Calheta Beach
Calheta Beach is a 4-star all-inclusive hotel in the Savoy Signature group, built right on Praia da Calheta on the quiet south-west coast of Madeira, about 45 minutes from Funchal. Families come for one of only two sandy beaches on the island a few steps from the room, three pools including a heated indoor one, and meals and drinks folded into a single price on a calm stretch of coast.
On this page
- Is it worth it?
- Quick facts
- What the resort is like
- The all-inclusive programme
- Every restaurant and bar
- Rooms and suites
- Pools and water features
- The beach
- Babies and toddlers
- Things to do
- The area and days out
- Loves and gripes
- How it compares
- Getting there and when to go
- Weather
- Questions
- Practical notes
- Photo gallery
Is it worth it?
The quick read before the detail: who Calheta Beach suits, what the all-inclusive covers and the facts to skim first.
Calheta Beach is a 4-star all-inclusive in the Savoy Signature group, on Madeira’s south-west coast and built right on Praia da Calheta. The draw is a sandy beach a few steps from the room, which is rare on Madeira, three pools that all take children, and a calm beachfront well away from the busier hotels on Funchal’s Lido strip, with the meals and drinks in one price.
The trade-offs are worth weighing up front. It is about 45 minutes from Funchal, so days in the capital take planning and a hire car is close to essential from this side of the island. Organised childcare for the youngest is thin: babysitting takes children from six months, but there is no crèche, and the Kids Club’s minimum age is not published. The two outdoor pools read 20°C, which can feel cool, with a heated indoor pool for babies and cooler months. You will get the most from it if you want the beach and meals sorted in one price and are happy to drive, and less if you need a crèche or want to be in the city.
Best for
You want an all-inclusive with a sandy beach a few steps from the room, three family pools and meals and drinks in one price, and you are happy to hire a car.
Maybe not for
You want to be walking distance from a city, you need a crèche or organised childcare for a baby or toddler, or you would rather not drive on Madeira’s winding roads.
Best ages
It works at any age. Babysitting takes children from six months, and there is a Kids Club, though its minimum age is not published, so check it if you have a toddler.
What stands out
One of only two sandy beaches on Madeira, right on the doorstep, plus a heated indoor pool and all-inclusive value next to the pricier Saccharum.
What to check
The Kids Club’s minimum age and whether it is included, cot availability for the compact rooms, and that you are happy about the drive from Funchal.
Where is it?
In Calheta on the south-west coast of Madeira, right on Praia da Calheta and roughly 40 to 50 minutes from Madeira Airport.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
Where Calheta Beach sits, how it is laid out and what its compact, low-key setting means for a week with young children.
Calheta Beach is a modern, mid-rise hotel on a small promontory at the edge of Calheta, a harbour town of around four thousand people on Madeira’s south-west coast, about 45 km (28 miles) west of Funchal. It sits close to the water on two sides, with the beach on one and the marina on the other, and the beach is only a few steps from the main part of the hotel. The footprint is compact and the tone is relaxed, noticeably quieter and smaller in scale than the big resort hotels on Funchal’s Lido strip. For the wider island, its coasts and its seasons, see our Madeira guide.
A footbridge crosses the road from the hotel to a local shopping centre, which is handy for a few essentials, though the town itself has only a limited spread of shops and restaurants and most things are within reach by car rather than on foot. There is a rooftop open to all guests. The hotel confirms accommodation and access for guests with reduced mobility, which is worth flagging if anyone in the party uses a wheelchair or finds stairs hard.
Immediately next door is Saccharum Resort & Spa, a 5-star hotel in the same Savoy Signature group. It matters here for a couple of shared extras covered further down: a subsidised meal at its fine-dining restaurant, and paid access to its spa. It is a separate hotel, so do not assume the run of its facilities comes with a Calheta Beach stay.
The all-inclusive programme
What is in the price, the paid AI Plus upgrade and the meal at Saccharum next door, so you know where the extras sit before the restaurants themselves.
