Dreams Madeira Resort Spa & Marina

Hotel is a top notch. All Inclusive with lots of food and drinks

Overall, we enjoyed our week at Dreams Madeira Resort, but there is certainly room for improvement. The resort's outdoor facilities are excellent, though we couldn't fully utilize them due to the cool and windy January weather. Unfortunately, the indoor spa was not yet open during our stay. The staff were generally extremely friendly and accommodating, particularly in the Cocoa Cafe and at Voce (thank you!). However, the Moments Bar was entirely unsatisfactory. Both the atmosphere and the staff left much to be desired. Service was poor, and we often had to go to the bar to order despite staff walking around. This was consistent over six nights. The room was brightly lit with no background music, making it uncomfortable despite the good furnishings. Additionally, it was quite small, being the only indoor before and after-dinner 'hang out' area, and we could not go outside as it was too cold. As Preferred members, we had access to the lounge, but it lacked atmosphere, and wasn't really inviting. New Year's Eve was a disappointment. There were too many options, creating a mish-mash of events and places to be. Some guests were dressed for a Gala, while others were dressed for a trip into town to see the fireworks. We ended up in gala dress, with two other tables, of families with small children, in one of the brightly-lit restaurants. To make matters worse, our main courses were served at three different times for our party of four. Despite the band outside, we chose to play a game in the Preferred Lounge to kill the time, watched the small fireworks from a distance, and went to bed. There weren't ever really very many people other than staff in the party tent, so it was all just a bit awkward and lacked a party atmosphere. This was not what we had expected. On a positive note, the decor overall was very modern and comfortable, and our room was spacious. Housekeeping, however, was hit-or-miss, with random restocking of the minibar and bathroom towels. The last two nights were extremely windy, making it very noisy and we couldn't sleep. We would also recommend avoiding rooms above the Explorer's Club, as noise from below can be heard through the floor. Despite these issues, the friendly staff and pleasant facilities, other than those at the Moments Bar, helped make our stay enjoyable. The food was generally good (not excellent), though the World Cafe buffet was mediocre, which is why we avoided it on New Year's Eve. We recommend more professional training for the restaurant staff, as friendliness alone is not enough; the service expectations at a 5-star resort should be higher than those for staff working in a mid-range American restaurant. Certainly we never forgot that we were in an 'all-inclusive' resort, based on the level of food and service quality, which has made us reconsider choosing a resort with this option in the future. Nonetheless, we truly wish the resort success, as the location is beautiful, if remote, the facilities are lovely,