The hotel was clean and well maintined. Our room was a decent size. All the staff we encountered were approachable and friendly (from the cleaners to the receptonists). The are two outdoor pools, a smaller "paddling type" one with slides for little ones, and a main larger swimming pool. We never had an issue getting sun-loungers (and we went for two together, complete with a small table and a parasol) - although the choice was a bit reduced after 1pm. You could hear the sound of the sea whilst sunbathing around the pool - nice :-) We stayed on a bed and breakfast basis - typical buffet style breakfast but done well with a good selection of fruit, cereals, yougurts, cheese, cold meats, hot breakfast foods and pancakes, breads and pastries. In short, the hotel did everything the brochure said it did. One word of caution, the free hotel minbus into Funchal fills quickly so book early at reception (ideally early the day before) - we found the local public buses really crowded and ended up standing both ways. Although we liked the hotel, and the people we met in Santa Cruz were lovely and welcoming, it is not a large resort and is relatively quiet - we don't like things busy or full of late night bars/nightclubs, but would have liked a little more choice of places to go. You will both hear and see planes on their approach to the airport - but we quite liked this and were awarding marks for the approaches! :-)
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