The all-inclusive runs from 07:00 to 23:00 and covers the buffet and à la carte restaurants, the bars, the three pools and the indoor pool and wet area in the spa, along with the daily entertainment. Wine, beer, soft drinks and hot drinks come with lunch and dinner. The one thing to keep separate in your head is the room minibar: its drinks are not part of the all-inclusive, so anything from there is charged.
There is a paid AI Plus upgrade, on stays of seven nights or more, that mostly buys certainty. It adds a guaranteed sun lounger and a sheltered sun-lounge area by the main pool, guaranteed early check-in and late check-out, and one complimentary set-menu dinner a week at Alambique, the fine-dining restaurant at Saccharum next door. The hotel does not publish its price, so treat it as an optional extra and weigh it against how much a reserved lounger and flexible check-in times are worth to you.
On the standard all-inclusive, Alambique still comes with a per-person credit towards the bill, so it is a subsidised meal there rather than a free one; the fuller complimentary dinner is the AI Plus benefit above. Breakfast in the buffet is included, and there is a paid à la carte breakfast upgrade if you would rather a served start to the day. Sun loungers and parasols by the pools are first-come for standard guests, and only guaranteed with AI Plus.
Every restaurant and bar
The dining is a buffet plus two à la carte restaurants and a beachside one, with two bars, all within the all-inclusive unless noted. The buffet takes walk-ins; the à la carte rooms need booking a day ahead.
Calheta Restaurant is the buffet, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, roughly 07:30 to 10:00, 13:00 to 14:30 and 18:00 to 21:00. It runs cold dishes, salads, hot dishes, show-cooking stations and a dessert buffet, with wine, beer and soft drinks included at lunch and dinner. It needs no booking, which makes it the easy option when a young child’s appetite arrives at its own time. It also hosts a paid Chef’s Cooking Class on Tuesday afternoons.
Onda Azul is the à la carte restaurant, open for lunch and dinner, roughly 13:00 to 15:00 and 18:00 to 22:00, with a table booked 24 hours ahead and within your stay's weekly à la carte allocation. It is where seasonal events such as a Saturday fado dinner run, so ask what is on during your stay rather than counting on it.
The Local Beach Bar & Restaurant is the beachside à la carte option, dinner only, roughly 18:30 to 22:30, booked 24 hours ahead. Bookings here are capped at two per room across a week, so it is a treat to plan for rather than an every-night choice.
Alambique, at Saccharum next door, is the fine-dining restaurant you reach through the credit described above; book it through reception. Its cooking is Madeiran-inspired signature food, a step up in style from the hotel’s own restaurants.
For drinks and lighter bites there are two bars. The Pôr do Sol pool bar serves snacks through the day, roughly 10:30 to 18:00, with the full bar from 10:00 to 23:00, and the Rabaçal bar runs in the evening, roughly 18:00 to midnight, and hosts a paid Cocktail Class on Monday afternoons. Live music and a dance show run nightly at one bar or the other.
The hotel’s own pages do not say either way whether the restaurants have high chairs, so if your child needs one, ask the hotel to confirm before you travel.
How booking works
The buffet needs no booking, so it is always the fallback. Onda Azul and the Local Beach Bar & Restaurant both need a table booked 24 hours ahead and both sit within your stay's weekly à la carte allocation, with the beach restaurant additionally capped at two bookings per room a week. Alambique at Saccharum is arranged through reception. The early sittings tend to suit small children best, so book those first once you know your dates on site.
Rooms and suites
Every room and suite with its official size and how many it sleeps, then the three pools and the man-made beach below.
There are two double rooms and four suites. The doubles are compact at 22.5 m², and the suites and the Family Suite share a 44.5 m² size, with the Superior Suite the largest at 60 m². The table below is the full line-up with the official sizes; the guidance after it is which suit a family with a baby or toddler.
