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Choupana Hills Resort - Funchal

Operator and Date: Style Holidays - July 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Sue & Martyn, Wiltshire (50 & 49)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We spent 2 weeks in Funchal - the first week in the Porto Santa Maria in the Old Town and the second here in the hills. It's a great combination, with easy access to Funchal for the first week and a total 'away from it all' feel for the second. We did a lot of walking and recommend Madeira Explorers for their guided walks - we took 3 and did some on our own. One levada runs right through the hotel grounds (but it's not for anyone suffering from vertigo!) We went virtually all over the island - a 4 wheel drive jeep trip to the West, and taxi tours to Nuns Valley and the East. They cost around e50 for a halfday and e90 for a whole day - up to 4 passengers and you have more freedom to go where you wish. Our walks took us to places inaccessible by vehicles. 

The food at Choupana is out of this world - but not cheap. However, the quality means it is good value. If you stay here for the entire holiday, bear in mind the cost of getting back from the city if you eat out there in the evening. There's a courtesy bus during the day but the last one returns at 7.30pm. Taxis cost around e15 each way.

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Choupana Hills Resort - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Panorama Discounts) Panorama - April 2004

Opinion submitted in Apr 2004 by : Mark Murphy  - Dublin (35)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We travelled to Madeira not knowing what to expect as all we had heard was that Madeira for for the "Newly Wed and the Nearly Dead!".  Not too encouraging.  However, all we wanted was somewhere pretty, clean, quiet for that long awaited one week Easter break as the next holiday wasn´t going to happen until September. 

We were staying in Funchal in a beautiful 5 star hotel which is about a seven minute drive up the mountain overlooking the town on the steepest roads I´ve ever encountered.  The hotel could not and did not disappoint us once.  There was a Feng Shui feel to this hotel as the decor was mostly designed around natural colours, wood and natural fibres.  The staff were unintrusive but always there to lend a helping hand when needed.  Even though this was a five star hotel, there was never a feeling of pretentiousness. 

The hotel rooms are semi-detached bungalows with private decks although to get the better views, you need to pay extra.  However, this did not detract from the excellent choice of interior design.  Canopy style large double beds, his and hers wardrobes, tea and coffee facilities, satellite TV with a few channels that showed English/US movies with subtitles in Portuguese which was handy when we needed to pass the time during the few rainy hours we experienced.

The spa was good except we weren´t advised by Panorama to book in advance and on our arrival we discovered that all the treatments were booked up so we were now on a waiting list.  We were very disappointed and annoyed but, like anything in life, let it ruin your holiday and it will.  We decided not to let it and made do with the numerous other facilities available to us.  The gym, the beautiful outdoor (heated) and indoor pools, jacuzzi, sauna, etc.  Towels and matresses are provided by the pool and a wonderful waiter service.  Afternoon tea by the pool will never be forgotten. 

The restaurant was magnificent.  The menu didn´t change during the week but as both of us are adventurous eaters and as every dish was more wonderful than the next, this didn´t matter.  We ate four times during the week in the hotel with absolutely no complaints.  Starters, main courses, one dessert, coffees, wine can amount to anywhere from 80 - 110 euros for two.  Breakfast is buffet style with anything you desire and if you don´t see what you want, ask and they´ll probably cook it for you.  Plus, they don´t stop serving until 10.30 a.m. which was a bonus for us lazy lumps.

Follow your guide book about what to do in Funchal.  Cable cars, excursions, magnificent guided walks ranging from two hours to eight hours, shopping, wine and port tasting, markets (permanent indoor markets i.e. leather, flowers, fish, meets, fruit, veg., - worth a visit) etc. 

I cannot complain at all about this holiday.  We came here to relax and that´s exactly what we did.  We´ll definitely return next year.

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Cliff Bay Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Cadogan - 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Caroline Vaughan - Surrey (48, 42, 14, 10)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Cliff Bay Hotel in Madeira is just the most fabulous hotel set in the cliff side, with access to two lovely pools and steps down to the sea.  It has a sophisticated air, despite it's size and is second to none in every respect.  We always have two 'Superior Rooms with sea view' each year !  The rooms are very spacious and clean and the bathrooms have separate shower cubicle alongside the bath.  Frosted glass surrounds the toilet as well, for privacy in the bathroom.  Twin basins.  Plasma screen flat television in the room as well as pleasant seating area with two little sofas and coffee table.  Funchal is only a 6 euro taxi ride away if you don't want to walk it.  We adore this hotel and Funchal and would highly recommend it to 'families'.  People tend to think it's a place that 'oldies' go to, but far from it.  It's fabulous !

we adore it so much as a family that we are going for the fourth time next Easter.  We will probably make it our easter holiday every year from now on !  Ten days there is just perfect !  The children can't wait each year ! (14 and 11 now).

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Cliff Bay Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Sovereign Direct) Sovereign - November 2004

Opinion submitted in Dec 2004 by : Mike and Kate - 41, 34

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Looking for somewhere for a honeymoon in November, that still had a bit of a warm climate and wasn't a ten-hour flight away, we opted for Madeira. The contributers to this website persuaded us to choose the Cliff Bay for our two weeks.

Their reviews were spot on. The hotel was perfect,the staff were very helpful and  our room was fantastic with a balcony overlooking the ocean and the city of Funchal. We needed peace and tranquility to recover from the stresses of work and organising a wedding. Funchal and the Cliff Bay gave us just that. It wasn't a bargain but we felt it was worth every penny.
Hotel food - Breakfast is a vast choice of cooked or continental or fruit or cerials, as much as you can eat. There were even bottles of cava for a "hair of the dog" if needed. Still serving after 10am for those of us who need our beauty sleep.

We didn't try meals in the main restaurants but did have a bite to eat by the outdoor pool in the afternoon. Couldn't fault it, even the snacks are done to a high standard. A couple of evenings we had sandwiches in the cliff bar and watched the duos singing mostly in English.

The indoor pool is great and underused, you can expect to get the pool to yourself if you time it right. Follow this by a stint in the Jacuzzi near the pool or just sit at the poolside with a drink from the cactus bar.

Above the bars by the outside pool is a patio with a giant chess set. Neither of us are good players but we enjoyed a game or two in the sunshine.

Restaurants we can recommend,

Toko's, the little square place at the top of the hotel drive. Ver good food. Either book in advance or get there early, it doesn't seat many and all the staff seem rushed off their feet. The owner, Philipe is a bit of a character. He sometimes plays the trumpet for the diners.

Further along towards the monumental lido is the Moby Dick. This name conjures up the image of a Blackpool chip shop but don't be put off. The food in there is great and good value for money. This was the only restaurant we ate in three times. The fish dishes were excellent and the pork and cheese sauce was wonderful.

La tricolore at the monumental lido was the best value for money. Good food, good house wine at a price you would think was a mistake.  Add to that the friendly staff and we would highly recommended it.

The paradise (not far from the Moby Dick) was OK but one of our meals was disappointing. I suppose it depends what you order, fish meals were good.

The Caffe Villa - just over the big bridge at the top of Avenida do Infante. Good food but get a table indoors. Outside on the terrace is a bit noisy, too close to the traffic (are there no noise regulations for buses and motorbikes out there?)

In the town - the Almirante near the markets, great food and service, average prices.

We had a meal and a show at the casino. The meal seemed hurried and a bit "production line" The show was OK (gents, don't forget your glasses like I did!)

We also got a coach up the hills for a "taste of madeira" with a bit of folk music and dancing. Again the meal was a bit "production line" but there was plenty of wine available.

Reid's for afternoon tea was pleasant but expensive. It seems to be quaintly stuck in the 1930s, leaf teas, sandwiches with the crusts cut off, dainty little cakes and uniformed waiters. I was expecting Noel Coward to appear and give us a song!

The best part of our holiday was going out in the Gaveio yatch for the afternoon. The skipper let us steer the yatch in any direction we liked. He radioed other boats to find out where the whales and dolphins were. We caught up with a group of pilot whales and a gang of dolphins rushed over to ride our bow wave, absolute magic!

Try the cable car and the gardens at the top.14e for the round trip, worth it for the views of Funchal.

It's hard to criticise anything. I suppose the timeshare touts were annoying. They can be persistent, especially with older folks who are too polite. Try the "broken record " technique, i.e "no thank you", "no thank you " "no thank you".... and they eventually give up. Don't agree to go anywhere with them. If someone says they are doing a survey, the are still timeshare touts. You can dodge them on the road into town by taking a hotel courtesy bus.

In conclusion, the Cliff Bay and Madeira was the right place for us to relax and enjoy good food and drink. I can recommend Soveriegn holidays and their rep, Licinia, couldn't have done more for us.

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Cliff Bay Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays - September 2004

Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Jane Brookman - South Wales (44, 35)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We stayed at the Cliff Bay in September/October 2004.  The average temperature in Funchal was around 27c - warmer than the guide books suggest but apparently normal for the time of year.  

We were very impressed with the hotel; the rooms are huge and bathrooms have a separate bath and shower.  A kettle was also provided, together with teabags and coffee (though if you don't like evaporated milk it might be worth taking some powdered).  The heated indoor/outdoor swimming pool is brilliant if you don't like cold water, and the seawater swimming pool is lovely once you're in,  especially on a hot day!  

As far as food was concerned, the breakfast buffet was one of the most extensive I've ever seen; lots of fresh fruit as well as the more usual meat, cheese and "English" breakfast options.  There was even porridge on offer.  Unless you can cope with a four course meal every night, though, don't book on a half board basis.  The hotel offers a flexible dining arrangement at a slight discount, enabling you to eat at either of its two main restaurants for either three or five nights.  The Rose Garden offers either a set meal or a buffet (the latter has limited choice but is more than adequate and the hotel, in fairness, is concentrating on the set meals/al la carte options).  Our favourite, though, was Il Gallo d'Orro, which offers an Italian menu.  I would definitely recommend that you pack a decent frock/shirt and tie and eat there at least once.  The restaurant itself reminded us of a scene from a 1930's Agatha Christie novel (lots of potted palms and a pianola).  The staff are also less rushed, as they don't have to clear tables and lay out breakfast settings for the next morning.  And the food is gorgeous.

As an alternative to hotel dining, visit the Paradise restaurant, which is a few minutes' away (turn left out of the hotel, walk past the Crowne Plaza, and you'll see the sign for the Paradise, which is situated down a slightly uneven slope towards the sea - don't wear high heels).  This restaurant serves chargrilled meats and various fish dishes.  The food is good and the loos are sparkling!  We ate here six or seven times and always enjoyed it.

A few practicalities; make sure that every member of your party always has a supply of loo paper about their person.  Many of the public lavatories don't seem to provide any!  There are lots of recyling facilities around (glass, cans, paper and plastic) but I'd suggest using those opposite the Crowne Plaza rather than the Cliff Bay, as the road is busy and there is a zebra crossing en route.  There is a good Pingo Doce supermarket at the lido, which is about ten minutes walk away (it looks further on the map).

As for trips, those to the East and West of the Island are vey helpful for getting some sense of what life is like on the island, although some fellow passengers felt that the trips provided by Atlantic Holidays were overpriced.  I wouldn't book an organised trip to the Monte Gardens; take the cable car and take your time exploring.  (Also, you can pick a sunny day; clouds tend to gather on the higher ground.)

A good hotel, and one to which we'd be happy to return.

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Cliff Bay Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Sovereign Direct) Sovereign - July/August 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Michele & Paul Cartwright (33 & 34) - Croydon

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just returned from a lovely holiday in Madeira. The Cliff Bay is a beautiful hotel in a fantastic setting. We couldn't have wished for a nicer hotel - excellent facilities, superb views and a wonderful, peaceful place in which to spend a lot of time. We arrived on our first wedding anniversary and (without asking)were upgraded from a side-sea view room to a beautiful junior suite with complimentary wine and flowers. A fabulous surprise. We had a great view of the harbour and bay with a gorgeous part of the garden just below our balcony. A perfect place to enjoy a room-service meal in the evening.

Good mix of ages at hotel- expected a more 'mature' clientele but no different from any other hotel/resort.  
Buffet breakfast was very good - plenty of choice to suit all tastes. Able to sit outside on decking in sun (but may have to queue for table) or in Rose Garden restaurant (no wait)- air con so lovely and cool.

The pools were lovely - we used the Blue Lagoon pool at sea-level as tended to have less children than at the spa pool. (Not that there were many kids at the hotel, it just seemed that the spa pool seemed to attract the families with younger children. As a primary teacher, I wanted a bit of time off!).

Plenty of loungers - no need to get up at the crack of dawn to reserve a spot. Able to get a lounger at any time of day. Lots of different terraces to choose between. Hotel provided towels (get from spa reception) and plenty of pool staff to bring mattresses, position brollies etc. Also a bar man to bring drinks to your lounger. Nice touch - gave out compimentary iced juice drinks every morning. Lovely and refreshing. Whole area was spotlessly clean and nicely presented.  Very peaceful. Good access to sea and able to hire snorkel and scuba equipment.

Beautiful gardens with magnificent views. Only slight grumble about hotel was the cost of food and drink. As a 5 star hotel we expected high prices but even so they seemed quite steep (even being used to London prices). The food was lovely but didn't quite warrant the cost. It actually worked out a bit cheaper to buy drinks from the minibar in room and food from room service than to eat and drink in the hotel restaurants or bars. We tended to eat out most nights. Plenty of restaurants in the Old Town - find the cable car station and many are on this road and the road behind. We enjoyed Le Jardin and O Regional but all seem to have similar menus.

