Galosol

We spent four days at the Sentido Galosol and felt very comfortable overall. The breakfast buffet is extensive and offers a large selection. Our free upgrade to a room with a sea view was especially nice – we were very happy about that. Our room was spacious and still roomy even with an extra bed for a child. The air conditioning and the modern, beautiful bathroom made the stay pleasant. A small drawback: The bathroom only has a sliding door – a proper door would provide more privacy. We really liked the pool area. A sun sail or some other shading would be nice here, especially for children. A real highlight is the shared use of the sister hotel, Sentido Galomar. There is a great swimming area there with direct access to the sea, which is built into the cliffs. However, you should be a good swimmer, as it can certainly become dangerous when there are waves. You shouldn't necessarily expect a classic beach on Madeira anyway – but the access to the Atlantic here is something very special. The hotel has an unusual layout due to its hillside location and is very spacious; however, there are many sports and leisure options, and with Lokoloko, even its own local provider for activities. The location is also very convenient: Only about 10 minutes by car from the airport, and many restaurants as well as a supermarket are located right nearby. The check-in was a bit disappointing: We arrived earlier and had to wait even longer for our room, as they take the stated check-in time very seriously. Overall 4 out of 5 stars: A beautiful, family-friendly hotel with a great breakfast, spacious rooms, many leisure options, and special access to the sea. The combination with the sister hotel in particular makes the stay attractive.

Great hotel and spotlessly clean! Really good selection of food for breakfast, only went to buffet one evening but it was also very good with plenty of options. We also attended a BBQ they put on one evening and that was very good too. The pool was very quiet during the day and no sun bed wars which was a huge relief to us. The only thing that put a bit of a damper on our holiday was that on our last day (a Saturday) we tried to order some lunch to be had at our sun loungers to be told we couldn’t do that, hadn’t been a problem the rest of the week, no explanation was given just a no and then at 7pm that evening we went to The Blue Bar for a last drink of our holiday but it closed, again no explanation given, so we had to find elsewhere to go. Not a huge problem but just took the edge off our last day and evening.

The hotel is located approximately 15 minutes by car from the airport. Very quiet location even though everything around it is built up. The grounds are very nicely landscaped, even if you have to orient yourself a bit through the different levels at first. Bus stop to Funchal almost right outside the door. Since we had a rental car (which I would also recommend), I cannot say anything about travel time, etc. Hotel parking lot is quite small, but there were always paid public parking spaces nearby. Parking fees are rather inexpensive. We had a "Sentido room." Very spacious, the bathroom was also large. Furnishings chic and relatively new, bed comfortable, plenty of storage space, balcony with 2 chairs. Everything very clean. We had half board. Breakfast with a good selection, though without any noteworthy changes. The evening buffet was always really delicious and had a lot of variety here. Very nice outdoor area for dining. Drink prices are reasonable. The water dispenser in the lobby was very nice. The pool is not huge but sufficient; there were always free lounge chairs. There was public access to the sea at the sister hotel. But it was rather small and also expensive (15 € day pass), so we didn't do it. We did not use the sports facilities, and we cannot say anything about the entertainment program either. Nearby there is a small supermarket and a few restaurants (but typically for Madeira, keep in mind the steep streets when walking). Staff consistently super nice and friendly. Small things that could be improved: -more variety at breakfast, e.g., with the cheese (maybe a Camembert or similar) -we once ordered a martini in the evening. There was barely a sip in the glass, and that for a total of almost $18. -in the room, you couldn't turn the ventilation off completely, so it was always (slightly) humming.