| Room | Size | Sleeps | View and family notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double Mountain View | 22.50 m² | 2 | Two adults only, facing the mountains and green hills. There is no space for a child, so this is a couples’ or grandparents’ room rather than a family one. |
| Double Sea View | 22.50 m² | 3 | Two adults and one child aged 2 to 12, with an Atlantic view. It is one combined living and sleeping room, so the most compact family choice. |
| Suite Side Sea View | 44.50 m² | 4 | A lateral sea view and a kitchenette. This room type may sit in the building next to the main one, so ask about lift and pram access at booking if that matters to you. |
| Suite Sea View | 44.50 m² | 4 | An Atlantic sea view and a kitchenette, with a separate sitting area and sleeping area. |
| Family Suite | 44.50 m² | 4 | A kitchenette and the space of the 44.5 m² suites, named for families and the clearest pick by name. |
| Superior Suite Sea View | 60.00 m² | 4 | The roomiest, with an Atlantic sea view, a kitchenette, a walk-in shower and a separate bathtub, plus a bathrobe and slippers. The bathtub helps when you are bathing a small child. |
For a family, the choice comes down to space and whether you need a separate sleeping area. The two doubles sleep two adults, and only the Double Sea View adds a child, one aged 2 to 12, in a single combined room, so it is the tightest family fit. The four suites all have a kitchenette, useful for warming milk or preparing baby food, a sitting area and a sleeping area, which gives a family of three or four more room to spread out. The Family Suite is the clearest pick by name, the Superior Suite Sea View is the roomiest and adds a bathtub for bathing a small child, and the Suite Side Sea View may sit in the building next to the main one, so ask about lift and pram access at booking if that matters. Each suite caps at four guests in total, up to three adults and up to two children aged 2 to 12, and an infant under two in a cot counts within that four, so a family of five cannot share one suite.
Every room has individually adjustable air conditioning, free WiFi, a 49-inch smart TV, a safe, a minibar, a sitting area, a balcony and a walk-in shower, with the suites and Family Suite adding the kitchenette. On tea and coffee, the picture is mixed: the suites and the Family Suite include a kettle and tea and coffee making, but the hotel’s own pages disagree over whether the double rooms do, so if that matters to you in a double, check it with the hotel rather than assuming either way. Cots are not listed on any official room page, so their availability is unconfirmed; ask the hotel to confirm one before booking, especially for the compact Double Sea View, and bring a travel cot if you cannot. On price for children, stays are free only up to age two, and children of two and over are charged as extra guests.
Pools and water features
There are three pools, all free to use, and no adults-only pool. The main outdoor pool is for the whole family and reads 20°C. The hotel does not state whether it is heated, and at that temperature, matching the children’s pool and well below the indoor one, it can feel cool for small children, especially outside high summer. The children’s outdoor pool is also at 20°C, with no depth published. The indoor pool is heated to 29°C, open to children with an adult and part of the all-inclusive spa facilities, which makes it the best bet for babies and toddlers and the obvious choice in the cooler, wetter months. There is no splash pad or water-play feature; the spa’s wet area is for adults, not a children’s attraction. Sun loungers and parasols are first-come unless you take the AI Plus upgrade.
Saccharum next door has more pools of its own, including a children’s pool, an adults-only pool and a heated indoor pool for ages 16 and over. Access to those is not confirmed for Calheta Beach guests, so do not count on the wider range next door; the one confirmed cross-resort extra is paid access to the Saccharum spa, covered under things to do.
The beach
Praia da Calheta is a man-made beach of fine yellow sand brought in from the Sahara, and it is one of only two sandy beaches on Madeira, an island whose coast is otherwise volcanic rock. It is maintained by the municipality and sheltered by the harbour wall, and the hotel has direct access to it, a few steps from the main area. The man-made gradient shelves more gently than Madeira’s natural coastline, which makes it friendlier for toddlers paddling, though the Atlantic can still bring swell and current even on a calm day, so keep young children within reach in the water. The hotel’s contact page mentions boat rides from the harbour to the coves and fajãs of the west coast, but it does not list specific watersports for hire, so treat the beach as a place to swim and play rather than an activity centre. The beach has held Blue Flag certification in the past, though the award is renewed each season, so its man-made sand and sheltered position are the things to hold onto rather than the flag.
Babies and toddlers
How the hotel works with the youngest children, the gaps in organised childcare and the kit to check, then everything there is to do.
