Escarpa - the Madeira Hideaway

If I could give this place 4.85 out of 5 I would! I want to start with the positives: First, it’s one of the best views in Madeira, and that’s saying something. It’s impossible to quantify how cool walking up every day to a view of the cliffs and the Atlantic is. Second, the staff is first class. Petra and her team make you feel like a valued guest. The breakfast they prepare each morning is fresh and delicious. The honesty bar is a huge plus, too, considering the closest market is 10 minutes away. Third, it’s a great location. It is remote, and I wouldn’t recommend staying here without a car. However, it’s only 10 minutes from Ponto do Sol and 30 from Funchal. Now, the “negatives” (in reality, I’d call them caveats). -You can only access Escarpa by climbing a flight of stairs and a steep ramp up from the parking lot. I am not an out of shape person, I run most days, this was an even a struggle for me and something to note for folks with different abilities. -There was no AC, and there’s no ceiling fan. We visited before the peak of summer so we dealt with it, but I wouldn’t stay in July or August unless you can get a room with AC. -It’s intimate-ish. You have your own room, but it’s kinda small and since there’s no AC, you need the windows open so nothing is private. I still would recommend this place wholeheartedly, just feel the caveats are necessary.

How do you rate a piece of paradise? Well I will have a go Escarpa is one very special place run by an amazing Petra and her team Our room 7 had views to die for , we could lie in bed and watch the sun rise or sit on our balcony with a bottle of wine watch the sun set The room was stunning with huge bed, wonderful bedding ,dressing gowns . A small kitchen if you wanted to whip up a simple lunch .Everything has been thought out to ensure a perfect stay The pool was just awesome and we would watch the little boats sail past while in the pool. The chairs and spitting areas again are special Finally the breakfasts WOW so different having tapas breakfasts We will be back

It was just as expected! So beautiful area and the villa we booked with the sea view was just amazing! Petra and all of her staff were so nice and friendly. The swimming pool looking over the bay is beautiful and the breakfast every morning is very good. All hand made delicacies , very yummy! Can’t get enough of that beautiful view 😍! Can only recommend to stay there if you are visiting. It’s close to everything, the levadas, Ponta Do Sol , Camara de los Lobos and 35’ from Funchal.

Possibly the loveliest hotel I’ve stayed at! If you are looking for peace, tranquility and privacy - this is the right hotel for you. The views are spectacular and all you can hear from your balcony or your bed, is the sound of the ocean. I booked this short break as a 50th birthday gift for my husband and I wanted it to be a little special and Escarpa is exactly that. The rooms have a little kitchenette area which is great for coffee & a snack on the balcony or if you want to bring some lunch back to your room. The location is great for the levadas Moinho & Novo and is a short (20 minute) taxi ride into Funchal. Petra is a delightful hostess and her staff are friendly, welcoming and yet unobtrusive. I would love to come back again one day. It has been a much needed few days of pure relaxation. If you are hesitating, wondering whether to book in Funchal, I can only say “Book this hotel quickly!”.

Exceptionally high standard boutique hotel with stunning views over the Atlantic. We were very well looked after and everywhere was spotlessly clean. Rooms were very comfortable with good facilities and luxury touches. Would thorough recommend.

Stunning location. Beautiful rooms. Amazing staff - with a special call out to Melissa, who is an utter delight and Abilio, the waiter at 90 Degrees restaurant who took great care of us and kept us entertained!. Best hotel breakfast from Mrs Petra, the owner. Great mix of interesting guests. Incredible value for money. Faultless!

This report may be written rather late, but I still believe that I owe it to Madame Petra and her staff to praise this fabulous resort and all the staff. It was mid May 2022 and I succeeded to complete the Pico Ruivo hike along with my travelling mate. We stayed 4 nights in Funchal to be near the major city attractions and to undertake the hike. With the strenuous hike behind, now it was time pick up a rental car and to drive to Ponta do Sol to spent 4 nights at Escarpa. Up until then I did not stay in a more calm and sophisticated resort. Being from the 'old school', I do appreciate the calmness and no adults only policy. The highlights: the infinite pool and the restaurant, not to forget the daily breakfast served personally by the owner Madame Petra. I hope to return before long.

We spontaneously decided to fly to Madeira a week before out trip and looking for accomodation there were so many options that it was hard to make a choice, but when found Escarpe we directly knew this will be it - its smaller, located in one of the what felt like always sunny parts of the Island and the Infinity pool we were looking very much forward to. Our stay turned out even better than we could have imagined - surrounded by a banana plantage, located at the side of a cliff, stunning views and sunnset from the Infinity pool, the most delicious breakfasts and incredible nice and helpfull hotel staff made out stay memorable. The location is a great starting point to acutually anywhere on the island if you only plan with one location to stay at (we stayed for a week). With our rental car we were very flexible for heading out to roadtrips or hikes on the island, and always looked forward to close the day in the pool incl. the heated jacuzzi :) We can definetely recommend staying here and will for sure come back! Thanks a lot to the whole team, Escarpa is a dream to stay at! Best regards, Helga & Oliver

Wow! What an incredible find! Escarpa is truly a wonderful place, a tiny gem of a place just outside of the little village of Ponta Do Sol, perched on the cliffs overlooking the Atlantic and our five night stay was amazing. It's a truly beautiful spot with immaculate rooms, delicious breakfasts and a wonderful team looking after us. We stayed in one of the smaller rooms - an Ocean View room - and would absolutely stay in one of those rooms again (room 2). The room had a comfortable bed with patio doors overlooking the Atlantic and it was wonderful to hear the waves crashing each night. The ensuite shower room while on the small size was more than sufficient and the powerful shower gave us both a wonderful head and neck massage each time - a wonderful bonus! The bathroom amenities are wonderful too. I don't think there is one bad room. We loved the terrace, infinity pool and jacuzzi and the views from our balcony. There isn't a great deal of room for luggage in the room with but that's likely our fault as sadly we've never mastered the art of travelling light! I'm sure for most people it is more than sufficient and after all we had THREE large suitcases! And beware that it is a steep walk up the slope to get to the hotel from the car park - but you will be helped with your luggage. For us the adjacent restaurant didn't quite hit the mark. Friendly service but being so small on the two occasions we ate there some menu choices weren't available and we didn't find the food particularly 'wow; and the tiny restaurant itself needs some tlc (a lick of paint?) to be make it a little more luxury - softer lighting/candles/flowers/music/ fewer menu choices and perhaps a handwritten menu? It seemed that while a part of Escarpa the restaurant is run slightly separately e.g. we had to pay them directly which wasn't a problem... and I think it shows. Escapra itself is exceptional and this restaurant just misses the mark sadly. That said it is great to have it on site. We stayed for five nights and perhaps the most memorable was having an evening swim and jacuzzi then enjoying a bottle of champagne and a picnic supper we'd purchased earlier in the day on our balcony. Impossibly romantic :-) While it's certainly possible to stay and just relax by the pool or walk to the local village, we had a hire car which allowed us to explore the island and as the location is remote others may prefer to have a hire car also. We loved that Escarpa attracted all nationalities and it was easy to chat to others if you wanted to - we came away having made two sets of new friends. It was our first visit to Madeira and we stayed in Funchal for 3 nights and then moved up the coast. I can't recommend Escarpa enough and if you get the chance do go... you won't regret it. We will definitely return. Thank you everyone for making us so very welcome and for a truly wonderful stay.