Dreams Madeira Resort sits in a beautiful corner of Madeira, close to Prainha Beach and Sao Lourenco Point. Hyatt purchased a massive piece of land, and there are no other private residences there. Guests enjoy access to a private beach and proximity to the world-famous PR8 Sao Lourenco hike.
Exceptions to the all-inclusive resort experience
It is important for potential guests at this resort to understand the following exceptions to avoid disappointment:
- Parking – €10 to €12.50 per day. However, the fee is waived for Globalist award reservations. If the front desk agent is unaware of this benefit, I recommend guests ask to speak with the manager (which I had to do to get the charge waived).
- Spa – €35 for a 3-hour daily pass; the €35 access fee is removed if you book any spa treatment (massage, facial, etc.).
- Room Delivery Service Fee (e.g., ordering food delivery) – €20 per order. The resort is spread over a large area, so room delivery takes time and effort.
- Dry cleaning/laundry services – additional fee.
Dreams Madeira Resort Booking
Dreams Madeira is all-inclusive when booked with Hyatt points but incurs an additional fee for half-board & all-inclusive stays when paid with cash (see images below).
Award Booking Dreams Madeira Resort
I used my Chase/Hyatt points to book a 5-night stay at Dreams Madeira Resort and used one of my suite upgrade awards (SUA’s) to confirm a standard Preferred Club Suite (see images below), which typically costs 32K points per night.
Please refer to my earlier post (link) to understand the restrictions on using CAT 1-7 certificates and SUAs to book Hyatt all-inclusive properties.
Drive from the Madeira International Airport to the property.
We rented a car for a 5-night stay (for < $ 100 USD), and it is a 10-minute drive from the airport to the property. There is plenty of parking in the garage, and you will be provided with a parking card for easy entry and exit. You can conveniently return the parking card to the guard at the main entrance on your last day after checking out of the hotel.
Dreams Madeira Resort Check-in
Preferred Club guests have a dedicated check-in counter inside the lounge area on the second floor. They served us welcome drinks and a cold towel while we waited for the check-in counters to become available. We appreciated the immediate Globalist recognition and were pleasantly surprised to see a double upgrade to a presidential suite for the duration of our stay.
Preferred Club Presidential Suite
The Presidential Suite Ocean View Suite is not well advertised. For some reason, it is not typically available for cash purchase, but it appears under the “accommodations” section of the hotel webpage (link). While there is no way to estimate the nightly price of the Presidential Suite, it seems to be one level below the highest-priced (over $2000 USD for all-inclusive) “Preferred Club Townhouse” (see image below).
This was the first time we were ever upgraded to a hotel suite with “Presidential” in the name, and we were curious to see its size. The Presidential Suite (room number 1641) is the only one on the 4th floor (P4 in the elevator image below), and you can’t help but feel like you are entering a Penthouse Suite. The suite is massive (over 1100 square feet), with 3 balconies and an additional private furnished terrace with a jacuzzi.
The Presidential Suite has a double-door entrance that leads to a small room before the walkway splits to the bedrooms and living room. We turned this room into a “mudroom” by moving a couple of dining chairs to make room for hiking shoes.
The Presidential Suite has a king-size bed and a full second bathroom so that the whole family can stay comfortably.
The main bedroom is very spacious and has every amenity you can think of, except a magnifying mirror and an iron.
Furnished Terrace
The large furnished veranda with a Jacuzzi is certainly the highlight of the Presidential Suite, and we enjoyed it every day after hiking. Taller buildings next to the veranda mean it isn’t very private.
Views from the Presidential Suite
The suite has an uninterrupted view of a small mountain, the harbor, and the ocean (see images below). We watched the sunset from the veranda a few times while relaxing in the lounge chairs and Jacuzzi.
Wi-Fi Speed
Wi-Fi speeds are pretty basic, and Hyatt should consider boosting speeds across the board at its properties.
Fitness Center
I was surprised to see a large fitness center with brand new Life Fitness equipment at this all-inclusive property. It includes free weights, a bench press machine, and some resistance equipment (see images below).
Preferred Club Lounge
The Preferred Club Lounge seemed mediocre because the check-in counter was inside. It lacked a cappuccino machine, so we didn’t spend much time there and enjoyed our hot drinks at the other cafes.
Coco Café
Coco Café is located on the 1st floor and serves hot drinks and desserts during the day. There was a good selection of desserts without repetition, and my wife eCaféially Caféyed them.
The Desire Sports Bar
We went there one afternoon and ordered some chicken wings and a quesadilla.
Main Restaurant
We went to this restaurant every day for breakfast and for lunch during our stay. There is a large variety of food, and the stalls at Caféwell are well organized, with plenty of space for indoor and outdoor seating. Many servers help with drinks, and a grill section cooks eggs in any style in the mornings and various meats at lunch and dinner. There are 4 Delta cappuccino machines inside and 2 outside, which is the most generous of any hotel chain, in our experience. Needless to say, we visited the World Cafe often for all our hot drinks, despite being Preferred Club members.
Fine Dining
I emailed the guest experience agent (guestexperience.dremp@hyatt.com, WhatsApp +351964891824) about 10 days before my arrival and asked them to book the following restaurants every day for dinner at 7 pm. I promptly received a confirmation email within 24 hours (see image below). If you choose to book restaurants after you arrive, you must do so promptly on the smartphone app at 8 am, and you may still miss out on some restaurants because of the poor app interface and Wi-Fi speeds.
Sabor Mediterranean Restaurant
Carvão Restaurant
We ordered Grilled Vegetables, Chicken Thighs, and Angus Ribeye for the main course, which were delicious, and we ordered the same dishes again.
Oishii Japanese Restaurant
We sat at the Teppanyaki grill with two other couples and exchanged travel ideas while the chef grilled delicious food.
Club de Fado Portuguese Restaurant
We canceled our reservation here and visited the Japanese Grill again.
Nouvelle Brasserie French Restaurant
Nouvelle has the best oceanfront views of all the fine-dining restaurants (see images below). It got dark by 6:30 pm in January when we visited, and I can imagine the views for outdoor seating during the summer.
We ordered duck legs, beef cheeks, and Crème Brûlée for dinner, and everything was delicious.
Natural Pool & Você Bar
A unique natural pool sits on the beach, where Você Bar serves drinks (see images below).
Dreams Madeira Resort Outdoor Adults-only Swimming Pool & Sugar Reef Bar
The outdoor heated pool is near the spa & fitness center, but it wasn’t heated enough to jump in during winter months.
Overall Experience at Dreams Madeira
- We estimated the nightly price of the Presidential Suite at $1500-1800, and it was wonderful to see the value of Hyatt’s Globalist status, especially being able to use the SUA long before arrival.
- We experienced customer service comparable to the best 5-star hotels, and the food was excellent overall. It is difficult to meet everyone’s taste requirements in all-inclusive resorts, and I have seen several negative reviews on TripAdvisor.
- Some members expected tips or left positive Google or TripAdvisor reviews.
- Wi-Fi speeds and room service response times could be improved, but they didn’t affect our experience.
Conclusion
Dreams Madeira Resort, Spa & Marina is one of the most reasonably priced all-inclusive resorts in the world (similar to the Canary Islands), and I encourage Hyatt Globalists to use their suite upgrade certificates to enjoy a week-long stay here with Preferred Club benefits. I highly recommend reaching out to the guest experience concierge to make all the dinner reservations ahead of time.
The resort was spotless, with the friendliest customer service staff, and most of the food we tasted was good. We will most likely return to Madeira for a few more hikes and plan to stay at Dreams Madeira, with or without the Presidential Suite upgrade.