Dorisol Buganvilia

Okay, so I understand it's a 3 star hotel which is supposed to be mid range, not budget, like many people are saying in their reviews to justify the obvious basic flaws and numerous issues the hotel has.

Anyway, here is my honest experience.

1. Noise.

Firstly, the hotel failed to notify the travel agent of internal and external building work going on in the area.

As a result we had to move rooms 2 times. Firstly to move away from drilling and banging inside the hotel but then because of the building site noise opposite but building work was being done on both sides of the hotel so we had to listen to pneumatic drilling from 8 to 6 on some days.

All of the rooms are panelled floors so when people were walking or dragging furniture across the floor the noise was awful. Had this happen at 1 in the morning from people above too.

Also, I've never heard doors being slammed so loud in a hotel.... Ever!! A significant number of times, it was the cleaning staff. It would reverberate throughout the entire hotel.

The hotel also hosted parties for local people and the noise of the music went on into the early hours of the morning on occasions.

2. Smoking. 

We had several occasions when our room was polluted with cigarette smoke. This was from other balconies, through the bathroom vent, throughout the whole of the common areas too, especially when the hotel hosted parties and allowed the attendees to smoke right by the reception entrance so the smoke filtered up through the staircase.

3. Breakfast. 

We were given child size cutlery for breakfast. The estrelicia has adult cutlery. Would love to know why. The breakfast items were often cold. They seem to bring it out cold and hope it would warm up in the trays. The choice is very poor and the quality low.

Alternative diets are poorly catered for. They only provided soya milk and one type of gluten free bread role. We often had to take our own food down for breakfast.

In the estrelicia pigeons and seagulls often swoop on breakfast plates and the staff do nothing to prevent it.

They also allow people to smoke on the breakfast veranda while people are trying to eat breakfast. It's absolutely disgusting and shouldn't be allowed.

4. Room Service 

Several times we returned from long days out to find our room had not been serviced.

5. Staff. 

A few members of staff did try to help on occasions but on the whole, they were ineffective at solving issues. So when the general manager comes on to trip advisor to thank you for your review and promise they are actioning improvements, I would take this with a pinch of salt, because they resolved or changed very little to improve our stay. I know it will sound petty but something as simple as asking for a parasol for the pool area and being told to go to the estrelicia pool area is indicative of the lack of care and professionalism.

6. Fire Alarm. 

The first night we stayed at the hotel, there was a fire alarm in the early hours of the morning. The organisation was shambolic. There were guests ambling back to their rooms, nobody knew what was going on, they shepherded everyone into one corner of the ground floor to do a person count so we were stood breathing in smoke fumes. Thank god it was an external bin fire or something similar and not a fire in the confines of the hotel.

You understand you won't get a 5 star environment and the hotel is dated and you can accept that but not when they are getting so many of the basics wrong when it comes to looking after guests.

We experienced several events the hotel hosted for locals and the feeling was they received preferential treatment.

All in all, the hotel has far too many failures for me to recommend anyone stay here.

I hope people find this useful before deciding to choose this hotel for a holiday.

Breakfast had a great variety and it changed a little daily. Breakfast was 8.50 euros/person, though it was cheaper when we purchased in advance with our room through a third party (Expedia). The coffee is not good. The front desk staff wasn't the friendliest. The beds are comfortable. Views are okay. The mini fridge and microwave in room are nice. Bathroom was spacious and clean. Sound proofing wasn't too bad. The indoor pool needs longer hours, 8am-7pm was too early, and the hot tub only fits 3-4 people which was full of parents and toddlers while we were there. Later hours might give adults a chance. Plenty of restaurants within a few minutes walk, however, there are hills around. A nice grocery store is less than a 10 minute walk away, it is 20-30 minutes walk into Funchal. We stayed four nights, left and stayed on the north of the island for a few days, and returned for two more nights.

We arrived at the hotel at approximately 4:40pm, exhausted after our delayed journey.

Upon check-in, we were directed to the lifts; however, we first had to drag our suitcases up eight steps to reach them. The manager did not offer any assistance or even ask if we needed help. The lift area itself was dark, dirty, and clearly neglected, with plaster coming off the walls and in urgent need of redecoration.

Hotel Corridor

The hallway was dark and dingy, with black floor tiles edged with small burgundy tiles. I commented to my friend that it resembled a 1970s public toilet—it felt damp, poorly maintained, with plaster and skirting boards coming away from the walls. Overall, it was extremely unpleasant.

Hotel Room

When we opened the room door, we were greeted by the outdated décor, sub standard room not a lovely cosy welcome at all, very hostel looking accomidation

As we walked toward the balcony window, we noticed dead insects on the floor. On closer inspection, we realised some were still moving and resembled maggots. There were both dead and live insects on the floor and inside the curtains. When the curtains were moved, insects fell out onto the floor. This made us feel extremely uncomfortable and itchy, and I warned my friend not to open her suitcase, as we did not know what the insects were.

As we inspected the room further, we found:

A dirty shower and shower head

Dirty walls and bedding

Blood marks on the walls

A cracked sink

A fridge door being held shut with gaffer tape

The room was completely unacceptable.

Contact with TUI Representative

On 2nd July , I called the TUI helpline, I spoke to a woman explained the condition of the room, and stated clearly that we wanted to change hotels, as this was not the standard of accommodation we expected. I was extremely upset and felt close to tears at what we had been provided, i had come all this way for an enjoyable holiday with lovely clean smart rooms etc.

Tui women advised that we had to follow a process and first ask the hotel if they could resolve the issue. Although I strongly doubted this given the condition of the hotel, I agreed. I expected Tui woman to assist further, but no meaningful support was provided.

Interaction with Hotel Staff

A cleaner came into the room, and I showed her the insects and the general state of cleanliness. She made a phone call, and about ten minutes later a young man arrived who identified himself as the housekeeping manager. He stated that the insects lived in cracks in the building and that they used bug spray. My friend explained that she has asthma, and spraying chemicals could seriously affect her health.

We were shown a so-called refurbished room, but this was no better and still unacceptable.

Decision to Leave

Having heard nothing further from the hotel manager or the TUI representative, and with no suitable alternative room available, we were left with no choice but to find alternative accommodation. We located the Vidamar Hotel, approximately ten minutes away, and booked it for the remaining three nights, at an additional cost.

When we returned to the Dorisol Hotel to check out, the manager said nothing, offered no apology, and we were not refunded the tourist tax or offered any form of compensation.

The Hotel is dilapidated throughout and in need of a total refurb.

I was surprised that Tui had this hotel on there books, the photos we saw were not for this hotel it was for another so this was very misleading.