We really liked Casa Velha which is on Imperatriz D. Amelia (in the shadow of Carlton Park hotel - shame about view). Try the supreme of duck! Gorgeous food and great service.  Nice piano bar underneath restaurant too.
Most restaurants in Lido area seem more touristy and cheaper but nice and close when you can't face the 20-30 min walk into town! We tried the Bombay Palace - nice Indian  Also tried O Drageiro (or something like that) - OK, nothing special, and Casa Italia - v tasty but also v busy so don't go there if you are in a hurry.
We preferred the restaurants in town.

Hotel is in excellent location so you have the choice of going into town or to the Lido area. Ask for map of Funchal from reception. Supermarket only 5mins away - turn left out of hotel, past Crowne Plaza then take 2nd left down hill towards Lido. (Note - the coral beer bottles in supermarket are slightly taller than those in room minibar. Don't drink the nice cool ones from fridge and then substitute them with supermarket ones like we did! They were spotted and we were charged - but hotel doesn't mind you using fridge for own use - we took out most of their bottles and put in loads of water and stuff for lunch. Tap water is fine to drink but needs chilling first).

Lots of building work going on past Lido area - so glad we weren't in one of those hotels that end as rotten noise and views of cranes etc. Many 4 and 5 star hotels along there but didn't look anywhere as nice as Cliff Bay.

The walk to and from town isn't too bad actually and we managed to crack the hill in 5 mins walking home!(Good to walk off the meals) We preferred to go via the S. Caterina park rather than the road. Much prettier and has some good views. Didn't use the hotel courtesy bus as it stops by 6pm so no use for evening. Funchal is a big place but not very picturesque. A few pretty buildings but not great. Looks better after dark when the lights come on! Took us about 30mins to walk from Old Town back to hotel.

Went on the cable car to Monte - very enjoyable.(No need to go on rep organised excursion - we did it ourselves). If you want to go in Tropical gdns at Monte then buy all inclusive tickets at cable car station in Funchal as works out slightly cheaper - 21.50e for return trip and gdn entry, 14e for return trip only or 9e for single. Entrance to gardens is 10e at Monte. We didn't go in Tropical gdns but went for a lovely wander through the hotel grounds opposite. Superb views and free. Would have gone on the toboggan ride but rep previously mentioned we were not covered by insurance if anything happened. Sure all would have been fine but happy to get cable car back down - takes 15mins and fab views of Funchal.

Weather was very hot while we were there - 31C and clear skies in first week, then 27C and slightly cloudier in second week. Tended to cloud up around 12ish then clear again 4ish but actually a welcome relief from the sun. Very hot and sticky when walking around. Jumping in the pool/sea was a fantastic way to cool down. Ended up with amazing tans and no burnt bits! Lovely sea breezes at times especially up at the spa pool area. Evenings very warm - no need for jackets.

All in all, we had a lovely holiday. The Cliff Bay hotel was beautiful and we can't recommend it highly enough. Don't consider going anywhere else.

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Cliff Bay Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel - Madeira / July 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : A. Ross - Glasgow

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

As a single female traveller, I visited the Cliff Bay Hotel in Funchal in July 2004.
The hotel itself has excellent decor and facilities (spa/pool etc). However, I could not recommend it to any single traveller, due to the service in the Rose Garden restaurant, and in other areas of the hotel, where staff were being trained, and also due to the lack of attention from restaurant waiting staff. I was one of only three singles staying in the hotel -  and it felt odd!

Funchal is basically a couples resort, and has little to offer those travellers who are under 50 years old (I am in my forties).
I found the island pretty and floral, however, roads are very steep and winding, and island travel is often slow, due to  continual road building. Shopping in Funchal is limited, and outside of Funchal even more so. Musical events seemed limited.  If you are into Levada walking, or are a couple over 50, this might be the type of quiet holiday place for you.

I recommend single travellers to try Tuscany, in Italy, where there is always plenty happening : shopping /culture/happy Italian people / sunbathing / music etc! I have felt very welcomed there, and not a "minority" tourist as in Madeira!

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Cliff Bay Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Can't remember

Opinion submitted in Feb 2005 by : Lynda Letchford - London 38, 39 & 1

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We booked this as a sort of late honeymoon ,with our 1 year old. Arrival at airport was smooth but we didn't think to take a car seat and the taxi transfer was a bit hairy with a 1 year old sitting between us. 

Hotel was lovely. Excellent swimming pools and spa facilities. Buffet breakfast was enormous and varied from cakes, cereals, waffles to cooked stuff. Although we were given a voucher for the 'posh' restaurant we couldn't use it with our child. Babysitting was a member of staff from behind the reception - not exactly selected for their child handling skills, so not taken up. The hotel was spotlessly clean and the service was excellent whether it was in the bars or restaurant. If your child is on pasturised milk, madeira doesn't have it, only long life. We took some tinned powdered stuff and used bottled water. Two supermarkets nearby, both reasonable but a bit smelly.  

Chinese restaurant under the lido was brilliant and the estpetada (not sure of the spelling) which is the local dish is fantastic.  It is a skewer of beef dripping iwth garlic etc. to die for ! We hired a car for a couple of days and went to the north of the island which was interesting but the weather across the island does vary. The hotel does have a childrens play room which has toys in it but is unsupervised (near the spa). 

The walk into town is very pleasant, there are some nice cafes to sit outside and let the world go by, owners were more than happy to provide hot jugs of water for warming milk and jars of food up. The walk back is uphill, you can get a bus, there are some nice gardens and side streets etc. to distract you from the walk. At least 20 minutes though. Fish market is a sight to see. 

There were time share people hovering on the bridge into town but they didn't bother us, probably because they saw we had a baby with us - apparently they are a bit of a pain. The reids palace hotel was recommended for afternoon tea but the cakes and tea int he hotel are gorgeous.  Last but not least the cable car up to the top and gardens are very relaxing but don't try to come down in the "basket sofa" on cruise ship day as the queues are horrendous.   

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Cliff Bay Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Self arranged flew Palmair Bournemouth - Date Not Specified

Opinion submitted in Jan 2004 by : Mike and Monica Edwards (53,50)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have visited Madeirsa twice and the reason for including this review is opartly to say how wonderful this site is - it has helped us sort out our Sorrento accommodation for 2004.

Madeira is fabulous and the Cliff Bay is the best hotel we have stayed in anywhere in the world. Service impeccable and fabuloius views.

Yes Madeirans are mad drivers - the taxi ride from the airport is a scream and the landing comments one reviewer made are spot on - I was in the cabing for a few minutes on one flight and the senior pilot for the airline said Funchal is the most difficult to land at because of crosswinds (and we have landed in Corfu in a thunderstorm!!).

Do hire a car though and drive the eastern side of the island, the scenery is simply breathtaking expecially the northern coast.

The wicker basket was another reason for reviewing - don't be put off after my wife was nearly ill on the cable car the toboggan sdaved the day. Not cheap but well worth every hair raising second.

Finally you must go to Reeds Palace for the afternoon tea, but don't try and get in with shorts on, you'll be thrown out!!

Finally the restaurant just at the top of the hotel drive, little square place can't remember the name is excellent and the terrace at Reeds Trattoria is sensational.

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Crowne Plaza - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays July 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : 56,49,20,16

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Spent a wonderful week at the Crowne Plaza Funchal from 26 July 2004 to 2 August 2004. 2 Adults 49, 54 plus two sons 20 and 16. (Were due to have gone to Mexico but had to cancel due to family illness so this was booked within 7 days of travelling - Excel Airways via Atlantic Holidays from the UK)

We arrived during a very unusual heatwave - had been 38C the day before we arrived and was like that for a couple of days. The air conditioning in the reception area couldn't cope but our rooms were so cool it was wonderful. The view of the ocean was really relaxing.

The rooms are large and have either 2 full double beds or a super king size. The hotel was very clean and towels were changed every day. It was quiet as the usual influx of Spanish and Portugese to the Island had apparently tailed off after the intro of the Euro. No problem at all getting sun beds with cushions and one towel per person + parasol all free.

Very hilly isalnd so not recommended for infirm but views are spectacular.

Piano in cocktail bar for evening and nice terrace overlooking the ocean - very peaceful. Not for those wanting wild evening partying.

Great breakfast buffet- eggs, bacon etc, fruit, yogurt, cereal, bread, cake, bucks fizz etc etc - just about anything you could want..

Staff very helpful and no commission changing Euro travellers cheques at reception.

Diving school if you like.

Table tennis, billiard table, tennis, squash, indoor pool, lovely outdoor pools at sea level accessed by lift. Salt water and very clean. Attendants on hand all day.

Old town good for meals and some good restaurants locally - try Moby Dick's - 5 minutes walk. Fish is plentiful and great quality.

Ordered boxes of flowers via rep for transport back to UK. Packed beautifully and go in hold of plane. Arrived in wonderful condition.

Cable car in Funchal good.

One of the European Rally races was going on that week and that added another interest - some of the drivers used the hotel.

A great break - younger son loved the robes and slippers in the room + TV sound channellled into bathroom!!

Beds comforable - slept really well.

Great holiday for those looking for a first class hotel, bit of sport, lovely scenery and nice climate.

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Crowne Plaza - Funchal

Operator and Date: May 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Ray & Gill Gough - Reading (54 & 45)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Madeira is the most beautiful place I have ever seen, make sure you take some trips around the island rather than just staying in your hotel.  

I recommend the west coast tour and, if you only do one, the half day tour to The Valley of the Nuns - the scenery is spectacular!  One word of warning.  Funchal is dotted with "Information Centres", but apart from the official one in the town centre they are all fronts for hotels seling time-shares on rooms and apartments.  They all offer tours and trips for a very reasonable price, but to get the voucher for the reduced price you will need to atend a time share presentation.  They say it will only take 90 minutes, but be prepared to give up half a day of your holiday - Madeirans don't rush anything.  For trips without the hassle visit Strawberry World, either on-line or at their shop in the Monumental Lido shopping centre.

The Crowne Plaza is a very nice hotel, clean, comfortable, with helpful staff, but it is very modern in design and might be a little stark for some tastes.  But, as I said, don't stay in your hotel explore the Paradise Island.

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Crowne Plaza - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours Feb 2004

Opinion submitted in Mar 2004 by : Ann Wallace  46

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

I've been to Madeira several times before, loving it as a quiet, safe haven with such beautiful scenery and friendly people.  Weather late Feb about 18 - 20C and a bit overcast.  This time I was a single traveller prefering sun to skiing with my partner.  No problem with this in Madeira!  And Airtours didn't charge me single supplements and provided transfers as well.

The Crown Plaza bills itself as minimilist by design.  Personally I prefer a bit more lavishness, and found the colour scheme too harsh,  thinking they could do with a few pictures in the room etc.  Having said that,I was very comfortable although I think the rooms are small in comparision to the other 5* hotels.  The Queen size beds were supportive.  I know some rooms have a King size bed.  The lighting in the room was excellent with ceiling spot lights etc..  The wooden floor is great for those with asthma and allergy problems, and I had no trouble getting a non smoking room.  

The bathroom was cramped but had all the facilities as described.  The shower screen got in the way for reaching the shower control and taps, so someone less agile would have to get in the bath and get wet!  Free safe, 2 small bottles a day of mineral water, and tea/coffee with kettle were good news, although Ideal milk provided, but no hot chocolate.  I managed to get some ordinary milk for my tea (without extra charge) and kept this in the mini bar.  Airtours had provided a basket of fruit and bottle of wine as well.  Drying line, ironing board, scales, slippers and robe also provided.  Great to have some Movie Channels for free too.  Hairdryer blow nozzle type but did have 3 speeds and a shaver socket (if you need one!.....err I don't).  Very quiet, no road noise or other problems, although I should think that if you were in a room over the foyer the music from the cocktail bar would keep you awake but it doesn't go on too late.  One evening there was a free drink and nibbles for guests.  The hotel's own intro meeting also provided refreshments but the hotel site tour came 3 days later!  With the unusual twin tower layout, it would be better on first day.

The gym was very well equipped, and hardly used.  It had a CD player and video as well.  Sauna, Steam and jacuzzi area good.  Indoor pool is unusual as it goes outside as well.  Sea platform lovely.  Towels provided everywhere.  Spa customers have a private pool, although prices high e.g. e55 for 45 mins massage.

No courtesy bus very strangely for 5*, but bus is about e1 open return if you buy in advance from shop up the hill.  If you go on hotel's trip to the Market, book early.  Breakfasts were excellent but take your own teabags if you like tasty tea and ask for very hot water.

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Crowne Plaza - Funchal

Operator and Date: STRAWBERRY WORLD - 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : CAROL GALLOGLY - LONDON

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The best part of this week long holiday was the ease and speed of booking.  Found Strawberry World on the net and was amazed at how much cheaper their holidays were compared to all the UK operators.  Flights, transfer and hotel were confirmed within hours; the easiest holiday I have ever booked.

Flights were with TAP Air Portugal from LGW, quick and easy check-in; Strawberry World Rep met us and drove us to hotel, very comfortable mini-bus.  Hotel staff were excellent and offered a first class service.

Room was clean and comfortable.  Bathroom bit small and is the one area that might need updating.  However, the service offered by the staff well made up for any misgivings in the bathroom.

Weather was lovley (4 - 11 Sep) and holiday in general was great.

Would certainly use Strawberry World again. Excellent service!

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Dorisol Mimosa Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Med Hotels On the Beach July 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Shaz and Liam Doncaster (24,33)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

As you drive from the airport to the resort of Funchal all you see are clean streets and pretty plantations. Crisp clean white houses with terracota roofs line the sloping streets. Everything is immaculate and beautifully kept.

