Nice room, friendly staff, good food and handy location for walking

I planned a trip to Maderia for a while, in April 2011 I arrived at HOTEL PICO dA URZE. The location is stunning, I knew it was remote, I would not change a thing. Funchal OK but busy, not for me! {40 minutes by good driver from base 75.00 Euro or sharred lift!}
Some of Madeira's prettiest scenery on the doorstep, No Public transport and no no hire car...management drops me of on the school run at sunny villages or Funchal.
Immaculate in every way, next day custom trips organised over dinner the night before.
Great breakfast, choice of on-site eating/ Jungle Rain experience!
Well done, note hire cars are easily available.

The location is isolated and you really need a car if you are staying here. However, this did mean that it was quiet and peaceful

The staff are without exception very friendly and helpful- nothing seems too much trouble.

The rooms are comfortable without being exceptional and are very clean. We had a balcony overlooking the Paul da Serra, which was lovely.

We went for half board rather than choose from the menu each night and this was a much cheaper option. The food was traditional Madeiran food and ranged from acceptable to very good. The Jungle Rain restaurant was a real novelty and we enjoyed the roaring of lions, trumpeting of elephants and whooping of gorillas, along with the odd tropical thunderstorm.

This Hotel failed to meet my expectations. The location is unique, not above the clouds as the hotel describes - but in the clouds. The staff tell us this in the case for at least 10 months of the year. Whilst the location is useful if you are planning to walk it is far from the cozy retreat we had hoped for.

On arrival we were given room No. 14 (no offer of help with luggage). On entering the room there was a very strong smell of damp, it was also very cold. After 20 mins in the room (with coats still on!) the damp smell was still very apparent. I thought i'd shower to warm up, but the water was barely warm to the hand, unsuitable for washing in. At this point I went to speak to the manger (who was very pleasant). She went to check the boilers and said they were on low and would be turned up, they also put a dehumidifier in the room. 1/2 hour the later the room was still freezing so we went to eat in the grill restaurant.

The Bar tender overheard us chatting about are room and said he 'd once stayed in room 14 before and it was freezing. Eventually the manager decided to change our room. The replacement was better - still damp & far from warm, but better. We did have hot water for the rest of the stay.
The fundamental problem I feel is the poor construction of the building - not designed with a damp climate in mind. Freezing cold corridors & open areas and leaks -pools of water in corridors/ around the windows. The owners choose to leave much of the building unheated (though they do have radiators) hence it is unsurprising it is so damp.

We ate in the grill restaurant for the three nights we stayed most of the time the food was fair. On the last night the pork dish the meat was off, no offer of replacement or refund. Note this restaurant is also left unheated -so we ate every with coats & hats still on. There is a wood fire but apparently the owners restrict how many logs may be used. We got the impression they wanted us to go to the main restaurant instead. I dont know who had the idea of all the fake plants coating the walls and ceiling of the main restaurant/breakfast area, IMO it dosen't work at all, tacky.

If you strike it lucky and the weather is good perhaps the cold/damp problems will be less of an issue but I will certainly not be returning. Nor would I recommend this hotel to others.