The one thing to weigh first is that there is no crèche. The Kids Club runs daily, roughly 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:00 to 18:00, with games, books and activities, but the hotel does not publish a minimum age, and it does not confirm whether the club is included in the all-inclusive or charged separately. Do not assume a toddler can join, or that it is free just because the hotel is all-inclusive; ask the hotel both questions before you book. If the club has a minimum age that rules out a younger child, then for under-fours you are relying on the babysitting service, the heated indoor pool and your own supervision.
Babysitting is the childcare that is confirmed: it is available for children from six months, booked through reception for a charge, and the hotel says it sends WhatsApp updates and photos to parents during the session, which is reassuring for a first time leaving a baby. For older children there is a paid in-room Baby Night add-on for ages 4 to 8, a play tent with a pillow, an activity book and a soft toy, meant for play rather than sleeping. There is also an outdoor children’s playground and a games room with board and card games.
On baby kit, the hotel does not list specific equipment such as cots, high chairs, bottle warmers or a baby bath on its official pages, so we cannot promise particular items. What is confirmed is the babysitting from six months and the standard room amenities, and the suites’ kitchenettes help with warming milk and preparing food. If your child needs a cot or a high chair, confirm it with the hotel before you travel and pack a fallback if you can.
On resortThings to do
The daily entertainment programme runs from mid-morning to late evening, roughly 10:00 to 22:30, with live music and a dance show each night at one of the bars. Beyond that there is a spread of paid experiences to dip into: a Chef’s Cooking Class in the buffet restaurant on Tuesdays at 15:00, €10 a person with places capped at ten and a minimum of four bookings to run, and a Cocktail Class at the Rabaçal bar on Mondays from 16:00 to 17:00, also €10 a person (last checked June 2026); a children’s cooking class, the Little Chef, that runs only in certain seasons, at prices on request; and a tailored children’s birthday party with the entertainment team, again on request. Seasonal events such as a summer party and the Saturday fado dinner come and go through the year, so check what is on for your dates.
The spa has treatment rooms, a gym, a sauna, a steam room, a jacuzzi, a bucket shower and an ice fountain. The wet area and the indoor pool are part of the all-inclusive, and treatments are paid on top. One thing to know before you plan around it: the hotel’s spa page and its all-inclusive page give different opening hours for the same facilities, so check the current times at check-in rather than relying on either figure. The 5-star Saccharum spa next door is open to Calheta Beach guests for a per-person charge of €37 (last checked June 2026), though it is for ages 16 and over, so it is a grown-ups’ option rather than a family one.
For practical extras, the rooftop is open to all guests, there is 24-hour private parking for a charge, and two fast EV chargers on site priced at €0.30 to activate plus €0.15 a minute (last checked June 2026), with electric car hire arranged through SIXT and Why Not partnerships at reception. A day pass lets non-guests buy pool and beach access, and there is a luggage service that ships bags door to door before and after travel through a partner.
Off resortThe area and days out
Calheta itself is a small harbour community with a marina and the shopping centre reached by the footbridge, but a limited spread of shops and restaurants, so most days out mean the car. From the harbour, boat trips run along the west coast to its coves and fajãs, the flat sea-level shelves that dot this shore. The Levada do Risco and Levada das 25 Fontes walks near Rabaçal, along the island’s water channels, are about 20 minutes away and are classic Madeira routes, best with older children who can manage a proper walk.
Funchal, the island’s capital, is about 40 to 45 minutes’ drive and the main hub for restaurants, markets and excursions: the Botanical Garden, the Mercado dos Lavradores market, the wine lodges and the Monte Palace gardens with their cable cars. Porto Moniz and its natural volcanic swimming pools are on the north-west coast, around 40 minutes and popular with families. Closer to hand, Ribeira Brava is a small town about 20 minutes east with a market and a coastal promenade, and the banana plantations and sugar-cane factories around Calheta feature on the local Calheta Tour. Madeira’s mountainous interior, taking in peaks like Pico Ruivo and the pass at Boca da Encumeada, is a longer drive and better for older children or teenagers than for a baby in a car seat.
For everyday needs, there are pharmacies in Calheta town, and the island’s main hospital, Hospital Dr. Nélio Mendonça, is in Funchal. A hire car is close to essential for exploring from Calheta given the distance from the capital; the roads are well surfaced but mountainous and full of switchbacks, so they suit confident drivers more than nervous ones, and electric hire is available through the hotel’s partners.
