Santa Cruz Boutique Hotel

Is located to the south west of Runway 05 threshold on very short final. The cliff at the end of the runway is easily seen from the hotel. When landing on Runway 05 all aircraft pass by the hotel and are easily photographed with a standard length zoom lens. If on Runway 23, departing traffic is still visible and easily read off, however the aircraft is higher meaning that you get more of an underside shot of the aircraft.

Departing traffic on 05 actually turns around on the runway in view of the hotel as shown in the photograph below.

Ask for a sea view room and you will be guaranteed views of aircraft in the air. The hotels restaurant, Donna Nadia also has a great outdoor terrace with fantastic views of the final approach and is great for photography.

If you are looking to make your own travel arrangements please click on hotels.com to be taken directly to the hotel information page. Please help support our site. We are constantly checking the links for hotels to find the best price offered for our readers. If the price on this site is the best quote you receive, please help us by booking your hotel from the link provided as we receive a small commission payment from the hotel. This helps contribute to the running costs of this site enabling us to continue to offer a great service.

Plane Spotting Hotels are also pleased to have entered a partnership with an ATOL approved travel agency which specialises in packages for plane spotters (your travel consultant is a fellow aviation enthusiast who understands your needs). An independent travel agency can often find you better deals for your hotels as they can access travel agents exclusive deals, especially when packaged in with flights or car hire as many suppliers offer further discounts.

Quote The Plane Spotting Hotels website when contacting the NOT JUST TRAVEL WEBSITE and you will be dealt with by the Plane Spotting Travel Expert who can assist you with all aspects of planning your trip.

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Vila Gale Hotel

Is located in the vicinity of the above Santa Cruz Boutique Hotel. Views are very similar to the above hotel. Most sea view rooms have a view of the approach, the best rooms would end in **73-75 or **010 to **015 on the 2nd floor or above (the hotel has 5 floors).

The hotel has free wifi throughout, including at the poolside where arrivals can be seen.

If you are looking to make your own travel arrangements please click on hotels.com to be taken directly to the hotel information page. Please help support our site. We are constantly checking the links for hotels to find the best price offered for our readers. If the price on this site is the best quote you receive, please help us by booking your hotel from the link provided as we receive a small commission payment from the hotel. This helps contribute to the running costs of this site enabling us to continue to offer a great service.

Above : The area outside of The Vila Gale Hotel gives great views of the approach and threshold at Funchal.

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Other hotels in the resort of Santa Cruz may have similar views as the above properties. There are also a number of hotels on the hillside to the north of the airport which could possibly offer elevated views of the action.

The map below shows numerous properties in the area, scroll in and out and more hotels will appear.