Dreams Madeira Resort, Spa & Marina

Customer ratings & reviews

TripAdvisor Traveler Rating

277 reviews

• 

  Great potential but falls way short at the moment

  We visited on the basis of the many positive reviews, however, we cannot understand how this is possible having spent a week here. Our assumption is that many hotel reps are being offered free stays in return for glowing reviews because the comments do not reflect ours and many guests experiences during our stay. This has the potential to be a fantastic resort and is situated in a great location with only a short drive into Funchal. However, there are many issues that unfortunately let this place down and it does not feel ready to welcome guests, at least not when promising a 5* hotel experience - right now it is far from this. Room - we stayed in a Preferred Club Double Garden view room. The room size was excellent and the bathroom was also spacious. The air con did not work and even before we reported it maintenance knocked on our door to investigate so clearly they were aware of the problem from a previous guest. The fix didn't work and I had to report this 4 times on consecutive nights before demanding a room change. The air con in our new room was passable but not brilliant and given the pain of packing and unpacking again we decided it would do. Unfortunately, the shower in this room constantly blocked and we again reported this 4 times. We were told it was fixed each time but the bathroom still flooded every time we showered (and no we did not have long showers). This was not resolved before we left. Bars - Cocoa cafe is excellent. Great coffee and the staff are fantastic. We ended up going here most mornings for a pastry and coffee for breakfast, rather than the buffet. Moments bar in the lobby is wholly inadequate for the size of the resort and always had extremely loud music playing in the evenings. We had our young baby with us and there's no way we could possibly sit there to listen. We were after a relaxing drink to unwind after the day with some nice background music but this does not exist here. The third option is The Desire sports bar by the marina. We ended up going here most nights as it was far more relaxed and the staff were really attentive. The Voce beach bar would be a fantastic place to go in the evenings but it closes at 6pm which is far too early for such a great location. Some relaxing music, nice lighting and later opening hours (e.g. 11pm) would make this a great destination. Restaurants - we were able to book the a la carte restaurants by ensuring we booked first thing in the morning for 2 days in advance. If you don't do this, the buffet is the only option other than the sports bar snack food (The Desire). The buffet is probably the worst I have ever tried (and we travel a lot) which meant securing reservations at the restaurants even more important. We tried it for breakfast, lunch and dinner and they were all bad, with very little fresh veg available. Instead there was plenty of chips and rice everywhere. Far from a 5* buffet experience. There were no labels on any of the food so it was difficult to tell, particularly for any allergy or dietary requirements. Even where they had labels they were obviously not correct. In terms of the restaurants, Carvao and Oishii were fantastic - great food and service you'd pay good money for. French restaurant had terrible service. We waited 2 hours for food before very swiftly leaving. We really liked the look of the desserts but couldn't risk the wait for them. The food we tried was very tasty which is a shame the service fell far short. Sabor and Club de Fado are the same restaurant but offering different cuisines on alternate nights. The food coming out of here for both cuisines was poor. Facilities - the resort is in a great location and very picturesque, but at the same time that does come with its challenges with getting around the many steep hills. An idea for the future would be to have a shuttle to help people with reduced mobility get around. The spa was still being renovated so can't comment on that. The swimming pools looked great although we didn't use them. The natural saltwater pool by the beach bar was a great bonus and we loved this. Overall, we felt very let down by the promise of a 5* experience which did not receive. Our hope is that they take the feedback on board as I know many guests during our stay had similar experiences and this will be a great resort in future. It feels like it needs a full season under its belt to iron out things and fingers crossed in a year's time its a difficult experience for the better.