Although the hotel itself is on a steep slope, a coach will drop you off directly to the door, saving your legs, as will most taxis. Upon arrival at the hotel friendly staff meet you and offer clear instructions as well as handing you leaflets and information on local attractions and the courtesy buses. The hotel entrance is as clean as the rest of the resort and information is listed in several languages.

The room is well equipped and mose than adequate for any length of stay, however on our first night there was a large amount of bugs in the room that fortunately disappeared after the first night. The bathroom was very well thought out with one of the best showers I have ever used. The maids did a good job on the room however never came at the same time of day so it was very hard to judge when they would be arriving, however with the do not disturb sign on the door they dd surprisingly come back in the afternoon to do the room.

Due to other reviews about the food at this particular hotel, we only went on a b and b basis, and we were very glad that we did. Although the restaurant was clean and tidy and the food adequate it was extremely basic and very little variety throughout the week.

There are a number of bars and restaurants  within walking distance of the hotel, offering a wide choice from Indian to Italian to the more traditional Portugese dishes.

The games room felt very dark and isolated, and didn't feel like a place that I would like to spend much time, plus it wasn't the cheapest.

The pool and pool area were splendid, plenty of room, lots of sun and very quiet and relaxing. Plus the views from the loungers was breathtaking. The water was nicely warm meaning that it was refreshing enough to cool off but warm enough to not go into shock upon going in.

Didn't really stay for any of the entertainment because to be honest it did not look to be worth hanging around for.

There was a balcony off the room however the building works directly outside made it very hard to relax sat out there and at times the noise was so unbearable that we felt forced to leave the room- however this would not put us off the hotel.

Although it gives the impression of being a rich man's paradise, it is incredibly reasonable both for eating out and in fact for shopping.

Funchal itself is well kept and friendly. Rich with shops and eateries, plus lots of activities such as boat trips and helicopter rides at reasonable prices. There are also Levada walks and coach trips for those that want to see more of the island.

There are no beaches in the area however there are lidos that offer an interesting new experience at a small cost.

All in all would greatly reccommend and will probably go back ourselves!

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Dorisol Mimosa Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Thompson - 2007

Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Erik and Helen, 38, 30

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The hotel is a thirty Euro taxi ride from the airport.  It is also at the top of a steep drive that started on a steep hill and went up.  Our room was higher still, being on the ninth floor of eleven.  The lifts were good, if small.

Our room was clean and of a fair size.  It came with a television (BBC World and Canal Hollywood in English), a sea view balcony, a fridge and ants.  There was though no ceiling fan, mini bar, bathrobes or separate shower from the bath.  The maid came every day, didn't steal anything and made up our twin beds as a double after we had duct taped them together.

The two ring cooking facilities (no grill, toaster, kettle, oven or microwave) were poorly equipped.  Washing up liquid and a tea towel were provided - although this may have been to remind the guest how much easier it is to eat in the restaurant.  While the reasonably priced supermarket was not far as the crow falls, it was almost at sea level.  Nothing (except perhaps a heart attack) was going to put us off cooking once we had lugged the groceries all the way up to the room.

While the above may come across as a little negative, I would recommend the hotel as the views were great from the balcony, the breakfast was great from the basement and the shuttle bus was a reliable air conditioned coach from the slope right out side.

The entire place is sign written in English and Portuguese, although the guests tended to be German and old enough to be our parents (we are in our thirties).  The sign on the inside of the door to our room laid out certain hotel rules in four languages but only in English was it allowed to take towels and pillows from the room.

The whole complex is wonderfully devoid of children.  We thought that we saw one on the second day but when we got closer it was just a dwarf.

At no point did we have to show our pass card, there were 1002 beans in the jar and don't bother with the parrot show.

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Eden Mar Suite Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: First Choice - July 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Helen & Clive (59 & 58)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We had two weeks at Eden Mar from July 9th to July 23rd.

The Hotel itself and the Staff were wonderful.  Our room had a lounge and separate bedroom with a small kitchen behind folding doors. Two televisions with a very good selection of Chanels which is most unusual as most resorts in Spain, Majorca and Portugal only have local and German chanels. Not that we were watching telly all the time but used to get the news on BBC or Sky to keep up with things at home while we were dressing for the evening.
The pools were fantastic and never seemed teeming with people although there were many people there.  Because of the space with the three buildings it never seemed crowded like some resots we have been to.

Sunbeds a pleny and free. We didnt have to reserve one by placing our towels down hours before although some people just cant kick the habit! There were areas just for sun worshipers away from the pool and two outdoor bar areas, a smaller one at Eden Mar and the larger one at Porto Mar, we often had a snack lunch here which was very nice, toasties come complete with chips and salad and the Spag. Bol is very tasty.  It is more expensive than outside the Hotel but the service and food is better so you get what you pay for.

The evening entertainment was however very disappointing, everyone tried their best but half an hour from 9 to 9.30pm with a quiz, bingo or Parrot Show was not quite enough.  Then the main act you had been waiting for only played for about three quarters of an hour.  This meant that at around 10.30/10.45 the evenings entertainment was over. This consited of: Monday, Magician, Tuesday,Fado Singing (Portugese) Wednesday, Madeiran Singing Group (Happy Clappy stuff) Thursday, Folklore of Madeira, Friday Kareoke (Mostly by drunken Holiday Makers)Modern Dance Act (Ballet & Jazz dancing)Sunday Opera/Songs from the Shows by British Male Singer.

Not exactly what my Husband and I enjoy and we mostly sat outside on the Terrace having a drink.Although we are nearly 60 we enjoy live bands and a bit of Rock or Soul Music but could find nothing nearby like this. We even asked some of the staff and was directed to one Pub/Restaurant up the hill but when we got there on evening it was closed for their Summer Holidays until 1st August!!!  The drinks - if you like a Beer are very limited with only Coral Beer or bottled Ordinary Guiness and Export Carlsberg both of which we didnt like as we are used to Draght so we stuck with the local ones. 

The local Restaurants were reasonably OK with the nearby Chinese "Grande Mundo" being one of our favourite haunts, we went there three times in our 14 days and each time the food was good, the price very reasonable and the Service excelent.  The local Indian however was very expensive and the food non-discript.
We thought it was a rip-off and did not return and would not recommend it. The best restaurant that we found was up the hill from the hotel, across the Main road and up the hill on the right past the Fish Restaurant. You will see a large Black Doorman in what looks like a Harrods Doorman outfit and he is very friendly and offers you a drink of Madeira or Brandy while you look at the menu.  It is in a very pretty garden and the food was very good.  We again went there three times and one night had Steak on a Stone which was wonderful and tender, I am not a lover of Steak but ate every bit of this and you can cook it yourself to your own liking.

We went on the "Sea Pleasures" Catamaran and actually found Dolphins which brought tears to my eyes and was very professionally looked after by the three young men sailing her. We have had boat trips in Spain and Lanzarote where they think it is funny to throw tourists around the boat by sailing too fast and quite dangerously but this was very well handled and informative about the Dolphins and the surrounding views and history.  All in all it was a lovely break and if you are looking to totally relax then this is the place for you but if you want a bit more life in your evenings dont go to Madeira. 

If you do go to this Hotel I dont think you will be disappointed with the service or surroundings, they are beautiful and go see Carlos in the Atlantico Bar for one of his wonderful cocktails and he will cheer you up!!

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Eden Mar Suite Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: thomson june 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : John Matthews age 55

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Excellent hotel ..the whole complex is huge..joined onto Porto Mare hotel and use of all swiming pools.

the down side is timeshare touts in the streets.  Also we booked a few tours with our tour operator and some with Strawberry world ( across the road)  Having been on the east tour with strawberry world and then after the west side with Thomson..got to say Thomsons were a bit more expensive but worth every penny...much better tour. My wife hurt her leg on the east with strawberry world and we were just left ..thats when you see the difference.

would say its better sometimes to go with the tour operator...you get what you pay for!   

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Eden Mar Suite Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - Sep 2006

Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : Annette and Mark - Peterborough (46,44)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We spent a week here while celebrating our Silver Wedding anniversary. Could not fault the hotel or the resort. We ate out at different restaurants every evening, there are loads to choose from and most are reasonable. We used the hotel courtesy bus several times to go into Funchal where there is plenty to do and see. We went on the open-air bus trip which was very good and we also braved the wicker toboggan ride which is not as bad as it looks! We went on an excellent trip around the East side of the island which we booked direct with Strawberry World (Found just under Hotel Monumental Lido). We didn't see our Thomas Cook rep while we were there so just did our own trips,everyone speaks very good English so it is easy to organise things yourself.

The hotel itself is in a very good location with shops, bank and restaurants in easy walking distance. Turn left from the front of the hotel and walk about half a mile or so and you come to a lovely, small, newly built shopping centre with some designer shops. The weather was hotter than we expected, in the 80's and my husband suffered from sunburn on his legs so remember the suncream! We had a lovely holiday and wished we could have stayed for longer-we are returning to Madeira again this year but different hotel and resort just to compare.

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Eden Mar Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson June 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Roy and Helen (65, 51)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Eden Mar is ideal for a quiet holiday in a good location. It is one of three hotels in the same group within the same grounds (Porto Atlantico and The Residence) and all facilities are available to all hotels.  It's about 30 minutes walk from the centre of Funchal and 100m from the Lido.  The area is quiet and so is the Eden Mar.  While we were there the entertainment took place at the Porto Atlantico so the Eden remained quiet even in the evenings.  In the complex there are several places to eat, only one of which serves buffet meals and the dinner allowance for a la carte at the others does not buy much.

The staff at the Eden Mar are very friendly, helpful and efficient and speak good English and the food choice is very good.  A room with a sea view is definitely preferable.

The hotel certainly lives up to its Thomson 4 star rating and, when we were there, there were plenty of sunbeds at all times with towels provided by the hotel.  Although Madeira, with no real beaches, is not our normal type of holiday, if we returned there we would have no hesitation in choosing the Eden Mar again.

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Eden Mar Suite Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson Price Breaker - June 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Jennifer McAlpine - Coatbridge (52, 47, 19, 9)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We went on a thomson price breaker and ended up in this hotel.This was the best hotel we have stayed in, in Madeira. It is ideally located in the hotel district, two minutes walk from the supermarket and the lido. As this hotel is part of the villa porto mare complex a huge courtesy bus ran into funchal on weekdays. The rooms are huge and beautiful, all with a sea and pool view. Bathrobes, pool towels, toiletries are all supplied. Rooms are cleaned every day and beds changed every two days. 

Communal areas are fab, there are two outdoor and two indoor pools which are all beautifully maintained. There is also a shaded garden area for shade seakers. Staff are all friendly, especially Ricardo! As far as eating out goes, we recommend solar da ajuda as the food is delicious (try the steak on the stone) and the staff are lovely, they also offer a children's menu and cater for all tastes.It can be foundjust up the side of the hotel monumental lido.

Entertainment wise we would recommend heading over to the monumental lido on a wednesday and sunday to see the hot dancers and the lovely Marco. Madeira is a beautiful island but this hotel makes a nice holiday a brilliant holiday. In all rooms there are kitchen facilities, good for a cup of tea at the end of the night.

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Estalagem Quintinha de Sao Joao - Funchal

Operator and Date: Direct with the Hotel

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Douglas  and Eileen Batten (73, 66)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

QUINTINHA SAO JOAO

If all-singing, all-dancing activities are what you are looking for in a holiday, then read no further because that is not what you will get. Situated within easy walking distance to the centre of Funchal, this family-run hotel is one which, with a little imagination, will transport you back to yesteryear with its clever use of wood and marble. Because of the steepness of streets and roads back to the hotel we advise that one of the plentiful and reasonably priced yellow and blue taxis be hired. Alternatively, a courtesy bus is provided.

We have just completed our tenth visit to the hotel, so we think we can speak with some authority and give an unbiased opinion on what the Quintinha Sao Joao [hereafter QSJ] has to offer the discerning guest.

First impressions are of a clean and not overpowering frontage leading into a cool, marble-floored reception area. Here we encounter one of the many features of the QSJ-the management's decision to encourage all staff to converse with their guests. We have patronised many European hotels but none have matched this, to us, very important factor, although some have come close. Off the reception area is the first-class La Morgandinha restaurant where there is an excellent menu and where breakfast (self-service) is laid up. A good selection of local wines is available. If you have no knowledge of Maderian wines, don't worry-the restaurant manager will advise you.

Leaving Reception, with its marble staircase to the upper floors and a lift, we come to the lounge area, which can only be adequately described as elegant. The Maderian love of wood and design has been tastefully incorporated with antique or reproduction furniture. Comfortable armchairs and settees are placed in strategic positions.

From the lounge we descend marble steps into the magnificent Vasco de Gamma bar with its superb dark hardwood floor. Again there is comfortable seating and a grand piano is a feature. The bar opens out on to the terrace and gardens and it is here that we spend a lot of our time making new acquaintances.

Ascending to the first floor we have another feature of the hotel-a lounge area on the landing (repeated on the second floor), again comfortably furnished. Also on this floor there is a roof-top swimming pool overlooking the gardens. All bedrooms are en suite, generous in size, extremely well appointed and very clean and comfortable.

For those clients who like to keep fit a fitness centre and games room are situated on the lower ground floor; in the garden there is a tennis court.

To summarise: In our view, having travelled considerably, we have in the QSJ a first-class hotel, worth every one of its five stars. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff, all professional in their approach and very well trained.