Loves and gripes
What families rate and what frustrates them, how it compares with the Funchal hotels, the journey in and the weather by month.
What families love
- The sandy beach, unusual on Madeira and the thing reviewers mention most.
- The all-inclusive value, with meals and drinks in one price.
- The three family pools.
- The attentive staff, singled out by families.
- The quiet, relaxed beachfront away from the bustle of Funchal.
Common gripes
- The 40 to 45 minutes from Funchal, which limits spontaneous city trips.
- Thin organised childcare for under-fours.
- Limited à la carte booking, with the beach restaurant capped.
- A quieter, smaller feel than the big all-inclusives, which does not suit everyone.
- The 20°C outdoor pools, which can feel cool.
- The longer airport transfer than a Funchal hotel.
Across Booking.com, Expedia and TripAdvisor it rates highly, sitting around 8.7 and 9 out of 10 and 4 out of 5 as at July 2026, from a large number of reviews. Treat those as a rough steer rather than a live figure, and read a spread of recent reviews for your own dates, ideally from families travelling at the same time of year.
Against the Funchal hotelsHow it compares
The nearest comparison is Saccharum right next door: a 5-star hotel in the same group, with a larger spa and more restaurants, but not all-inclusive, so meals are charged and the cost is less predictable for a family. Calheta Beach is the stronger all-inclusive value for families on a set budget, while Saccharum suits you if a premium spa and fine dining are the priority.
Against the Funchal hotels, each of the alternatives is closer to the city and has a kids’ club with a lower or clearer minimum age, but none has the sandy beach. Enotel Lido is all-inclusive, with an ENOKIDS club from age 4 that runs a long day, roughly 9am to 9pm, longer than Calheta Beach’s split hours. VidaMar is a 5-star hotel whose Aquatica Kids Club takes children from age 3, though VidaMar itself is not all-inclusive. Belmond Reid’s Palace is a historic 5-star landmark with a kids’ club for ages 3 to 9 that runs only in the school holidays, in a thatched Madeiran playhouse. If a sandy beach and all-inclusive value matter most, Calheta Beach is the clear pick; if organised childcare for a young toddler and a city base matter more, one of the Funchal hotels may fit better.
Airports, transfers and when to goGetting there and when to go
The nearest airport is Madeira Airport (FNC) near Funchal, and direct flights from the UK take around three and a half hours. From the airport it is roughly 40 to 50 minutes to Calheta on the southern coastal expressway. There is no practical airport bus to the door, so the two normal routes are a hire car or a private transfer. The hotel runs its own private airport transfer, booked direct in advance at prices on request, and transfers are never automatic, so arrange one before you fly. A hire car is close to essential for exploring anyway, with electric hire available through the hotel’s partners.
The hotel is open all year. The warm, dry window for a family is roughly June to September, when days sit in the mid to high twenties and the sea is warm enough to swim. The easiest weeks with little ones are late May into June and September, warm but short of the July and August peak for heat, crowds and price. Winter is mild but wetter, with the sea and the outdoor pools too cool for small children, so it is a season for the heated indoor pool and days out.
Weather
Calheta sits on Madeira’s sheltered south coast, the same coast as Funchal, whose long-term figures apply well along here. Sunshine roughly doubles between the winter low and the summer high, from around four and a half hours a day in December and January to around seven and a half in July and August. The table below covers the whole year, since the hotel stays open throughout. Two local quirks are worth knowing: on summer mornings, mainly June and July, a cloud cap called the capacete can sit over the island before it burns off by late morning, and now and then a hot, sandy wind from the south, the Leste, brings a short heat spike.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20° | 14.5° | 99 mm | 9 | 19° |
| February | 20° | 14° | 95 mm | 8 | 19° |
| March | 20.5° | 14.5° | 83 mm | 10 | 19° |
| April | 21° | 15° | 62 mm | 7 | 19° |
| May | 22° | 16.5° | 44 mm | 5 | 20° |
| June | 24° | 18.5° | 17 mm | 2 | 21° |
| July | 25.5° | 20° | 4 mm | 1 | 23° |
| August | 27° | 21° | 4 mm | 1 | 24° |
| September | 26.5° | 20.5° | 45 mm | 5 | 24° |
| October | 25° | 19.5° | 118 mm | 10 | 24° |
| November | 22.5° | 17° | 112 mm | 10 | 22° |
| December | 21° | 15.5° | 135 mm | 12 | 21° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer. The hotel is open all year.
