Full Day West Madeira Tour - Jeep Tour

A more hurried experience.

Today my sister and I went on the West Island tour, we were hoping to have the same guide Jon today, but alas we arrived at our pick up and today we had António. The minibus we had travelled in 3 days ago had been very comfortable, this one appeared older and had obviously had a rear end collision as the back doors had no glass in and the doors were very damaged. António was very jolly and friendly and was also very knowledgable about the island but unfortunately his driving was a little precarious and he drove much faster than our previous guide Jon. One of the other passengers also voiced concerns over his driving. We were taken around the west coast of the island, but each stop was very hurried and we all felt we were not given enough time to appreciate each place. António gave us a lot of local knowledge but unfortunately he was not using a mike and those of us travelling in the back could not hear him clearly. We did enjoy our day but it did feel very hurried and we were glad to get back in one piece.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We’re pleased to hear that you found António friendly and knowledgeable and that you were able to enjoy learning about the west coast of the island. However, we are very sorry to hear that several aspects of your experience did not meet expectations. Safety and comfort are our highest priorities, and we take comments regarding vehicle condition and driving standards extremely seriously. We will be reviewing your feedback internally with our operations team to ensure that all vehicles are maintained to the highest standard and that driving practices consistently reflect the level of safety and care we expect from our guides. We also regret that the pacing of the tour felt rushed and that the audio conditions made it difficult for some passengers to hear the commentary clearly. Your comments regarding the lack of microphone use and time allocated at stops have been noted, and we will address these points with our team to improve the overall experience. While we’re glad you were able to enjoy parts of the day, we’re sorry that the experience as a whole did not fully meet your expectations. We truly appreciate your feedback as it helps us improve.

via Tripadvisor

Great experience and well worth the money

A fantastic experience. The bus picked us up on timw and we were welcomed by our driver/guide for the day. The bus was comfortable and had air con. We felt incredibly safe even on the roads which were more difficult to navigate. We were given great detail about the history, nature and socio-economic developmenta of the island- all very interesting. Our guide had a great sense of humour and gave us excellent insight into life of the Madeiran people in different parts of the island. We saw some stunningly beautiful places which we hope we have time to revisit, especially Porto Moniz. This was a fantastic experience and we thoroughly recommend this tour.

Response from the operator: Hello; Thank you very much for your feedback. We strive to satisfy our customers and share the beautiful story of the island. Sincerely, Ilhatours

via Tripadvisor

Mis-sold tour of the West of the Island. Huge coach instead of minivan

I booked the West tour of Madeira with Ilha tours from a very nice British lady. She told me that the mini van with up to 16 guests would arrive between 08:40 and 08:50. About 09:10 a man arrived on foot to the hotel, because we were now travelling in a huge 55 seater coach and it couldn’t turn around at my hotel. By the time we went to many other places to pick people up, it was 09:45 by the time we left Funchal for our days touring. Travelling on these small roads on a coach this size had its problems. We had a good day out but didn’t get back until 18:00, yet we were supposed to get back at 17:00. I suppose the late pick up and the time that it takes to manoeuvre a large coach around these small roads, impacted on our scheduled. The tour of the West of the island is good, but I wouldn’t have gone if I knew that it was going to be on a coach.

Response from the operator: Hello. We apologize for the minibus delay. Sometimes other pickup truck passengers are also late, which delays us as well. Sincerely, Ilhatours

via Tripadvisor

Fantastic tours at great value

Fantastic tour with a fantastic guide Alberto. Amazing full day tour in a very comfortable mini coach/bus. Great value. Minna at booking office very honest and helpful lady.

Response from the operator: Dear customer, Thank you very much for your comment. It's good to know that our customers recognize the commitment of our Team and how important it is to us. We hope to welcome you again in the future. Compliments, Ilha Tours Team.

via Tripadvisor

Star Wars affected tour in a dodgy vehicle

Not a guided tour rather a drive around in a noisy jeep. Star Wars affected this tour badly meaning it only just got a 4 . 3.5 rating wound be better. As a consequence of filming the salt water pools were not available which was a shame and something we were looking forward too. The €10 meal doesn’t exist and hasn’t since 2020 but still says this on the website. The jeep was so noisy due to squeaky rear suspension it was impossible to hear the guide when he was speaking. All of this is not the drivers fault rather the companies. They should have informed people about these issues and kept their vehicles in good order. Our driver Michael was a real star and great fun. His off reading skills were superb. Highlight of the tour was netties bar. You have to try the poncha and her other brews!!! We had cold wet weather but still enjoyed it. We did however have a headache from the noise of the jeep suspension. This company do need to spend some money on their kit. The vehicles Speedo didn’t work and was on zero all day! This in the UK would not be road worthy. Honestly other companies do this tour and by looks of things in better and probably safer vehicles so you might want to consider that when booking.

via Tripadvisor