 Over the years we have attempted to find an adequate word or phase that encapsulates the atmosphere of the QSJ. During our last visit we realised that the QSJ is not a hotel as we know it but a ''private family club'', with high standards of service, comfort, attention to detail and quiet efficiency.

Welcome to the family of the Quintinha Sao Joao.

Eileen and Douglas Batten, Exmouth, England

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Hotel Estrelicia - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours August 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Anthony Morris - Newcastle 38, 36

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

A lovely place to visit and I would highly recommend Madeira to anyone. The hotel is situated at the top of a steep bank which may not be suitable for people with walking difficulties (we struggled at times). The hotel provides a free bus service into the centre of Funchal several times a day. The hotel is pleasant and the meals were very good, the one downside to the hotel is the lack of air conditioning. 

A lovely holiday the one downside being a 20 hrs delay on the outbound journey.

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Hotel Estrelicia - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays - SEP 2004

Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : M. Lynch (29, 31)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The hotel itself is located about 20 minutes walk from the Marina area of Funchal.  We found the hotel to be very clean and tidy, rooms were well designed and of good quality, each room has a sea view due to the position of the hotel.

The hotel is positioned on a very steep hill,    but the courtesy bus will drop people back at the top when coming back from funchal.

Restaurants are plentiful in funchal, and one of the best is just around the corner from the hotel namely the white house restaurant / pub.  Offering superb food at very reasonable prices.  Another good restaurant was the Mediterraneo restaurant above strawberry world.

All in all a very nice place to go and very relaxing, I can highly recommend the hotel also.

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Hotel Girassol - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson December  Xmas/ New year2006

Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : Mick and Paul 65 plus

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We were pleased with the reception on our arrival very friendly and welcoming.  Our room was clean and well set out and was on the 7th floor overlooking the pool which gave a great view out to sea.  The dining room was well organised and waiters to seat you, the food was average but nothing outstanding.  Christmas dinner was a disapointment as it was served on Christmas Eve and was nothing special no wine or drinks on table and for the price we paid that was the least we expected Father Christmas paid a visit and gave every person a present.  New years Eve dinner was totally different a real treat with wine or drinks and every thing that you could want and the service by the waiters especially Orlando who was our waiter was exemplary. After dinner we all went up to the rooftop to watch the fireworks which was the best fireworks show that we have ever seen and must have cost a fortune and we were given local wine and champagne.

The Island of Madeira is very hilly and unless you are quite mobile it is hard to get around as there are not many flat areas we hired a Taxi for a couple of days and the drivers name was Manuel and a more helpfull person we could not have got he knew all the history as we were driving along and kept us well informed.  We recomended him to another couple and they wrote and thanked us when we got home because of the service they received from him. We walked into Funchal several times which took about 30mins and we walked along the coast out of town but it is so hilly the views are fantastic though and well worth the effort.  You can take a cable car from Funchal up the mountains and slide down on a tobogan if you are brave enough but we were not We would go back again if we were younger but it is just to much
Mick

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Hotel Girassol - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - August 2005

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Lorraine Stevenage - Middlesex (44,43,12,9)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Madeira is a beautiful island, the Hotel Girassol was a delight to stay in, the food in the hotel was outstanding as where the staff.  They were friendly and helpful.  The rooms in the hotel were adequate for a three star hotel.   The weather was sometimes cloudy, but overall hot and sunny.   We found the holiday a success.  (One point, the island is extremely hilly, therefore, becareful if you are planning to hire a car).  I would definately go back to Madeira again.

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Hotel Girassol - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays  -  December 2004

Opinion submitted in Jan 2005 by : Phil & Alison Emmerton (49 - 50)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The hotel was very clean and staff excellent, pool area excellent, heated pool, with free towels and soft covers for the sun beds.
The bedroom must have been the biggest we have ever stayed in with a serarate lounge and balcony over looking the sea
Lots of draws and hanging space for clothes.
I can also recommend the tour company who seemed to be a lot cheaper than the big tour operators.
We went over xmas, some holiday makers were worried about places to eat on Xmas day, but there was still a lot of restaurants open.

The only gripe I have is that on B&B we wasn't included in the Xmas eve gala, last year at a different hotel we was, To be included in the Gala would have cost 120 euro's and that wouldn't include drinks. But I'm glade we didn't go as the meal started at 7.30pm and guests were coming into the bar at 9.30 - 10.00 who still had not had their main course.

The location of the hotel is good but the road outside is very busy and we did get a little road noise into our room at night as we were at the front.

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Gouveia Apartments - Funchal

Operator and Date: FIRST CHOICE - MAY 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : MRS LUIS - WINDSOR (37, 27, 6)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We are frequent visitors to Madeira and stay in hotels but decided that for a change we'd try self-catering.

The First Choice description of this accommodation said it was "set in a peaceful hillside setting, with a wonderful, friendly atmosphere. 2kms walk from Funchal Old Town."

THE REALITY
There were three building sites in very close proximity to our apartments. Noise, heavy vehicles and dust were the order of the day. School at end of street added to the traffic. Blind bend outside property neccesiated all vehicles to sound their horn to warn oncoming vehicles. On main bus route (handy but noisy).

DOGS - Barking all day and night. You could'nt relax by the bath-sized swimming freezing pool in peace, let alone sleep at night!!! Owner not sympathetic and told me it was the moon. What? For 7 days and nights!!!

Walk into Funchal - very steep with no pavement for 3/4 of way. Not for the faint hearted, those with walking difficulties or children.

No water for 3 afternoons without any explanation or apology. My guess is the owner and First Choice were aware of this but neglected to tell us. Municipal work was also being carried out by the school, which may have caused this.

An elderly couple suffered an attempted robbery whilst in their apartment. Credit cards etc... They told us the owner said he'd reported it to the police but no one ever showed up to take a statement etc... Very odd.

After my son was rather harshly told off for touching the hosepipe connected to the poolside shower, we decided we'd had enough. If he does'nt want families staying at his apartments then he should say so. Madeirans really like children so this guy was an exception.
Went to First Choice first thing on the Monday and asked to put in a hotel (any hotel)!!! Charged for the privilege but worth it to get out of that place.Our second week was bliss.
I would not recommend the Gouveia.

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Hotel Gorgulho - nr Funchal

Operator and Date: Transun - Sept 2004

Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : 58

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just back from 1st visit to Madeira Sept 04.
The hotel(Gorgulho) was edequate, the problem we did have was due to traffic noise and the DOGS from nearby houses.

Watch out for the touts from Hotels they are good at enticing you in to a 90 min presentation etc on the premice of cut price island tours,etc.The presentation usually lasts for 3-4 hours (be warned)
You also get restaurant waiters touting as well as taxis, I guess this is the norm for Madeira.
Altogether we had a good time and would go back again, a little bit wiser.

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Hotel Imperatriz - Funchal

Operator and Date: Co Operative - May 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Jean Metherall ( 65,63 )

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from a weeks holiday in Madeira,what a beautifull Island.The flowers at  this time of year are spectacular.

The Hotel Imperatriz is a small hotel situated just around the corner from the Casino in a small back street next door to a nightclub. There were only 27 rooms each with a small Kitchenette hidden in a cupboard.The room was basic but well furnished and very comfortable.The balcony was very small but with a lovely view of the Mountain in the background.The only thing the room lacked was air conditioning there wasnt even a fan which was needed as it was quite hot.

We had booked Bed and Breakfast but after the first morning we catered for ourselves.The breakfast was served in a restuarant next door to the hotel. There was a little old man who pointed at us and motioned us to the buffet which consisted of one roll each with a slice of cheese and ham.He asked if we wanted tea or coffee and when the tea came it was so weak it was undrinkable there was no milk and when we asked for some it was long life  milk not fresh infact that was the only type of milk on the island.
The receptionists at the hotel were very friendly and helpfull.

We had a very enjoyable weeks holiday and we shall hopefully go back again. We went up in the cable car and on a trip around the East of the island keeping ourselves busy untill the following Saturday and we left for our second week in Lisbon.

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Hotel Jardins d'Ajuda - Funchal

Operator and Date: Mercury Direct - Janaury 2006

Opinion submitted in Feb 2006 by : Sue Holland - Alton (57,57)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Stayed for 3 enjoyable weeks,last month.

Hotel was excellent. Our room was upgraded to a suite with nice bedroom, bathroom, lounge with settee and t.v kitchenette with fridge,hob and cutlery and crockery.Balcony overlooking the pool and attractive gardens. Rooms cleaned daily and towels changed too. I used the indoor pool and sauna, and steamroom daily.
Restaurant was fine. Buffet hot and cold breakfasts. Buffet dinner - Soup, lovely salads, and choice of 2 hot meals ( 1 fish 1 Meat) puddings were lovely and the reason I am now on a diet.
We used Courtesy bus to Funchal quite a lot, and also used the local buses to get to Botanical Gardens, Monte, Nuns Valley etc.
The Forum shopping mall is only a couple of minutes away from hotel, and had some nice shops plus supermarket for stocking the fridge in the room.

Most people were staying for a month or longer and everyone we spoke to was very happy with the Hotel, several had been there last year too. However we all paid the brochure price, and picked this hotel.
People who opt for last minute allocation on arrival should expect to get the less attractive rooms etc.

Madeira is a lovely island and the climate is very pleasant even in January it was nice and warm most days, and although we did have some rain it did not interfere with our plans at all. My best memory is all the dolphins we saw whilst on a catamaran trip on a lovely sunny Saturday. I am sure we will return again, and will
probably use the same hotel, as the price we paid would be hard to beat. 

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Hotel Jardins d'Ajuda - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice June 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Rae & Sue Jardine (60 just and 49)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

I read the above reports after having booked so was prepared for the worst. We requested a lower floor as my wife is unable to use lifts. On arrival we were allocated 9th floor. Let battle commence I thought but surprise. They were really helpful and friendly, found a room on the 5th floor but offered to find us a lower one the next day. As reception is on the 3rd there were not many stairs so no problem.

ROOMS. Spotless, beautiful, large double twin,ample storage,wardrobe in hall which led to a full size lounge with sofa bed, armchairs, table and chairs,desk, tele etc and fully carpeted throughout.Kitchenette behind foldaway doors, full size fridge, plates, saucepans, 2 hos, sink and all crockery etc. Very nice full size bathroom. Balcony full width of 2 rooms also with table & chairs. Lovely view over pool and pretty gardens.

POOLSIDE Ample sun beds very clean very tidy. Sun brolleys 1.25e per day. Poolside bar, nice snacks inside or out, Drinks (happy hour 5.30 - 6.30 buy one get one free !!)not expensive. waitress service around pool.

MADERIA.A beautiful island, fantastic landscape and views, flowers everywhere.
Good bus service. Did one conducted tour. very good. Hired car 1 day, driving is easy. Jeep Safari, very enjoyable.

EATING OUT Look for tourist menus. Good 3 course meal 9 euros. Casino..see the floorshow, have a meal.

REVISIT. Already looking forward to it. Same hotel? certainly.
Hotel on allocation? I don't think so but if you want cheap deals you have to expect cheaper rooms.

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Madeira Carlton - Funchal

Operator and Date: Expedia - April 2007

Opinion submitted in April 2007 by : Tracy McCaughan - Jersey (40,39,06)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

A beautiful island and a central hotel. Building work on neighbouring property so very very noisy in Mountain View Room. Offered another room for 50 euros extra per day. Charge for tea/coffee supplies after day one and charge for umbrellas by the pool. not what you would expect from 5* hotel. Rooms spotless, spacious and lovely decor. To dine we would highly recomment the excellent food and service across the road at the Red Lion Restaurant. Loved Madeira, very clean and friendly. Disappointed with the hotel.

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Madeira Palacio - Funchal

Operator and Date: Own Booking - Jan 2005

Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Reevy - Exeter 50,50

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This is a splendid hotel (one of the best we have used anywhere in the world) and this is the fourth time we have stayed there. It is a five star that thoroughly deserves its rating. Its rooms are excellent, with top class facilities and wonderful views.

The hotel has a nice garden, indoor and outdoor heated pools, two tennis courts, jacuzzi, steam room, sauna etc.

The staff are quite excellent and very attentive without getting in the way. The restaurants at the hotel are a bit expensive by Madeira standards, but quite excellent and cheap compared with UK standards. Locally there are a few restaurants and the walk into Funchal, where there are a lot (the hotel provides an hourly bus)is very pleasant.

There are 'regulars' who go the same time every year and get to know one another. That can be daunting!

Madeira is quiet. It is not a good place for young children, lacking as it does sandy beaches. It is also very steep, so if you walk with difficulty, go somewhere else. It has little night life, so is basically brilliant for a quiet break. It is also very beautiful (visiting other areas on the island is well worth the effort) and safe.

I find it hard to imagine how anyone could regard the Palacio as anything other than a splendid experience, unless of course you want clubbing, drinking competitions, karaoke etc, in which case Madeira is not for you.

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Madeira Panoramico Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - Dec 2003/Jan 2004

Opinion submitted in Jan 2004 by : Bryan and Anne Weir 55 and  53

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

My wife and I have just returned from Madeira after spending two weeks there over the New Year. Our hotel, the Madeira Panoramico in Funchal, was absolutely brilliant and I cannot speak highly enough of the facilities and level of service we received.

Although we were only B&B the New Year's eve gala dinner was included and this was the highlight of the holiday for us. The hotel provided an excellent meal with great food then gave us a free bar until midnight! At midnight we all went on the roof for a panoramic view of the breathtaking firework display - one of the best if not the best that I have ever seen - amazing!

