Orca Praia

"Spent a fabulous week in Maderia, staying at Orca Praia. Cannot fault this hotel. Every room has a sea view ( we were in 508). Rooms are HUGE! Bed very comfortable. 2 large wing chairs. Plenty of storage. Bathroom had large walk in shower and complimentary toiletries. On B&B basis, but the breakfast was lovely. Freshly restocked and plentiful. Staff all helpful and friendly. Had a few insects in our sink and was swiftly sorted. Only gripe, if you can call it that, is all the steps down to the pool and promenade. A lift all the way down would be useful! We highly recommend this hotel for a quiet relaxing stay in Maderia. Well done Orca Praia!"

"The hotel is in a good location. The pool area is very nice. Breakfast was fine but no where near the best we have had on the island. Staff in general are helpful. Beware of false advertising. When you speak to the hotel they will tell you all their deluxe sea view rooms have a balcony. They do not! When discussing the issue reception staff were sympathetic and recognised that we had been given incorrect information. On getting involved, the manager was simply one of the rudest men I have ever met. He was only interested in deflecting the issue. Spoilt our stay and without doubt our least favourite hotel in Madeira. ( we have visited over a dozen times). On returning from our holiday have emailed the hotel several times. Haven’t even had the courtesy to reply. I have given the management and owner 6 weeks to reply to my concerns before going public with my review. Very disappointing"

"We had an incident during our stay at Hotel Orca Praia (Funchal). At arrival to the hotel, we left our luggage in the luggage storage room next to the reception. When we returned to the hotel, to access our room, my partner’s luggage had been taken by mistake by another guest who left to travel to the south of Germany. As a result of this, my partner spent 7 days (the entire holiday) without his clothes and belongings. The hotel did not acknowledge any wrong doing on their part, despite the lack of system to identify luggage at the storage room and to securely handle the luggage to their owners. My partner had to buy some clothes with our own money. The hotel director was dismissive in email communications. He showed an extremely poor customer service and lack of empathy. We did not receive an apology from their side except from one member of the reception staff. I had never had such terrible treatment as a customer. I do not think this is appropriate for a public establishment, let alone a 4-star hotel. I would never stay here again!"