UPDATED MAY 2020 ◊ ZMIEŃ JĘZYK NA: POLSKI

Madeira on a budget – Accommodation

For all those of you visiting Madeira on a budget, I have prepared a new series of posts about cheap, cheaper or free options for meals, accommodation and transport in Madeira. Today, a couple of ideas for free or cheap stays on Madeira.

Cheap accommodation in Madeira

1. Budget hotels

If you are a budget traveller and search for the English term “hotel Madeira” on Google, the top results might scare you off. But don’t worry, it is rather easy to find cheap stays, guest houses and smaller, budget hotels on Madeira.

2. How to find affordable hotels in Madeira?

Instead of searching for the term “hotel” I recommend using “Pensão Funchal” or “Residencial Funchal”.

As you can see, those results are incomparably better than the hotels in the touristic part of Funchal.

3. List of budget hotels and guest houses in Madeira

Here is a list of affordable stays in Madeira:

Pensão Astoria (***)
Pensão Residencial Vila Teresinha (**)
Residencial Funchal (**)
Residencial Zarco (***)
Pensão Residencial A Casa do Caseiro (****)
Residencial Parque (***)
Residencial Mirasol (***)
Residencial Colombo (***)
Residencial Greco (***)
Residencial Chafariz (**)
Hotel Sirius (**)
Residencial Monaco (*)
Residencial do Vale
Residencial Pina
Residencial Mariazinha
Residencial Melba Funchal
Hospedaria Por Do Sol
Residencial Monumental

Right now, the best rated budget stays (according to TripAdvisor) are:

Here is a list of all the budget stays available on TripAdvisor.

For all wheelchair travellers trying to travel on a budget as well, we would also like to recommend a perfectly located 2-star hotel which is the only hotel adjusted to wheelchair users in that rural part of the island. See: Costa Linda Hotel

Residencial Mariazinha is recommended for those, who would love to stay directly in the Old Town of Funchal, next door to a number of good restaurants, live Fado music places, art galleries and local Poncha bars, such as our beloved – Venda Velha.

Residencial Mariazinha is on the higher end of budget options when compared to other “Residencial” hotels in Funchal, but it has a great rating of 4,4/5 on Google.

FUNCHAL OLD TOWN STREET ARTS

PONCHA AND OTHER LOCAL MADEIRA DRINKS – FOR DUMMIES

AWESOME 2-STAR HOTEL IN PORTO DA CRUZ: COSTA LINDA

At this moment, Residencial Zarco for example, is half the price, but it is only rated 3 stars. Zarco is also very conveniently located on the “Praça Colombo” square, called by some locals also the “Yellow Square / Praça Amarela”.

This one is also a great option for those already looking forward to discovering the nightlife of Funchal and long marathons of Poncha drinking (a famous local drink made with aguardiente), as Residencial Zarco is located a minute (!) away from our second most favourite Poncha place – Rei da Poncha.

Well located & well priced is also Pensão Astoria:

4. Hostels in Madeira

If you are fine with sharing a room with strangers to considerably cut your costs, or, if you travel in a big group, hostels would be a great option. Most of the Madeira hostels are modern and have high guest ratings. Most of the Madeira hotels are located in Funchal.

Hostels in Funchal – city centre or vicinity of the city centre

Hostels in Funchal – outside the city centre

Phil’s Haven Hostel

Madeira Happy Hostel

Hostel in Ribeira Brava

Hostel Casal São João

Hostel in São Vicente

São Vicente Hostel

Hostel in Porto da Cruz, Porto Santo

Jaca Hostel

29 Madeira Hostel mostly “good” and “very good” ratings on TripAdvisor. In total, a rating of 4,5 in 5 – same as Phil’s Haven Hostel & 109 Funchal Hostel.

5. CouchSurfing in Madeira

There are currently almost 1000 registered hosts offering free of costs accommodation in Madeira Island. CouchSurfing shouldn’t, however, be treated as a “free hotel”, but rather a great way to discover Madeira with the locals, get to know another culture and meet new people. On the other hand, if we value our freedom, or, if we travel in a big group, a better compromise will be:

6. Airbnb or private rentals in Madeira

There are thousands of private rental houses, villas and apartments on the island. You can book these stays via Airbnb, Booking or directly with the owners, via their own websites. The term to search for is “Alojamento Local”. Such private holiday rentals on Madeira are a great option for budget travellers since you also have access to kitchen & laundry, which helps you save a lot on eating out.

We love staying in such holiday guest houses in and outside of Funchal and with time, you will see a lot of reviews on our blog.

SEE ALSO: FAMILY/GROUP GUESTHOUSE SOTAVENTO ON PORTO SANTO ISLAND

If you have never used the AirBnb service, I encourage you to register using my referral link:

www.airbnb.com/c/edytac107

If you use this link to sign up, you will get €25 in travel credit. Terms & conditions can be found [HERE]

7. Tourist shelters in Madeira & Porto Santo

This is not something I can tell you a lot about as I have never slept in a tourist shelter in Madeira, but I do know that this is also an option. A tourist shelter in Portuguese is called a “Casa de abrigo”.

[OFFICIAL WEBSITE FOR SHELTERS IN MADEIRA AND PORTO SANTO]

As you can read on the official website, there are in total seven public tourist shelter houses in Madeira Archipelago – six on Madeira and one on Porto Santo Island:

Casa do Lombo do Mouro shelter (or actually: two separate buildings, listed separately on the website) – located between Encumeada & Paul da Serra / route PR17 (Caminho do Pinaculo – Folhadal)
Casa do Abrigo do Cedro shelter on Montado do Pereiro in Santa Cruz
Casa de Abrigo das Sorveiras shelter in Monte (Funchal area), between Chão da Lagoa and Poço da Neve
Rocha do Navio shelter, located on Fajã da Rocha do Navio (“Fajã” is a Portuguese term for is a piece of flat, very fertile land, created by flowing lava, which is located at the bottom of the cliff, cut off on one side by the cliff, on the other by water. There are a couple of fajã’s on Madeira Island – see links below and be sure to visit at least one of them).
Casa de Abrigo do Pico das Pedras shelter in Santana – the newest addition, added to the list in October last year
On Porto Santo: Casa Pico Branco Shelter

The most popular and frequently rented out shelters in Madeira are Lombo do Mouro, Abrigo das Sorveiras & Abrigo do Cedro.

On the website, you will find a map, gallery and a reservation form, which isn’t unfortunately very user-friendly for foreign tourists. The website is only available in Portuguese.

The price is fixed – 25 euro per night.

If you have slept in one of those shelters, I am extremely interested in your reviews and your tips. Would you recommend this option to other tourists? Please leave a comment below!

8. Free campsites in Madeira

Yes, there are both commercial and free campsites in Madeira.

I have already mentioned them in one of my previous posts“Backpacking & hitchhiking in Madeira”, be sure to check it!

In order to sleep on one of these free campsites, you need a permission from the Instituto das Florestas e Conservacao da Natureza – IFCN, because the campsites are located within the national parks.

You should apply well in advance, as sometimes it takes time to receive a response. Do not leave it until the last moment. The short application form “Formulário Campismo” can be found on:

https://ifcn.madeira.gov.pt/servicos/servicos-on-line.html

And you? Have you stayed in any of the budget hotels, hostels or shelters in Madeira? Do you have any other tips for budget accommodation on Madeira?

Let us know in the comments!

Say Yes to Madeira

Madeira on a budget – Part II – Cheap or free accommodation in Madeira