helpful. Plenty seating areas around various pools, bars and restaurants. Hotel has retained many features from the sugar cane factory formerly on this site which add to the uniqueness of the hotel. Ten minute level walk to local harbour in an unspoilt area.

This hotel is very nice & modern located in a fantastic spot. Only down side is it’s so dark, ridiculously dark so much so you need a torch to navigate yourself around especially into the bathroom just off reception. This room I know could be avoided but it’s a good example of what I’m reporting here. Our room was courtyard facing making it very dark to start with as it got no sun at anytime of the day. The corridors and the room we were in were decorated in browns and dark olives and slate greys, not helping at all with this light starvation that this hotel is suffering from. This problem is only because of the theam of the hotel, its of industry. It’s on a site of an old sugar cane plant, so it’s decor is dark colours everywhere.... even the swimming pools are slate in colour making it feel cold and unwelcoming. Very disappointing I’m afraid however it didn’t spoile anything for us we just wouldn’t return & if we had to we’d take a torch...each! Glen Nat & Freya

The hotel is slighlt more than a stone's throw away from Calheta beach and is absolutely stunning. The staff are very friendly and accommodating - I threw my back out on the final morning and they brought breakfast to my room and provided a wheelchair. Although the hotel was fantastic, if I were to go to Madeira again, I'd lrobably stay in Funchal rather than Calheta as there seems to be more to do around that area.

After only two days in this hotel I reached a state of peace and tranquility rarely found in large hotels. The atmosphere was calm, quiet, stylish and restful; the Ayurvedic massage was a wonderful experience, the gym was always quiet, the rooftop pool was beautiful, and the view from my balcony stunning. The only thing that lets this hotel down is the surly staff; I had to work hard not to get annoyed with their unwillingness to serve drinks in the main restaurant and roof bar, and to communicate pleasantly at reception,

Fantastic hotel. Best we have ever stayed in for design, ambience, and facilities and breakfast. We thought the hotel evening meals were expensive. While we were there the hotel changed from 4 star to 5 star and consequently the meals shot up in price from around 25 pound per head to 35 per head. A package was available that would have made things cheaper but we did not want to eat in every night.

Great hotel but the evening meals was not that great and hotel entertainment was poor. Price of food and drinks in the hotel was expensive.The location was okay but not a lot to do there and not many shops or places to eat out. Only found one supermarket. Trips where expensive to go on.

Overall we loved the hotel. It was very modern and tasteful and spotlessly clean. The spa was luxurious and the ocean view from our suite, outstanding. We also loved wandering along to the marina at night and exploring local restaurants. Wish we had chatted to the lovely, knowledgeable guy at the front of house on day one as opposed to our last day. Most of the staff were lovely though there were some less helpful among them. I would agree with other reviews in that small things detracted from the overall excellence of the hotel. Staying in a suite and having to call reception and pay a measly 3 euros for tea and coffee to go with the coffee machine and kettle seemed outlandish! Experienced an embarrassing situation whereby we were refused entry to the spa despite hotel information stating that suite dwellers were entitled to use spa. Had to speak to 4 members of staff and go back to my room and retrieve original paperwork which stated I had booked and paid for a suite. Seems Jet 2 had charged us for a suite but presented us to the hotel as an 'upgrade'. Still waiting to hear back from them.

When we got in the room we thought....they must be mistaken, it was above what we were expecting. Bed was comfy, balcony superb, got the sun most of the day till sunset. Yes there was a small stream next to hotel, but that only added to the ambiance, we found it relaxing and didn't disturb us at all. Went half board, breakfast was good, main meal was good, there wasn't as much choice as at other hotels we have stayed at, but what there was - was very well done. No problem in getting a sun lounger, sun didnt get over hillside till after 10, so no rushing breakfast - view from infinity pool was superb. Drinks were reasonably priced, but we didn't go to excess. Music in the lounge late on was very middle of the road, but went well with a bottle of red and a game of cards. Only 1 small gripe, at home, both myself, my wife and my daughter do go to the gym, but there was an age limit of 16 plus on entry (same with the spa) - which meant that as a family we couldn't use them, altho I did make use of the gym when the midday sun was up. To sum up - we don't have any airs and graces and don't demand everything to be immaculate and without minor problems as we realise that issues happen every day.We do however have high standards and this hotel was one of the nicest we have stayed at. We will return definitely.

I cannot praise this hotel enough. From the start it was fantastic. A consierge opened our taxi door and took us to reception. We were processed quickly and were taken to our room. On route the consierge was telling us all important things about the hotel. On entering the room all I thought was WOW. The bed and pillows were so comfy and my husband slept in on more than one occasion (which he doesnt usually do). We got a half sea view even though we hadnt paid for it, which we thought was brilliant. The food was great plenty of choice for both breakfast and evening meal (we were on half board). The staff were very attentive and nothing was too much trouble. On 1 night we chose to eat in the a la carte restaurant. At first glance of the menu we wasnt sure what to choose as there were many things listed that we had never had before. I played a little safe with my starter and had King Prawn. If I had one critisism I thought I would have got more than one, but what I had was lovely and the rest of the food was supurb. The pool staff couldnt be more helpful, even putting up your sun shade. On one day we chose to take the hotel shuttle into Funchal costing 20euros each. This seemed slightly steep but it avoids you having to use the local bus service which takes you into every between Calhetta and Funchal. We did use the local service to get to the start of one of the Lavada walks (we acquired the timetables before we left england through the internet). The walk was beautiful and the buses worked great on the way there. However, on the way back we got on the bus that we thought took us back to Calhetta (same number bus as going) and asked for tickets to Calhetta, but it did not take us there what a mess - but it was an adventure though! It maybe best checking at reception if you try this yourselves. The maid service was daily and if they came when you were still in the room it was no trouble for them to back later - the room was spotless everyday. We used the Fly Bar each evening after dinner and there was a singer on every night. They also showed the Euro football but with no sound so people could still watch it and others who didnt could have a quiet drink. The drinks in the hotel were not as expensive as some top hotels - bottles of wine with meal 13-15 euros (you could pay less or more) . All in all the staff were fantastic and nothing was too much trouble. My husband said it was the most relaxing holiday he had ever had. Just brilliant

Hotel was lovely, can't fault it in anyway, the only fault I had with the hotel was the food, for a 4 star hotel I would rate the food as 2 star, I don't like giving poor reviews but the food did let it down, there were times it was cold, there wasn't a great selection, it might be just our opinion but we have stayed in many hotels and always found the food pretty good. Paying for tea and coffee in the room I found to be strange. As you can pick up teabags from the dinning room for free. It's just some little touches that let it down. But all said and done, I would go back beautiful island

Accommodation excellent but service leaves a lot to be desired. We never found the main pool as the indication was that you had to pay for it through the spa and we weren't prepared to pay extra. Never used the spa as it is not our 'thing'. Only found the al a carte restaurant just before the end of our holiday. We'd found a very good local restaurant so weren't prepared to pay more for what could be an inferior menu. Information in the rooms was poor especially as it was a very quiet area. Their restaurant & menus with prices; bus timetable & places to visit; car hire information are all things that would be useful in rooms. We were booked in for bed and breakfast only which was superb but the way we were treated in the buffet on our first night was so bad that we left to eat outside the hotel and had we paid for half board I would have been onto the travel company immediately. This stopped us from even considering eating in the buffet again. The accommodation, cleanliness of the rooms, kettle & fridge were supplied, the balcony was great all these were superb. I feel that it is a new hotel with staff having a lot to learn.