The weather while we were there was superb but I understand that we were very fortunate as it was better than normal for the time of year. We had more or less constant sunshine and temperatures between 66 and 72 for two weeks with only one shower of rain.

Madeira is not for those who like to party but this was not a problem for us as we wanted to chill out on this holiday. There are a couple of good pubs, The Red Lion and the Prince Albert where you can go for a drink after eating out. The quality of the food in the restaurants puts the UK to shame and while it is not the cheapest place to spend a holiday when you compare like for like it is great value. Steaks are great and I understand that they get their beef from the Azores. Typically you can get an excellent (large!) fillet steak meal for about £10.00 or even less.

As a sea food lover I was in heaven. The prawns there taste like they should, not like the frozen cr*p that we are normally served here. Fish dishes are also great value and in most of the average restaurants the portions are very large. Normally one course is enough so the meals can work out quite cheap.

Booze prices are reasonable, about the same as pub prices in the UK. Don't expect the the large measures of spirits that are served in some of the Mediterranean countries. I am not a lager drinker but I thought the local Coral lager beer was particularly good. For me it was better than most of the lagers we get here. They also have a black, stout type beer called (I think) "Tonica". This is brewed by the the Coral company. Average price for a pint of beer is about E2.50. Guinness is also available in many bars at E3.50.

Be warned! Madeira has a reputation as a resort for middle aged people and there were very many of us around. I just don't understand why because it is the hilliest place I have ever been and after two weeks I had thighs like Kenny Dalglish. Incidentally, if you are a soccer fan, Maritimo FC who play in the Portuguese first division are based there. I managed to see them play Boavista whilst there.

In conclusion, we had a really great holiday there. I don't think we have eaten better anywhere in the World and the people are great. There are few language problems and with a big British influence there we Brits are welcomed. Recommended - but not for party animals.

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Hotel Madeira Regency Cliff - Funchal

Operator and Date: direct with hotel   December 2006

Opinion submitted in December 2006 by : Helen Falco (42)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was my fourth visit to Madeira and my third visit to this wonderful Hotel.  The hotel is well managed with exceptionally efficient and friendly staff. The location is good with the local shopping mall only a five minute walk away and is open from 10am until midnight every day so for a shopaholic its great. This holiday was my first hoiday on my own after the death of my husband last year . Idid find it difficult to book a single room as they dont have any but i was prepared to pay extra just to stay in this lovely Hotel. I have already booked for a return trip in March. Funchal is very safe for a lady visitor and to get to the town a courtesy bus is on hand. 

I recommend this hotel for anyone to stay but the children may struggle as it is quiet.

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Hotel Madeira Regency Cliff - Funchal

Operator and Date: First Resort - December 2004

Opinion submitted in Jan 2005 by : Nicola Herbert - Bracknell (66, 64, 41, 34)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

I have just returned to Madeira after an absence of 20 years and was amazed by the development of Funchal particularly in the hotel zone.  Where there was once private houses and banana plantations this has now disappeared.  Thankfully the true character of Funchal has not been affected and I would say that overall the environment has been improved in places, especially the seafront walk.

I stayed in the Regency Cliff hotel from 27 December through to 3 January with my family and we had a lovely time.  The hotel is quite small but has all the amenities you could want and is modern in appearance.  All rooms overlook the seafront but its wise, when staying, to ask for a room preferably above the 1st floor (we were in room 307 & 308) as you have the public Lido underneath.  In the winter it is quiet, no one used it while we stayed there but I expect it can be quite noisy in the summer.   Also, a small irritant, but they do play some kind of muzak in the Lido during the day so unless you absolutely Euro-rock, I would try and stay in a room higher up.

Our room was roomy and very comfortable.  We had cable TV (40+ channels) with tea making facilities, fridge, etc which is useful if you fancy a cuppa during the day but don't want to keep running to the restaurant or into town.  All balconies have easy chairs and a table.

The whole place was exceptionally clean, especially the public toilets - each cubicle even has its own bidet! 

The staff were very friendly and pleasant and in the restaurant they have themed evenings.  Most nights it was buffet style which is great - especially when you see the desserts!   Only one evening did we have waiter service (apart from New Year's Eve).  One tip I would share - if you are planning to visit over Xmas, make sure you go half board.  If you go on a B&B basis, expect to pay between 60 - 80 euros for dinner in the hotel and the New Year's Eve Dinner was 120 Euros each.

New Year's Even is fabulous in Funchal - the firework display was fantastic. You will never see the like in London, that's for sure! You have an excellent view from the hotel terrace and we had plenty of champagne to get us in the mood.  

During the day we made our own way to points of interest but here are some tips:

Don't book anything with your courier.  We found Thomsons charged the most for their excursions.   Wait until you go into town - there are plenty of tourist offices along the main road.  We ended up paying 39 Euros each for a full day's excursion to Porto Moniz which included morning coffee, cake and a 3 course lunch.  Also, there was only 8 of us in the mini-van which gives you more flexibility to get around and stop off for photos.

We also took a taxi to the Botanical Gardens which were lovely and the cable car up to Monte.  The restaurant there has a terrace overlooking the gardens - well worth stopping off for! 

Overall, I would give the holiday 10/10.  We are planning to return this year as I can't stand the idea of Xmas in the UK anymore.

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Madeira Regency Palace - Funchal

Operator and Date: Saga - October 2005

Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : Carol Miller - York (77, 56)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just returned from a 2 week stay in the Madeira Regency Palace.  

Visited Madeira about 10 years ago.  How the place has changed!  Lots of construction going on around the outskirts of Funchal, apartments and hotels going up everywhere you turn.  Back to the Regency Palace.  It's about 3 miles out of Funchal, but there is a courtesy bus available throughout the day from 10am until 6.30pm, with a lunch break from 1pm until 2pm.  Although we were told we needed to book seats, the hotel was fairly quiet and we didn't need to book seats on the coach.  I think you may need to if it's busy.  It takes about 20 minutes on the bus to Funchal, and it drops you right in the centre, within easy walking distance to most places of interest.  The President's Gardens and the Casa de Turista are both well worth a visit.  Most of Funchal is fairly flatish, but the pavements are a bit hazardous in places, so take care.  

Madeira itself is very hilly and the roads out of the Regency Palace are on quite steep slopes, no good if you have problems walking.  There is a good shopping centre about a fifteen minute walk up hill from the hotel.  Quite a few shops and a big supermarket with  a floor for eateries for quick snacks, coffee, ice cream etc.  The hotel itself is spacious, with good sized bedrooms and most with nice views of the sea.  There is a gas works at the bottom of the cliff, which is a blot on the ladscape, but doesn't affect your enjoyment of the hotel.  This is supposed to move soon to another part of the island.  

The dining room tables are fairly close together and the buffet is quite good, with plenty of choice.  Themed nights ie Portugese, Fish, Madeiran, Italian.  No tea and coffee making facilities in the rooms.  Shower/bath gel, shampoo, soap and shower caps are provided.  The pool area is very good, with free mattresses, umbrellas and towels.  Towels are also provided in the indoor pool, which has a much more ambient temperature than the outdoor ones.  Sauna, turkish bath, jacuzzi all available free of charge.  There's a gym as well, if you're feeling energetic with bikes, treadmills, weights etc.  

We found all the staff to be very attentive and friendly.  We drank the tap water for the 2 weeks without any side effects whatsoever, no need to lug bottled water from the supermarkets.  There's a lovely fish pond at the hotel with big Koi carp, which are very tame and will take the food (provided at the indoor pool on request) from your hands.  Nowhere much to go on a night, unless you want to go into Funchal, either on the local bus or by taxi.  Entertainment in the hotel most nights is piano music, with a folklore night on a Saturday, singer and piano player on Monday and a magician in the middle of the week. An enjoyable stay made more pleasurable by the friendliness of the staff.

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Hotel Mimosa - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - February 2006

Opinion submitted in Feb 2006 by : Suart & Sue - Stoke-on-Trent (58, 52)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Our third February visit to delightful Madeira. Funchal is a wonderful city and resort - especially in winter when you can steal a march on those in snowy northern Europe.  This year we were lucky to coincide our visit with carnival week -a wonderful unexpected bonus.

All the excellent reports that I have read on this site regarding the island are true - I can't fault Madeira or Funchal.

However, this year we stayed at the Hotel Mimosa for the first time on a last minute Thomson bargain booking at the Hotel Mimosa just behind the Lido area to the west of Funchal.

The hotel was adequate.

You have to negotiate a cripplingly steep hill to get into the hotel.  I should imagine that if you were old or infirm you would feel imprisoned.  Once in, the first impression is of a 70's building in need of an update.  The facilities have been covered by other reviews - and I agree that, in the main, the pools, bar, gym, etc. are all adequate, as are the rooms.  On these alone I would rate the hotel as j-u-s-t three star.

Overall I would rate the hotel as below it's advertised 3 star standard and I wish that we had booked room only and not half-board as what lets the hotel down is the restaurant.  Breakfast with tinned fruit on an island abounding with fresh produce is just plain lazy.  Scrambled egg rolls, croissants, toast, baked beans and cheaper German sausage (in rotation)are the order of the day.  If items run out before the end of the breakfast time they are rarely replenished.

Dinner acknowledges local dishes and no bad thing for that - if created and served with passion.  Unfortunately at the Mimosa it is a half-hearted and slovenly effort.  The choice is from a fish dish, a meat dish and a pasta dish.  The first two are served by cook from lidded heated trays where it is not possible to see what is to be served - i.e. you choose "blind" and are issued with strictly two small pieces of whatever.  Vegetables are overcooked.  Salad comprises of 3 items - no more, no less.  Dinner is between 1900 to 2030, i.e., just 1 and a half hours.  We arrived at 2015 one night.  Our allocated table was already occupied by someone else and the 3 salad items had reduced to only 2.  The fish dish was already gone.  We left hungry, wishing we had eaten out at one of the many local cafes offering lunchtime and evening tourist "special" meal deals.  Staff were often in dispute and paid scant attention to guests.

There is a sign at reception saying you can purchase dinner for about ?15 per head(about £10.50)- don't!

So if going to the Mimosa go room only - rooms are set like an aparthotel with small cooker, fridge, sink in a kitchenette arrangement which is adequate for preparing your own simple snacks and light meals, and if you are aged or infirm choose somewhere else.

But don't let the above put you off the island - we have stayed in excellent hotels in the past - the Mimosa is not typical of Madeira in our experience.

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Hotel Mimosa - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - March 2005

Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by : Ray & Jean ( 59, 58)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Hotel room was clean and comfortable. Had a 2 electric ring hob, sink, and fridge which gives flexibility with eating in or out, and making up picnics etc.  Room was on the top floor, facing west, and had it's own little balcony with two chairs and small table.  Outdoor pool wasn't being used; a bit chilly for that, but the indoor pool is very good, and there is also a jacuzzi, sauna, and fitness room if you feel so inclined. Pool towels are not provided so either take your own or use the bath towel in the room.

Breakfast was very good and similar to Portugal. Cheese, ham, selection of breads, cereals, fruit, yoghurt, jams/marmalade, juices, hot bacon/sausage/scrambled egg/beans on alternating days.

Hotel is linked with the Buganvilia, Estrilicea, and the Florasol under the Dorisol Hotels banner.  There is an excellent free courtesy bus service provided to and from Funchal but as this serves the 4 hotels you need to be at the pick up point early as it can get full up at peak times. Timetable leaflets are at the reception desk.

Although the hill to the hotel is steep, it does have steps alongside the hotel drive to make it easier.

There are numerous restuarants close by most of whom offer a set menu ( around 10 - 12 euro) as well as a la carte.  Good one is the Charcoal Grill just down to the right from the hotel. 
Pingo Doce supermarket down the hill and over the road (just look for people carrying their bags) is excellent and also has a small take-away section if you fancy a change from eating out.

The cable car trip from Funchal to Monti is a must.  Buying the tickets from the rep saves a lot of time queuing.

We went to Madeira for the gardens so did not fit in any of the day tours.  Those that did, thoroughly enjoyed them.  The half day tour to Nun's Valley by minibus we did take was well worth it.

There are various places offering tours at varying prices, usually well below that of the tour operator.

There is an easy Levada Walk almost immediately behind the hotel.  Leave reception, head across and through the car park to the road, turn left up the hill, left again at the "T" junction, and then right at the steps approx 300 yards along.  (If your room faces west, you can see the steps from your balcony).  At the top of the steps is the Levada. Left takes you west and when it meets the tarmac road, you have the option of either continuing, or following the road/steps down to the sea and back along the road and promenade to the Pingo Doce area and back up to the hotel. (approx 5 miles walk).

The walk into Fuchal is easy and very pleasant, but beware "Timeshare Bridge". 

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Hotel Mimosa - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic   Jan 04

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : K & S (37, 33)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The hotel is on a short steep hill ( about 3min walk) but you know you've done it..not for people unstable on their feet or with breathing problems.
The hotel is clean and tidy. The rooms are on the small side with the "kitchen" in a recess of the wall. the view form our small balcony was of funcal which at night time was spectacular.

Travel & sites
The airport is new and very good. baggage delivery is fast. Return booking in is generally slow so get ready for a long wait..the booking in computers aren't up to speed.
The Bus services on the Island are very good for getting to the various sights and a lot cheaper than the tours. Strawberry world is good for tours and car hire.Timeshare trips are cheap but only spend a little time at the "tourist site" and a lot at their complex.

