Hotel Cajú is a delightful boutique hotel in the heart of Funchal. I stayed there before and after an 8-day hiking tour of Madeira for a total of four nights in two different rooms. My rooms were beautifully decorated, and I really liked the stone walls, balconies, comfy beds, and modern bathrooms complete with a rain shower and extra deep sink that was perfect for hand washing laundry. The rooms were quiet, and you could adjust the temperature to suit your needs. I appreciate the sustainable actions this hotel is taking to be environmentally friendly (e.g., supplying glass bottles of water that could be refilled at a water station located in their lower-level fitness center). What really makes this hotel great is their wonderful staff and adjacent café, Prima Cajú. I especially enjoyed chatting with Christina, the daytime front desk person at reception. Her warm demeanor and genuine interest in the guests made everyone feel valued and welcomed. She is a real gem! Hélder, at the evening reception desk, was also extremely helpful. Guests were treated to incredible breakfasts made to order (a fantastic way of reducing food waste compared to other hotels’ breakfast buffets). The café staff were also very pleasant and enjoyable to interact with. The café has a funky and creative vibe with what appear to be moss and plants hanging upside down from the ceiling in flowerpots. Christina clued me in that only the moss is real. I also had a delicious and healthy lunch there when I first arrived at the hotel. I used their small fitness room a few times (i.e., hand weights and exercise mat). It was great to have a mat to stretch out on after some vigorous hikes!

The fitness room could use some regular ventilation to reduce the rubber smell in the room. As it is, the fan is turned off unless someone comes in and turns it on. While this is an energy efficient technique, the exercise equipment and floor mats are off-gassing volatile organic chemicals (VOCs). It would be healthier to increase the air circulation to this room to reduce VOCs (I used to work as an environmental chemist).

The breakfast was OK but a bit disappointing. The local Madeira bread (Bolo do Caco) is delicious but they served rather tasteless stuff instead. The general decor is interesting with much use of unusual materials like distressed wood and polished concrete. Our room was small but comfortable. The staff were very friendly and helpful.

Every morning at breakfast we had to endure (the same) commercial Xmas music, i.e. we had to listen over and over again to Jingle Bells, Rudolf, etc., etc., etc., ad nauseam. Do they not realize how incredibly irrritating this is for guests?

The location was perfect. On a pedestrianised side street and only a short walk to some beautiful gardens and into the centre of Funchal. The staff were friendly and welcoming and service throughout our stay was excellent. Breakfast was superb and we also made use of the options of being able to 1) pre order and 2) get a "take out" as some of our booked tours had early starts. A range of excellent local restaurants within very short walking distance.

Bistro/cafe on site only open from 8 til 4. Would have been nice to have had an onsite bar and restaurant as we would have definitely eaten there as the food and service for breakfast and lunch was absolutely superb.

The hotel is on a small pedestrian quiet street within walking distance of everything to see and do. It’s 5- 8 minutes down to the Marina. It’s not a steep walk but there are lots of steep hills in Funchal! The staff are very nice and clearly happy in their work. We liked that breakfast is served to you (instead of a buffet) and that you can order as many things/times as you need to. It was useful being able to refill our water bottles (even sparkling) free in the basement. The hotel does not have a bar, it closes early and you use your keycard to enter although reception is manned (there are places nearby to have a drink or dine) which keeps it quiet inside. The airport taxi (after midnight) was €37, we used public transport back! We recommend it.

Nothing

The hotel was in a lovely position to explore Funchal, albeit we were there for just one night when it should have been four! They allowed us to leave out luggage for a good part of the day after checkout. Breakfast was really lovely and plentiful. Cannot say much more really due to the short time we were there.

I do not believe that they had any empathy for our situation. They did not offer any recompense for the three nights we did not stay, due to our flight going back to the UK, due to the weather in Funchal. I also do not believe the room we had was what we had booked. It was not what was expected. If ever back in Madeira, we would not stay here again.

The hotel decoration is stylish and neat. The rooms are lovely and even if I didn’t use it, there is a small gym in the basement with a water fountain. It was also very quiet, I slept like a baby. The single room was a comfortable size and had a nice setting. The bed was cozy and the bathroom was large. There is air con in the room which you can turn on and off yourself. There was a fridge and lots of storage for clothes and food. There was a safe too. The room was very clean. The location is very central with lots of restaurants around. The walk to the beach (Praia Formosa) is about 1h14 minutes which I did twice. The airport is about 25 minutes away by car. But the mostly the staff is very friendly and helpful. I was hiking everyday and leaving before sunrise. I am also vegan. They packed my breakfast so I could take it with me. They also helped me book taxis and kept my suitcase on the first day so I could start my visit while my room was getting ready and brought my bags to the room before I came back. The standard of service is very high. I will definitely go back to this hotel.

No complaints. I loved it.

This is one of the best properties that we have stayed at. We traveled to Madeira mainly for hiking and the outdoor activities. The hotel is at a convenient location, up to date, clean, comfortable, spacious, have good amenities, and the staff was very pleasant. This hotel is excellent for people doing hikes with a car for the following reasons: 1. Secure underground parking available at sister hotel (The Vine) - 4 min walk away 2. Excellent breakfast. It’s ala carte but you can pre-order and have everything ready by 0800 (super helpful). There’s also pre-packed breakfast to go for even earlier departures as you should be at hikes early in the morning to avoid crowds. 3. Refillable filtered water station Special mention to Cristina. She was friendly and provided excellent local suggestions. We see her every day coming back from our adventures and we felt like we made a genuine friend.

Absolutely nothing. Everything was truly wonderful.

Cute boutique hotel in the middle of Funchal. They have taken an old building and modernized/renovated it in a very interesting way. The breakfast/lunch area (also open to the public) is super, you can order off the menu for breakfast so it's all freshly prepared. everything was really delicious with especially good coffee. The bed was very comfortable and the shower was also great.

The room size was on the small size. There was no room for our two suitcases and unpacking was also not an option as limited storage space. The shower could leak if you weren't careful. The room was on the warmer side, there was a thermostat but not sure it worked well. Because it's in a pedestrian area it is tricky to get there if you have a lot of luggage. There really is no where to pullover and drop off.

Decor in the rooms, much nicer than the pictures. Helpful staff. Fab breakfast, very high quality and really quick service. I’m vegetarian and lots of selection - I don’t understand the some of the reviews below about quality / selection. Would definitely stay again.

Only slight issues was bed was a little too soft for me and mattress topper was loose under the sheets leaving a gap between the headboard under the sheets.

The staff was exceptional! Henrique was awesome with his recommendations and very helpful with any request. The hotel location is perfect! Near restaurants, and very close to the old town and the water front. The room was just the perfect size. It had a small fridge and an electric kettle. There's a samll gym. The adjacent Come Prima restaurant had great breakfast choices and an interesting and healthy lunch menu. The restaurant opened at 8 am, which was a bit late for me, but always had breakfast to go ready. I would definitely stay there again and recommend it to everyone.