This hotel is totally & utterly fantastic. The location perfect. Quiet & very relaxing indeed. The BUILDING WORKS are almost OVER ! Only down at the very front , where the bungalows are. Minimal noise. We stayed on the top floor ( 5th), having a superior sea view apartment. Was nothing short of fantastic. Fully equipped, safe ( we paid for it ), was spacious accommodation, very comfy beds ( twins pushed together ), a blanket which I loved as nights were alittle chilly ( November !), except the last night where it was 18 degrees ! Our balcony with a small table & 2 chairs was fantastic to look out across to the beautiful palm 🌴 trees , the sea & to see / hear the waves crashing in , the promenade and even saw a good 4 Cruise Ships 🚢 go cruising past ! Along with a Catamaran, fishing boats, a yacht and more. Was brilliant. Gorgeous sunrise 🌅 sunsets too. The Spa was lovely, heated indoor small pool , with loungers & steam/ sauna, treatment rooms & other water treatments too. Lovely Gym as well ! Empty ! We went in the pool most days , later and it was mostly quiet. No children about ! As its term time ! White robes & slippers were in our room , which made the holiday feel even more special to have them to get to the Spa and wear when we got up. Was bliss. The outdoor pool was spotlessly clean ! As was the area around it. I loved swimming 🏊♂️ in the outdoor pool as well as larger and most days had it to myself ! There is a gate at the bottom of the steps behind the pool area , that ( Using your room key to unlock 🔑 the gate ), takes you out onto a beautiful palm limed promenade ! Lovely places to sit and take in the waves , sea & scenery. One end a nice little cafe / bar with again great place to enjoy the scenery / sea / waves , open 2pm - 10pm every day. The other end , amazing views of the rockery cliffs , cove & a cafe / restaurant. A steep walk up steps from the promenade ( near the 1st cafe/ bar ) , leads you to a little hill , shops including a nice little supermarket & a bistro / 3 , we ate at 1 of them twice as they served Vegan food ! Was lovely. We don't drink often , but the Sangria was the best we've ever had ! Had to be tried ! Further up the hill is residential but we enjoyed the walk. We ate in the hotel the 1st night as we were tired from travelling, but NOT suitable for Vegans ! As only had 1 option / salad. Which was £16.50 for 1 serving. We took quite alot of our favourite stuff & found the local supermarket great for vegetables/ fruit / pasta/ sauces/ baked potatoes, Oat Milk & Soya Yoghurts, black / green olives , legumes, so that was great. We took advantage of the FREE shuttle bus , going to Funchal, we went at 10.30am , but got a taxi back for 25 Euros as missed the last bus ! But we didn't mind as had had a great , busy day in Funchal. The local bus & another small supermarket is just up the hill from the hotel reception. We also took the 8.5 Hour private coach tour , of the West Side of Madeira , lea
We stayed for 5 nights, All inclusive, at the Rocamar Lido resort. Room: Our room was lovely - sea view and very big. The walls are quite thin, so we could hear the people above us, who had children running up and down at times. Staff: The majority of the staff were very welcoming and polite to us throughout our stay- Susanna at the bar was lovely. Food: Breakfast was lovely and a good selection- but it can get very busy. Lunch and dinner options were very hit and miss. As we were all inclusive, we expected to have a wider selection each day. Unfortunately, most days the hotel offered the same foods in different variations. The food at the Lee Hamilton steak house at the hotel was lovely and we went their twice - this is half price of staying all inclusive. We found it strange that we were stopped from playing play card games at the bar area- we have never heard of this before. Hotel: The location is perfect and you can go for some lovely walks around Canico. There are some places to eat nearby, so would recommend to go B&B and try local cuisine. The hotel offer a shuttle bus to Funchal but only at 9.30am and return at 5.00pm, so we ended up getting a taxi - which are quite expensive.
This was our second visit to the hotel. The hotel itself is spotlessly clean and generally speaking most of the staff are very pleasant and helpful. Service in the restaurant is very hit and miss. We sat one lunchtime and were only offered drinks once. The quality of the food was much improved from last year and there is plenty of choice for everyone. Entertainment isn’t great and most people left the bar at 10pm. At times it reminded me of a care home. It’s a lovely hotel in a lovely location but if you like looking around shops and bars and staying up beyond 10pm it’s probably not for you.