  May 12, 2025
• 

  Great all inclusive

  We stayed for 11 days in May 2025 with a 3 year old. This hotel is like a little town, it’s huge and on a cliff edge. When other reviewers say there’s steps, it’s true. Steps and steep paths literally everywhere. Not a problem for us, but if you’ve got mobility problems or a pram you would probably struggle. You can book restrants up to three days in advance. We booked for dinner every morning and didn’t struggle to get in at 6pm. The buffet is fine, it’s a standard all inclusive buffet but the restaunts are much nicer. The pool bar also does great food and is open all day. We’ve only eaten at the buffet for breakfast. The outdoor pools are clean, but not heated. We still went swimming but it was cold. The splash pool for kids and the indoor pool weren’t open yet. We didn’t use the kids club. The room is nice and modern. The bed was huge and actually soft compared to most hotels. Also good quality pillows. The staff were all very friendly. We didn’t struggle to get served drinks at all. In fact they came out from behind the bar to ask if we wanted anything before we had even finished the menu. Daily housekeeping. The drinks are proper drinks, not off brand weak stuff. Check in was 4pm but our room wasn’t ready for an hr after. The staff kept explaining the situation and what they were doing to try help, the next day we got a written apology and a fruit basket at our room. We were tetchy as been up since 2am with child but realistically it wasn’t a problem. The bathroom shower is really nice. Seems endless hot water and good pressure. It’s located walking distance to PR8 meaning the road outside the hotel gets pretty busy. The WiFi in our room has been on and off but around the hotel in general it’s fine. You park in an underground car park and get a lift up to the lobby. There is tea and coffee and a mini fridge restocked each day in the room. We would come back again.

  May 12, 2025
• 

  Fantastic luxurieus hotel!

  Good restaurants and bars (choise/quality of food/drinks, service, enough space,...). Very conveniant that there is an app where you can check the opening hours of the restaurants/bars, the location, the menu and even make reservations for the theme restaurants. Great rooms,...

  May 11, 2025
• 

  Great Food and Service

  Very good food - we loved the beach bar, pool bar and the sabor restaurant. Also the moments bar with great drinks and also nice service. Very attentive and also very clean hotel. We loved it here! Lovely location on the beach and very calm place.

  May 11, 2025
• 

  Beautiful Resort with Outstanding Staff but Some Service Challenges

  We recently stayed at this resort with a group of 18 people and while the trip was overall enjoyable, there were a few things that could be improved mainly regarding staffing and reservation systems. To start, the resort is undeniably beautiful. The architecture and decor are stunning truly a photo opportunity at every turn. The scenery made for a memorable and relaxing stay. That said, we did notice a consistent lack of staffing throughout the resort. For an all-inclusive experience, we were surprised by how long we often had to wait for drinks or service, especially during peak times. It seemed the staff were stretched very thin, likely due to the resort being newer and possibly not yet operating at full capacity. One major issue was the difficulty with dinner reservations. Despite being a large group, we didn’t expect reservations for all 18 of us together every night. However, we weren’t even able to secure bookings for two people on most days. On the first day, we checked the app used for reservations and saw very limited availability for the entirety of our stay. As a result, we ended up eating mostly at the buffet. The buffet food was decent, but we were really looking forward to trying some of the à la carte restaurants especially the Japanese one, since many in our group are sushi lovers. Unfortunately, we never got the chance. Room-wise, most of us were accommodated well, though a few in our group weren’t as fortunate. Some families had to settle for rooms they didn’t prefer due to the length of time it would have taken to move, and with two kids under four, they understandably chose not to relocate after getting settled. What really made our stay special, though, were some of the incredible staff members who went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. A huge shoutout to Mehdi Elarch, Ismail Elarch, and Diego (a tall gentleman with glasses at the main lobby bar), as well as all the staff working alongside them. They were warm, attentive, and did everything they could to keep up with the high demand. We especially appreciated how they would rearrange tables to seat our large group and ensure every order was perfect. Also, Laura at the restaurant by the water was absolutely amazing so fast, polite, and friendly. She made every meal feel like a personal experience. The beach bar restaurant was another highlight—delicious, freshly prepared food, and though service was a bit slow, we didn’t mind at all because the quality was excellent. We also want to recognize the Cocoa Café team the girls working there were so sweet, friendly, and provided excellent service every time we stopped in. Whether we needed a coffee, snack, or just a smile, they delivered every time and added such a bright touch to our days. One thing we loved on the first night was the outdoor bar setup in front of the lobby, with live music and fun entertainment like glitter face painting it created such a fun, vibrant atmosphere! We were a bit disappointed that this didn’t happen again during the rest of our stay. In conclusion, this was a beautiful resort with lots of potential and some truly outstanding staff members. With a few improvements to staffing levels and reservation systems, this could easily become a top-tier destination. Despite a few hiccups, we had a great time and created lasting memories. Thank you to everyone who helped make our trip special!

  May 10, 2025