The Cliff Bay Hotel & Resort

The Cliff Bay Hotel & Resort

At The Cliff Bay Hotel & Resort in Madeira, most rooms open onto a private balcony, and the outlook runs from Ocean View through Sea View to Bay View rather than one fixed angle. A marked route takes guests from the pool terraces down to sea access, so the choice most mornings is chlorine or open Atlantic rather than a taxi into town. The restaurants and bars run to more than one room and one bar cart, and there is a proper spa built around actual treatments rather than a side corridor with a massage table. Families get a Standard Family Room at 42 square metres with a bay view, room enough for a cot without living out of a suitcase in the hallway, while anyone wanting more space moves up to the 49 square metre Junior Suite or the Grand Suite above it. What separates this address from other resorts on the island is La Villa at The Cliff Bay, a property within the property, with its own garden, pool, exclusive services and contact line, distinct enough that guests book the villa rather than a room category. That combination suits someone who wants a full resort of dining, spa and sea access, plus a quieter private wing to retreat to, without choosing between them at booking; it suits less well anyone wanting one small guesthouse with no decisions to make. Rooms throughout keep to the practical, minibar, tea and coffee facilities, safe, turndown service, individually adjustable air conditioning, the kind of detail that saves a call to reception later. What stays with you is the water, because the hotel actually gets you down to it. The Cliff Bay Hotel & Resort in Madeira pairs restaurants, a spa and pool-to-sea access with La Villa, a separate garden villa with its own contact line. Balconied rooms start at 30 square metres, suites from 49, and the sea is a walk down, not a taxi ride.