Driving on the main routes is easy, we covered the middle and north west by car and had no problems, though I wouldn't venture to the valley of the nun's with one..stick to the bus as there are too many large vehicles on small roads with lots of tunnels...it was quite fun to see the tourists trying to reverse (from the safety of the bus!!).
We did a few of the walks on our own and again had no problems.
The trip up the hill in the cable car was fun (avoid the 9am queue) and then the botanical garden was very good (lots of shade) the Cafe is a waste of space (except for toilet facilities) taking your own food and drink is a better option.

Food
Food we found was a bit sameish, but fairly good value.
Blandy's winery was worth a visit in Funchal and the madeira was interesting at the tasting!!
There are good cake shops for that essential midnight snack with your tea/coffee..It works out there somehow!!

Best buys
Leather in funchal's market..I paid £20 for a very good quality handbag. Belts come in at about £10.

Flowers to take home!! including orchid plants at about £13

Fruit, again at the market some of it is very tasty but some is devoid of taste..ask to try it before buying

Fish, at the market..if you've somewhere to cook it 

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: Portland July 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : The Carters 44, 41, 16, 14

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Our hotel was advertised as a 3 star plus. We considered this to be a 3 star only, the food was repetitive and not a great selection and the air conditioning didnt always work properly. But the facilities were good, there is a sauna, roman bath, indoor swimming pool and a well equiped gym. Funchal is a busy and very built up town and there is a lot of building work going on at the moment. Maderia is a beautiful island with lots to do. We went Lavada walking, went to the mountains, toboganing, and took the cable car to the Tropical & Botanical Gardens,

We would definatley go back again to Madeira.

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: Portland Direct  -  May 2007

Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Malcolm Henley  -  Durham   ( 58, 57 )

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

worth paying extra for a sea view. never heard any noise at all from the hotel next door that is currently under construction. there is an internet cafe next to the hotel that charges 1 euro for 20 minutes as opposed to the hotel's charges of 3 euros 75 for 15 minutes. best to book trips with Strawberry World that has an office next to the hotel, it is much cheaper and the trips start from outside the hotel, you also pick your seat numbers so that there is no clamouring to get on the bus. 
Best and cheapest supermarkets are " pingo doce ". One is straight over the road and down the bank, the other is turn right outside the hotel and walk along the road until you come across it on your right-hand side.
It is a nice 45 minute walk into Funchal which you get to by turning left outside the hotel and walking straight along the road.
We never came across any time-share louts which was an added bonus, why don't they get a proper job like everyone else.
Good trips are Best of the East, Best of the West and Nun's Valley, spectacular view from the viewpoint on Nun's valley.
The cable car ride from Funchal to Monte is 14 euros 50 return each and is well worth doing, a very smooth ride and fantastic viewing.

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland - March 2007

Opinion submitted in March 2007 by : Andy Wilkins (52, 50)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We stayed for a week March 2007 on a half board basis with a double room overlooking the pool.

Overall the hotel is very good and has a great location. The room was large enough and the furniture off good quality. There is a 20 inch TV with many cable channels (only CNN and BBC World in English), a fridge and a hair dryer. The balcony furniture was also comfortable. Maid service daily and everything was spotlessly clean.

The public rooms again are clean and of a high standard. The reception well organised and efficient/friendly. In the lobby there are plenty of comfortable sofa's and there is a library where you cabin swap books, internet access (payable) and plenty of tourist information.

There are two bars, one behind the lobby and one next to the pool. The lobby bar has entertainment each evening, the pool bar serves snacks etc throughout the day.

There is a newly opened Spa and indoor pool and a gym/fitness club within the hotel.

Meals were served in the dining room on the 4th flour. It could be said that the table layout was a little cramped but we were fortunate to have a stand-alone table for two allocated for dinner, there are no table allocations for breakfast.

The food overall was served from a buffet for all meal and was of a high quality. It was warm and  replenished frequently through the sitting. My only criticism of the food was the there could be more variety, every evening it was soup or salad for starter and a choice of one meat or one fish main course.

Underneath the hotel is a shopping complex which has several tourist type outlets and eateries. It is one of the cheapest places for coffee at 1.50 Euro for two cups ( one espresso and one latte). Also in the shopping complex is the "Strawberry World" extersion operator. We did two full day tours with them and found them to be first class.

The cheapest supermarket is 100 meters down the hill opposite the Hotel.

Overall a very good week at a good hotel.

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: Jan 2007

Opinion submitted in February 2007 by : Deb Chris (48, 49)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We had never been to Madeira before and not sure what to expect.We choose this hotel because of the reviews and we were very pleased with it. The staff were always helpful the whole place was very clean, we stayed half board and the food was always very good. The only thing i did miss was a kettle, we tried to hire one from reception but they don't do that. I will buy a travel one for the next holiday!There is a fridge in the room which was usefull.
We did two trips with Strawberry World East and West Island, it cost 29 euros each per trip and a really good way of seeing the sights with an excellent tour guide.
The weather was warm with one really hot day I wore a jumper most days most of the locals wore a coat i even saw someone in a scalf. I would say pleasent weather mosy of the time.It did rain on the day we were leaving and it did pour so make sure you do take a light coat especially if you go up in the mountains as it is quite cold up there.

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland - 2007

Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : Anne Grangemouth 46,42,12

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Had our 2nd visit to this hotel and we were not disappointed. Had a sea view room which was well worth the extra as the sun was there all day.Room size was ok. Must admit to prefering the apartment we had when 4 traveled. We were full board and it was the first time we had tried this in a hotel and loved it. The food was great and always a good selection. Even the very fussy 12 yr old managed to find something to eat every day. What a difference to the spending money having meals included. The staff at this hotel were very attentive and am looking forward to returning. Have been twice in December and think we will try July for a change. Madeira is great for any age. 

We normally spend the summer in Puerto Pollensa in Mallorca and Fuchal certainly will be one of our top destinations.

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Nov 2006

Opinion submitted in November 2006 by : Norma 65

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Very clean hotel. Food very good and always hot. They opened the restaurant at 4am for us  our flight time was 7.30am
Best buy bus pass for 7days 16 euros this is essential to go up and down to Funchal and go all over the city.
Use bus to go to Nuns valley 2.40euros
Sa supermarket cafe centre Funchal 3.50euros  a beer, a coke, cheese toastie and pineapple flan.
Botanical garden excellent 3 euros for it and parrot park.
Very green island
Plenty of flowers even in November

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland - Sept 2006

Opinion submitted in November 2006 by : Phil and Judy Catterall 53,51)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We stayed at the Monumental Lido in 1999 and had a good recollection of our time there.  This time we stayed two weeks, some things had changed.  The area around the hotel was more built-up, and the building work that we had been made aware of by writers on this web site and by our tour operator, Portland, failed to put us off, so we booked again.

Building Work

A high-rise, ten floor, same as ML, new build has been erected on the Funchal side of the hotel.  Sea view rooms have not lost their Atlantic vista.  The main concrete structure was completed in September 2006 with scaffolding being removed prior to external rendering.  A large crane was still in place.  Building noise over and above the general background noise was not a problem around the pool area which is on the fourth floor.

Food and Drink

We stayed on a half board basis with a sea view room.  By Madeiran and UK standards lunch and drink prices were reasonable, although it has to be said that the strength of the cocktails would need investigating by trading standards if this was a UK hotel!  For example a light lunch was under ?4 and a pint of Coral lager was ?2.60 in all the hotel bars.  If you drink in 'happy hour' the beer will cost ?1.50.  Dinner at the ML was the finest buffet dining I have known.  Choice was limited to three main courses, a fish, a meat and a vegetarian pasta.  Meals were hot and constantly attended.  Vegetables varied each night.  Starters were salads and soup.  Deserts were excellent and made in house.  A bottle of house wine was ?6.20 with bottled water at ?2.80 per litre.  Tables were allocated for the duration of your stay for dinner but you sit where you like at breakfast which provided everything you might want.  The waiting staff, and all staff in the hotel, treat guests with respect and some staff were recognised from our previous visit in 1999.

Pool Area and Pool Bar

Free pool towels are provided.  The pool area is meticulously maintained with more than enough sun beds for all.  No diving is allowed.  The pool bar is a super facility for lunch or drinks and ice cream during the day.

Gym and Games Room

This looked very well equipped and staffed but we did not use it so further comment is not possible.

Bedrooms

Bedrooms were good sized and well-lit with controllable air-conditioning.  The bathrooms were good and included a hair dryer.  Cleaning usually took place mid to late morning.  The room had a safe which cost ?12 a week.

Bar and Evening Entertainment

Unlike the other hotels visited in the area the ML seemed to be full.  The nationality of guests we estimated to be about 50% Portuguese and 50% British / German / other European.  A resident duo performed six nights a week, they were known as the Juke Box Duo or Monumental Duo.  Initially the girl singer and male key-board player seemed to perform an endless list of tunes from the 50s to the 80s, however, after a couple of nights, things got a little samey.  The girl was cheerful with a good voice but the keyboard guy, although playing well, didn't look like he was enjoying it!  Five nights extra entertainment from visiting artists was also provided.  There was a magician, 'hot dancers', folk ensemble and Fatima Chulata's cleo shows.  Most of these were worth seeing and appeared when the Monumental Duo took a break at 10pm.

Other Hotels

All hotels in Funchal seemed to be open to non-residents, providing you bought a drink.  So in our search for alternative entertainment we tried the following hotels:- 

Eden Mar (across the road from ML) - Part of Porto Bay, a hotel and time-share group.  After a long stroll through the corridors of this large low-rise complex we found the bar and entertainment.  The hotel employs animators and bingo was just starting for the 10 guests present.  This was followed by a flower arranging contest and then karaoke.  The room and facilities were good with Coral beer priced at ?4.40 per pint.

Savoy (half way to Funchal centre) - Slightly faded glory at its best!  Past Reid's and the Casino, this hotel is part of the Pestana empire, another hotel and time-share group.  Mr Pestana has several hotels around Funchal and this one must have been at the top in the 1980s.  A resident duo were performing, rather loudly, the same material that we had heard being played by the Monumental Duo - rousing tunes such as Viva Espana, La Bamba and Voulara.  So I drank my ?1.40 pint and we left.

Crown Plaza (200m towards Funchal centre) - This was like the proverbial 'Marie Celeste'.  A modern, minimalist style of hotel almost devoid of guests at 9.30pm.  No atmosphere, and in certain parts of the lounge a smell of drains.  A lone pianist was singing and playing (well) at a grand piano.  Coral beer, by the pint, 'not available sir'.  A half at ?3 was purchased which I quickly drank before we left.

O'Brien's Irish Bar (in front of the Crown Plaza) - A three-piece band played a mixture of pop and jazz inspired tunes Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  They consisted of bass guitar, keyboards and drums and were very good.  It was worth paying ?3.75 for a pint of Coral.  Guinness on draught was also available.

Cliffe Bay (400m towards Funchal centre, down a long drive) - A top class, 5 star hotel, which is hidden from the road.  Entertainment was from a resident trio with visiting artists adding a touch of class most nights.  Traditional Portuguese Fado guitar music and songs from the shows by English opera singer, David Edge, were featured when we visited.  The Cliffe Bay was a cut above the other hotel bars which we tried.  A pint of Coral was ?5 and the dress code was smart casual.

Trips

Guided Levada and Mountain Walking - We used Madeira Explorers, which can be booked via your rep or at their office in the ML shopping precinct.  We can recommend the company highly.  If you are a keen walker try the 15km walk from Paul de Serra to Encumeda (Friday) or the walk around Boca Corida on Saturdays.  Both start from a high level around 1000m to 1500m and gradually come down.  The guides were great with plenty of knowledge.  Walking boots or specialised shoes are essential.  Walking poles are provided.

Coach Trips - A Folklore Feast evening trip, East and West Tours and the popular Nuns' Valley Tour are available.  We used the Thomson (Portland) rep for some but booked the East Tour with Strawberry World which was slightly cheaper and was highly recommended.  Their office is also in the ML shopping centre.

Taxis

Reasonable value at ?4-5 into Funchal.  Drivers frequently try to tender for tours round the island or offer drop-offs for levada walking at prices of ?70-95.

Buses

We did not use the buses however they were popular, cheap, driven fast and usually packed.

Medical Facilities

There is a good pharmacist across the road from the ML.  For more serious problems a medical centre is located on the second floor of the ML precinct, which unfortunately I needed to use.  I received excellent advice from the doctor, this cost me ?50 consultation fee and ?23 for tablets.  The new type E111 credit card means that you are guaranteed medical care in Madeira, but you do have to pay for it.

Summary

A fine, mid-priced hotel, that is clean and well maintained.  Attentive staff, good food and drink at reasonable prices.  I am glad that we chose to stay here again.

Final Comment

You will be approached repeatedly as you walk into Funchal and along the sea front by time-share touts.  Be aware of this and also of the 'information centres' offering cut price trips which are also a front for time-share.  In addition Porto Bay group are now collaborating with Thomson by attending welcome meetings to try to entice guests into attending their presentations.

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel (Air Tours) July 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Robert, Jan (50's)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was our second visit to the island after staying at the Monumental Lido last September we decided to return.
The hotel is fantastic, the staff always willing to help, some even remembered us from the previous year.
I emailed the  hotel and requested the same room as last year and was not disappointed.  The maid service was great and the rooms were always spotless.

We opted for bed and breakfast but ate in the hotel in the evening as the hotel offered a special deal for B&B guests.  The food was really good and there was a great choice, and in the 2 weeks we hardly ate the same thing twice.  The pool was immaculate and was cleaned every morning, and mattresses, towels and parasoles were provided as soon as you appeared.