Questions
The things families ask most, the practical notes to check before you book and the official pages worth a bookmark.
What age does the Kids Club take, and is it included?
Neither is published. The hotel lists the Kids Club hours but sets out no age limits, and its all-inclusive pages do not say whether the club is bundled into your rate or billed separately. With both unknown, put the two questions to the hotel by email or phone before booking: the youngest age it takes, and whether the price covers it. That matters most if the childcare is part of why you are choosing Calheta Beach.
Can we get a cot in the room?
The room pages make no mention of them, so availability is not something we can promise. Contact the hotel to check before you settle on a room, and treat it as most pressing for the Double Sea View, where a baby’s bed has to fit into one combined living and sleeping space. Your own travel cot is the reliable backstop if you cannot get a clear answer.
Are there high chairs in the restaurants?
High chairs are not confirmed on the hotel’s official pages either way, so we cannot promise them. If your child needs one at mealtimes, ask the hotel to confirm before you travel rather than assuming, and pack a fabric travel seat as a backstop if the answer is not clear.
Is the airport transfer included?
No. Transfers are never automatic here. The hotel runs its own private airport transfer that you book direct in advance, or you hire a car, which most families do from this side of the island. There is no practical airport bus to the door, so arrange one route or the other before you fly.
What do we actually get at Saccharum’s Alambique restaurant next door?
On the standard all-inclusive you get a per-person credit towards the bill at Alambique, the fine-dining restaurant at the 5-star Saccharum next door, so it is a subsidised meal rather than a free one. A full complimentary set-menu dinner there only comes with the paid AI Plus upgrade. Book Alambique through reception.
Does the beach have a Blue Flag?
Praia da Calheta has held Blue Flag certification in the past, and the award is renewed year by year, so treat the flag as a nice-to-have rather than a given. What does not change is the beach itself: man-made fine sand, sheltered by the harbour wall, and gentler underfoot than Madeira’s volcanic coast.
Can we use the spa, and when is it open?
The wet area and the indoor pool are part of the all-inclusive, and treatments are paid on top. Worth knowing before you plan around it: the hotel’s own spa page and its all-inclusive page give different opening hours for the same facilities, so check the current times at check-in rather than relying on either figure.
Do children pay, and how many fit in a suite?
Stays are free only up to age two; children of two and over are charged as extra guests, so the sometimes-repeated “under-12s stay free” is wrong here. Each suite caps at four guests in total, up to three adults and up to two children aged 2 to 12, and an infant under two in a cot counts within that four. A family of five cannot share one suite.
Practical notes
As of the last check, the FCDO listed no warnings for Madeira, and Portugal is a standard, safe destination for UK families. As it is in the EU, UK visitors can stay up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa, and your passport should be valid for at least three months beyond your departure date. A GHIC is worth carrying for state healthcare, with the island’s main hospital in Funchal. The currency is the euro, and all hotel charges are in euros.
A municipal tourist fee of €2 per person per night applies, capped at seven nights and paid at the hotel; children of 12 and under are exempt on presentation of proof. Check-in is from 14:00 and check-out by 12:00, with early or late subject to availability, or guaranteed on the AI Plus upgrade. Parking is a 24-hour private car park with a charge; the hotel does not publish the rate, so ask when you book. Pets are not permitted, there is no valet service, and smoking is allowed only in outdoor and signposted areas.
See more Calheta Beach photos
Open the Calheta Beach photo gallery →
Useful links
- Calheta Beach: the hotel’s own site for rooms, the all-inclusive programme and the children’s facilities.
- GOV.UK Portugal travel advice: entry rules and safety updates before you travel.
- Madeira with little ones: our guide to the wider island, its coasts and when to go.
Last updated 13 July 2026.