There were so many thing to see that you could never get bored.  A beautiful island well worth a visit, we will certainly return and to the same hotel.

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: Eclipse Direct  May 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : 53,56

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Had heard that Madeira was for OAPs so a bit dubious about going at first, even more so when it appeared there were only 2 or 3 younger couples on the whole plane!!  Flight with Sata International was good.

Transfer to hotel was dealt with efficiently by First Choice reps.  Transport was by mini bus so not as many stops as would be on a coach.

Hotel was spotlessly clean throughout.  Our room was at rear on 5th floor.  Yes there was some noise from the road just below but it didn't really bother us.  Same goes for the building site next door.

Madeira is VERY hilly. Definitely not suitable for the less mobile.  Just about everywhere you go involves walking up and down (sometimes very steep) hills.  However, its this landscape that makes the scenery absolutely beautifull.  We did the East tour, West tour and Nuns Valley all booked through Strawberry World (office just next door to hotel)  They were much cheaper than the tour operators trips and the guides were excellent.

The cable car and tobaggon run have just got to be done even though its quite scary!

Food in hotel was buffet style.  Always a few choices and piping hot except for just one occasion.  Also, dishes were replaced when empty which meant latecomers still had as much choice as people who chose to eat earlier.
Room was cleaned every day and towels changed if requested.

Hotel entertainment was poor but can recommend O'Briens at front of Crowne Plaza hotel on Friday and Saturday nights.  Excellent live band and very good atmosphere with mixture of tourists and locals.

We loved Madeira and would certainly go back - lovely people, stunning scenery, good weather.  Unless you want beaches and theme parks its the ideal place for a relaxing holiday with plenty to do and see.

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct - October 2005

Opinion submitted in Dec 2005 by : The Mitchells, Mother + son - Buxton (60+,37).

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

A super hotel, but there is BUILDING WORK next door, on the right as you view the hotel from the front. A new 9 storey block's  being built. The shell's up, but there's still lots of grinding, sanding, hammering, etc, and a crane. Every front/sea view room's affected,and the whole pool area. We were at the back of the hotel, and there was small scale building work going on there as well, at pavement level. 

The hotel entrance is amongst shops, but once inside, the reception is large, lifts swift and modern. The whole hotel had a refurb in Summer 05 to a high standard, and it shows. Rooms are large, carpeted, and ours had a small fridge, air con, ceiling fan, big tv with some watchable channels, full size bath/shower. Our 9th floor rear view was fine - a church complexes' garden, other hotels, and even parts of the mountains. Quite noisy road below, with local traffic, minor deliveries and bus stop. 9/10th floor is best. Rooms on front have sea view, though it's a few 100 yards away across a road and beyond other buildings. Dinning room on 4th floor, large choice at buffet breakfast. Dinner own table - soup, salad, cooked dishes etc all fresh, well cooked/presented to high standard. Walk to pretty Funchal (half hr), past shops/hotels. Car hire a must - beautiful mountain scenery, smooth 2-way roads, good signs. New main roads too everywhere, with long tunnels. 

Would definately go to hotel/Madeira again.   

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct - October 2005

Opinion submitted in Nov 2005 by : David & Nicola 38, 35

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We travelled to Madeira in October with Portland Direct to the Monumental Lido. This was our first time in Madeira and we really enjoyed it. The hotel exceeded our expectations in every aspect, we had a room on the eighth floor at the rear of the hotel which wasn't noisy as some people have reported. The rooms were comfortable and cleaned every day, all the staff in the hotel were very friendly and helpful.

The food in the restuarant was excellent, breakfast was buffet style with a choice of continental or cooked. Evening meals were buffet style with a choice of soup, salad, fish, meat, pasta, rice, veg and lovely cakes for desert.

The pool was cleaned every morning and matresses and towels provided for the sunbeds.

We booked our trips with Strawberry World which were cheaper than Thomsons and although the guide spoke in german, swedish and english this didn't in anyway spoil the trips. In fact we found it to be better than tour operator trips as you could pick where you wanted to eat for lunch. (Strawberry World office is located in the Monumental Lido shopping centre).

We done all three island trips and all were great value for money.

If you are fit and looking for a challange do the Pico Ruivo mountain walk (or maybe climb as we found out)with Madeira Explorers (also located in shopping centre). It rained when we done the walk but who cares, we were on holiday, but remember to take some water proofs if you want to do this walk as it's in the mountains 1861m high, but well worth it.

We done afternoon tea at Reids Palace 25 Euros each but still well worth it, ask for a table on the terrace.

The casino show is around £30 each but if, like us, you wanted to waste 3 hours listening to some timeshare rubbish to get free tickets then go to the Pestana information booth and look for the "Special Promotion" offering free tickets. The 4 course meal is excellent, free wine during the meal,(red and white)the show is also excellent and you get free admission to the Copacabana nightclub.

The taboggan ride from Monte is a must, even if it's just to say you did it 25 Euros for two in a basket. They take your photo half way down and ask you to buy it at the bottom (good quality photo it is too).

We had a great time in Madeira and would reccommend the Monumental Lido to anyone, it is around 20 mins to Reids Palace and another 15 minutes into Funchal town centre. A nice walk to work off your breakfast or dinner.

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Panorama Discounts) Panorama - March 2005

Opinion submitted in Apr 2005 by : 56, 54

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

My wife and I have just returned from our second visit to Madeira, after booking with Panorama Holidays using the Internet.
The holiday was complete, with no extras, being booked in for seven nights at the four star Monumental Lido Hotel on a  half board basis, not A.O.A.

The B.A flight and transfer was faultless and the Hotel was superb as expected. The exterior  looked a little jaded but the interior was extremely clean and well looked after.
We were warned of building work next door, but this was not noticed during our stay.
We were given a room on the eighth floor at the rear of the Hotel, and although very nice, pleasant view etc. there was an access road below which we thought may cause some noise.
We made enquiries at the reception for a room upgrade to a front sea view with balcony. We were given the key to view a room on the eleventh floor with a sea view. The room was the same, and for a mere ten euros extra per night, we chose this room.
Maid service was excellent, the restaurant and service was as good as any I have been to before.

For Breakfast, you cold sit anywhere but for the evening meal a table was allocated for the duration of your stay. The food was of excellent quality, varied and plentiful. On offer were Fish, Meat, and Pasta dishes with Salad and the meals did not repeat on our seven night stay.

We went to Madeira for a walking holiday, the weather was perfect and I would implore anyone contemplating a similar holiday to get one of the excellent guide books from Rother, Sunflower or Walking Demon, and do the walks under your own steam.

I recommend the Levada walk from Camacha to Assomada as one of the best on the Island. It is easy to get to and from and offers an exciting walk and fantastic scenery.
The local buses are extremely cheap and reliable and the Taxis can cost less than you would expect.. A word of warning, the taxi drivers are always touting for business and you must agree a price before you get in. They generally use the meters for local work, but if you venture further afield, check the alternative bus service. I had one taxi driver lie to me about the bus timetable to try to get a job.

For a guided walk to the less accessible parts of the Island I can recommend the fantastic "Madeira Explorers" based at the Monumental Lido Shopping Centre. The local knowledge of our guide Alvaro Freitas on the very stark and beautiful Sao Laurenco Peninsular was extremely informative and at times very funny !
Local cafes and Supermarkets will often sell filled rolls and food for a days walk.
The Pingo Doce supermarket at the Eden Mare shopping centre is very useful.
Eating out is no lottery, I have never had a bad meal anywhere in Madeira, be adventurous !
Oh ! and the booked cost of my holiday on the Internet was £229 each !! beat that.

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct   Dec.2004

Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by : Gordon Shackleton (66)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Generally the food was pretty good,with reasonable variety,providing you were willing to go only a little way beyond the Little Englander mentality of cooked breakfast as a priority to a happy holiday.
The hotel staff were most helpful and well mannered, advice as to local bus services, taxis, shops etc.,being readily and accurately available.

As a lone traveller I was allocated, as per my booking request, a room overlooking the pool and the resulting sea view was really very worthwhile, facing generally south and so having the sun for most of the daylight hours.
The room itself was clean,comfortable and normally quiet,and the balcony invited  a great deal of lounging idly in the winter sunshine.

Thre are plenty of quite decent eating places to hand although sometimes patience is necessary, but usually wothwhile, as the service can be languid though the food is normally very acceptable.

The island is BEAUTIFUL and should be explored at leisure - Strawberry World - a small tour operator - office fronting the shopping mall in front of the hotel- are far cheaper than the tour companies rather pricy and give a comparable provision of exploring opportunities.
December temperatures are aroud 65 to 70 degrees. Pleasantly warm and welcoming - Just like Madeira and its people.

I've already booked to return next year!

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: Travelbargains.com - Dec 2004

Opinion submitted in Dec 2004 by : Margaret & Kelvin Alderson, 51, 55

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: Kelvin and I have wanted to go to Madeira for many years but have been unable to because of Monday flights, during summer we want 2 weeks away. we saw a week advertised on teletext for Christmas week at only £359, half board including Gala meal, so booked it.
The flights were brilliant - daytime both ways, so no red eye!!!
we had to get our own transfer, so jumped in a taxi and it was only 25 euros, well worth it ot mis the ride round resort on the transfer buses!!

on checking in at the hotel (12.05pm) we had to wait for our room to be made ready, this wasn't a problem as the Thomas Cook brochure said check in wasn't till 4pm, but within 20 minutes we were given our room card (which also doubles as the electricity provider) the room was very clean, at the rear of the hotel on the 9th floor.  bed linen was changed evry day, soap and shampoo were supplied but we had our own. tv left a lot to be desired, Cnn, hollywood or the travel channel only english speaking ones we could find, but again no problem as we had no intention of staying in our room to watch TV!!!!

Food was excellent, plenty of choice, always red hot, and the staff very friendly and helpful. the weather wasn't too good when we were there, so only got to the pool a couple of times, but treat like royalty with the staff getting everything needed for the sunbeds.  the only real problem we could find with this hotel was the evening entertainment, a keyboard player and tom tom playre were the main entertainment with and english couple filling in with bingo and other games, and on some evenings they sang, but beware if you don't join in with them and either sing along or get up and dance then she gets annoyed and walks off! other entretainments is provided for 5 or 6 nights, but only for half an hour, usually this is exceptionally good,but it doesn't come on until 10.30pm, and by then you are so bored with the alternative entertainment that you either have an early night or go in search of other places, which unfortunately this resort does not really cater for unless you are of pension or near pension age!

however, we can thoroughly recommend the island for the scenery and Levada walks, they are superb, and as other reviewers have said, use Strawberry World.com for ALL your trips you will save a fortune and the guides treat you like old friends, if you want a good fun taxi driver while you are there, checkout taxi number 1360, he will even cook for you on days out if you book him! make sure you take waterproofs with you as it tends to always rain if you go up into the hills!

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - August 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : John and Lynne - Aberdeenshire ( 55 and 51 )

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We recently went to Funchal in Madeira for two weeks. Holiday organised by Airtours and departed from Glasgow.Recieved an excellent service with no hitches.

Stayed BB at the Monumental Lido which is near the Lido area of Funchal. Had a sea view room on the 8th floor. Views were fantatic.Good buffet breakfast with lots of fresh fruit, cheese, cold meat,bacon, sausages, beans, boiled eggs,rolls, toast etc. Great pool area where towels, sunbeds and umbrellas all supplied free of charge. Pool attendant saw to all our needs. Entertainment ok but nothing outstanding ( approx. 10.15 to 10.45 ).

All staff friendly and helpful. Only downside was that we only had a roof fan and no A/C. Was hot and humid so sleep was affected. Would only consider this hotel again in winter, spring or autumn but never through the summer months (July and August).

Plenty to see and do. Booked levada walking and sightseeing tours through Strawberry World ( next to hotel). Excellent service and cheaper than most.Had dinner and show at the casino (1st class).

Never eaten so well on any holiday before.Food excellent. Can recommend Arsenios ( with Fado music), Le Jardin and Muralhah ( all in old town ). Kon Tiki and The Chalet( top of road leading down to Marina,between the Lido area and downtown Funchal ), Indian near the Lido and the Mediteranean and Chinese on top of Monumental Lido also good.

To sum up we will definately return to Funchal in the near future.Maderia has so much to offer whether it be walking, sightseeing, boat trips,breathtaking scenery and flowers,good food or just purely relaxing.Not a lot to do for kids , teenagers or those looking for hectic nightlife. Enjoy !!!

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland - June 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Peter Shiel - Washington (UK)  (58,61)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We arrived early evening after an uneventful flight and landing at Funchal's spectacular airport. Our flight was with Excel Airways and unlike on previous Thomson/Portland holidays an in flight meal was included.
The Hotel was very convenient for all amenities in Funchal, about an easy 30 minute walk from the Marina.A return by bus is recommended as there is a steep hill to climb on leaving the marina area although once past the casino the walk is fairly level.

There are lots of amenities in the immidiate area of the hotel if you dont fancy going into the centre of Funchal.
The Hotel itself is very good, sea view rooms are excellent with a very good oulook and are not particularly affected by the busy main road which runs in front of the Hotel.(rear view rooms are affected by a service road).
The restaurant is very well managed with each person allocated thier own table for the single sitting dinner(18:30-21:00).
The buffet style dinner offers well prepared and excellent(allways hot) food with a chooice of Meat, Fish, Pasta and a good salad bar. an excellent choice of sweets are available as well as free teas and coffee. The wine list is reasonable and varied.
Breakfast is also buffet style with a similar choice each day.

The Pool side is excellent with lots of (non reservable) sunbeds abd parasols, well attended by a helpful and meticulous staff.
All in all a very good hotel. We will return.
Note : if you want to try excursions I would recommend Strawberry World a bona fide travel agent based just outside the hotel. they are reasonable and have excellent guides.
BEWARE OF TIME SHARE TOUTS SELLING CHEAP TOURS FROM THE STREETS OR KIOSKS.

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook May 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : David and Joyce Gabe Seaton 60  plus

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This is an excellent hotel, well situated about 20 - 30 minutes' walk from the centre of Funchal. Buses go from outside hotel into Funchal. We walked into Funchal most mornings and returned by bus after lunch when it was beginning to get hot. When walking into Funchal don't miss the chance of walking through Catarina Park. The market in Funchal is colourful and worth visiting. Also take time to spend in the old part of Funchal on the east side of the town. We were accosted by time-share touts most mornings outside the Savoy Hotel, and these touts did not like it when we rebuffed them. Also beware of so-called Information Centres, which again are out to sell you something. For tourist information go to the proper Tourist Centre in Funchal, opposite the Golden Gate Cafe (good coffee and loos).

The hotel was clean and comfortable. Food excellent in every way. Plenty of choice both for breakfast and evening meals although more whole fresh fruit would have been appreciated for puddings at the evening meal.

Pool was scrupulously clean with plenty of free sunbeds, umbrellas and towels provided and no reserving of sunbeds was allowed. There was quite a large shallow area of the pool which suited us very well. The hotel is geared to adults and is not really suitable for young children, as there is nowhere for them to play and run around.

We used Strawberry World (next to the hotel) for our trips to the West and East of the island and the Nuns" Valley trip and the cost was about half of that charged by the reps. We chose to use an 8-seater minibus rather than a coach. The drivers were locals and provided an excellent service at a very reasonable price. If you book three trips together the prices are reduced even further.

Madeira is an island of great contrasts and on the West trip some of the scenery resembled Scotland. The cable car trip is well worth doing and Monte Gardens should not be missed. When taking trips up into the mountains a warm cardigan or jacket is advisable.

We took the bus from Funchal to the Council-run Botanical Gardens where entry was very reasonable and the gardens well worth a visit. We thought the Palheiro Garden were not worth visiting as they are too English and entry was also expensive

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in Madeira and the Monumental Lido Hotel can be thoroughly recommended.

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland Direct - May 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Ralph and Marion Lornie - Dundee (57 & 44)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just back from 2 weeks in Funchal.  Hotel Monumental Lido was in a good location. Although the traffic is noisy it didn't affect us too much - only the night that Portugal won a football match (uefa I think), and all the cars were tooting like mad! Food was very good in hotel although limited in choice in the evening, fish or meat. Use Strawberry World travel agency next door to hotel for trips as they are very good and very reasonable price wise. Two and a half days trips cost us 64 euros each, compared to 110 euros from Portland/Thomson. At the hotel you could always get a sunbed at any time, and there was no rushing to get up early!

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Hotel Monumental Lido - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Portland Direct) Portland May 2004

Opinion submitted in May 2004 by : Angela Cooper-Peterborough (42,47)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Went to the above hotel for one week 17th May,asked for a high,quiet,seaview (paid extra for) room,got a seaview room and high but not quiet it says in the brochure due to the location of the hotel there may be some traffic noise (some traffic noise) it was like being in the middle of a motorway,constant traffic during the day and boy racers etc in the early hours with loud exhausts and loud stereos,what joy we also had unexpected building work which started the day we got there put the two together and you are in noise hell.

This hotel is one of the older dated ones the reception is very dark and gloomy and the corridors are the same,the rooms are not too bad standard size much brighter,the restaurant has two time options for your evening meal you have to sit at the same table every night and go down at the same time 18.45-19.45or19.45-21.00 it is very cramped and very very noisy,the food is average not an awful lot of choice.The swimming pool and surrounding area is clean and tidy but dated,the entertainment is awful.

The island of Madeira is a lovely place to visit lots to see,if you go choose another hotel away from main road and you will be fine.

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Orca Praia - Funchal

Operator and Date: First Choice May 2007

Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : Steve & Bec 44 ,40.

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from a holiday in Madeira, we stayed at the Orca Praia hotel just out of Funchal. We enjoyed our stay and found the hotel good. 

It was lovely and clean and the pool area is great! We found the staff friendly and helpfull and it was no trouble when we asked to move rooms ( we were in a room with a covered balcony 801 and we wanted one that was open so we could sit in the sun 902) The hotel runs a small bus to and from funchal,this was frequent and easy to book. The food in this hotel was not brilliant but there was plenty of it and the Germans seemed to love it! ( this hotel is very popular with the Germans there were very few brits!) The pool area as I mentioned before is really nice but it is a steep climb back up to the hotel a lot of old folk were finding it very difficult! Madeira as an Island is lovely and we would love to go again, the views are spectacular and it is worth hiring a car to look around. Also another thing worth doing is a Jeep Safari as this really gets into the places you wouldnt see on a bus or hire car. We can also recommend having afternoon tea at Reids palace hotel its very posh and colonial and made me feel proud to be English! There is nothing to worry about with Madeira and its far better and more upmarket than the canaries. 

The only thing I would say is that we did feel that it was a bit of an old folks island and if you are under 40 you would probably find it boring!

Overall would we go again? yes! did we like the hotel? Yes! did we like Madeira? Yes loved it!

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Orca Praia - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice, dec 2005

Opinion submitted in Jan 2006 by : jacqueline luis, scotland

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

LOCATION

Do not be put off by this hotel being 6km from funchal. The hotel courtesy bus is frequent BUT BOOK ASAP as it's only little and gets v. busy. Local buses cheap and fairly frequent BUT buy tickets from hotel, newsagents or the bus kiosk as they are cheaper than buying on the bus. ALL rooms spacious ditto balcony and have sea views (listening to the sound of the waves at night was magic). Pool a bit cold to swim in December but had a quick dip.All outside/pool very clean.

HOTEL

Excellent standard for a 3 Star. Maids work very hard and place was spotless.Food plentiful and hot. Breakfast catered very much for the german guests but you can always ask for something else, as the waitresses etc are very helpful. Good choice at dinner; chicken, meat and fish with plenty of salads and nice veggies.Drinks reasonably priced.

THE ISLAND

Always fantastic (been many times) but be adventurous and get out to Porto Moniz which has fantastic natural swimming pools.Wctually, go everywhere you can as you will not be dispppointed. The Lido's being built further on from the main Lido are gorgeous, well worth an afternoon visit. Strawberry World very good for trips, look out for ANNA as as she was lovely and spoke excellent English if you want any extra info.

FOOD

Old Town good but shop around for something you like. Prego (steak sandwich) are good and try milho frito (fried maize).Try Brisa maracuja and Laranjada- nice soft drinks and better than the UK.

THE BAD BIT

Going Home.Back again in May 2006 and can't wait!!!

Happy Hols.

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Orca Praia - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - April 2004

Opinion submitted in Apr 2004 by : Chris - Derby 43,43,10,74,70

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The hotel location has pros and cons.. It is quiet (a pro for us), the hotel overlooks a reasonably sized dark sandy beach (a certain pro). The hotel is quite near to a power station and cement works - although these are not visible from the hotel, I wondered if the air was a bit more polluted than would be ideal. The hotel is also quite near to a petrol/LPG storage depot (although this is due to be moved next year). The ocassional docking of tankers was actually quite interesting!

The slope down to the pool is steep (a con).

The hotel is situated approximately 4 miles from Funchal. Whilst it is possible to walk along the sea front - this area is currently a bit uneven in parts. We hired a car and found this to be an excellent way to travel to Funchal (and around the island generally)

The views from the hotel are superb - all rooms sea views. The rooms are almost suite-sized with very comfy beds.

Food at the hotel was mixed. The sweets were all home-made and the best ever. The vegetarian food (cooked on request) were very good but limited in range (the hotel would have made anything that we had asked for though). The breakfasts were sufficient. The evening meals were good overall.

The staff at the hotel were excellent - helpful, polite and with superb English.

Daily newspapers were available by 6pm of the same day.

The island was superb... as expected, there wasn't anything aimed at children as such - but (contrary to popular opinion) there certainly were things of interest to older children - especially the hotel beach and adjacent paly area - plus the touristy thinghs such as the toboggan, waterfalls etc

We'd return - and probably to the same hotel - on balance.

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Hotel Orquidea - Funchal

Operator and Date: Expedia - March 2007

Opinion submitted in May 2007 by : Blacker - S.Wales (49, 49)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Funchal is a great city and a superb base from which to explore both the city and surrounding areas.  Great selection of bars, restaurants, pretty marina and promenade and excellent shopping as well as tourist attractions. 

Hotel Orquidea is a small hotel in the centre.  Good quality and clean.  Unfortunately there is a little building work going on in the city and we were not told by Expedia that there is a large building site immediately behind the hotel.  The front of the hotel is a cobbled one way busy road so it can be noisy with traffic.  A lot of the roads are cobbled so comfortable shoes are a must!

We did a lot of walking, wine-tasting, island tour, cable-car ride.  All in all, thoroughly enjoyable week's break.

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Panoramica - Funchal

Operator and Date: Ramsey World Travel - THomsons - 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Carrie, 25, Robert ,30

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We were booked for a fortnight's honeymoon at the Ritz hotel in the middle east, which was bombed the day of our wedding.  Ramsay World travel were absolutly shocking and did as little as possible to help us re-orgnise our honeymoon, bearing in mind this was the day of the wedding and we were supposed to be leaving two days later.  NEVER every book with them again! 

We ended up on a last minute AOA deal with Thomsons with a 4* guarentee, which to be honest the hotel was in some aspects and not in others.

The location is not for the unfit, unless you have plenty cash to shell out on taxi's.  Although it's location at the top of the hill does mean you have amazing views.   It is a good half hour walk into town and even further to the marina. 

The marina is full of bars and restaurants, some lovely looking places to eat and drink, although we couldn't find many shops?

The hotel is clean and functional, the rooms are not the size you would hope for in a 4* but have JUST enough room not to be standing on one another.  Maid service was daily.

The pool was nice but quite small and you are overlooked by the builders and cranes. But there is waiter service and it is still relatively peacefull.

The food was very good, plentifull and lots of choice in the main.  The bar downstairs is nice and waitress service again was quite good.

The entertainment was pretty much as you would expect, duo signing once a week, some local dancing etc.

We did have a relaxing time, although spent quite a bit of money despite being half board, so not cheap.

This hotel was not very appropriate for couples of our age, and certainly not honeymooners.  I think we lowered the average age of the resort and funchal by about 20 years!

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Panoramico - Funchal

Operator and Date: Hill -Mar 2006

Opinion submitted in Mar 2006 by :

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

spent a very enjoyable two weeks in Madeira The hotel Panaramico was first class we booked through first choice half board allocated on arrival we were not disapointed .The accommodation was excellent the staff very friendly and helpful as was our rep George.The food at the Hotel was the best I've ever had on holiday .
We went on several trips the East of the island and the West and also the Nun's valley all the trips were booked through our rep but you can book them at information centres as you walk into town .Or you can hire a taxi driver for the day .The scenery is spectacular but it's not for the feint hearted if you've any qualms about heights or are a bad passenger don't go.
There's a small supermarket just up the hill from the Hotel should you require any essentials it is better to buy your alcohol etc from the larger supermarkets in the town there's a courtesy bus to and from the Hotel every 15 minutes .

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Panoramico - Funchal

Operator and Date: Palmair - October 2005

Opinion submitted in Feb 2006 by : Melissa Turner - Verwood - (52/27)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Flight with palmair was great leaft on time and got to Madeira early, Funchal is absolutly stunning, the lovely blue sea and bright sunshine, with the lovely backdrop of mountains!
The Hotel panoramico was excellent, must be one of the hotels in funchal with the most breath taking views... just wonderful.
the staff were lovely , went out of their way to help you, they all spoke to you as if they were your best friend! the rooms were clean,tidy and spacious, had a bottle of bubbly waiting for us on arrival in our room!, nice balcony you can sit on and relax over the stunning views!
the food was out of this world, cooked to perfection! every night, and the aray of food - starters, main and desserts were certainly quite something! all lovely and fresh - the fruit was just soo sweet.

Funchal itself was a lovely little city, quaint little shops and side allys!
Palmair did some really good tours, we went on the east tour and the west tour and they were brilliant, you see some of the best secenery and eat really well too on them!
worst thing ... was to come home!   

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Panoramica - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - July 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Steve and Sue (51, 53)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Zzzzzzz, Zzzzzzz, Zzzzzzz.
Sorry I'm still half asleep after a weeks stay in this semi-retirement home. This was a Thomson half board allocation on arrival deal so beware. The 4* rating is barely justified, The hotel is located about a mile from the center of Funchal. There is a courtesy bus, but this stops running about 18.00 so it's either walk into town (down hill all the way) or catch a bus at the bus stop across the road and get a taxi back (4 Euros).

Entertainment was excruciatingly bad with the usual solo or duo vocal act. Rooms were semi-spacious and semi-clean (dead cockroach on balcony). If you are unlucky enough to be put in the West wing of the hotel you exchange waves with locals a few yards away whose houses look directly into your room with the added bonus their dogs barking all night will keep free from sleep but if you do manage to drop off the cockerels will wake you at sunrise every time. If you are unluky enough to be East wing of the hotel you can wave to the workmen on the construction site next door as the go about their noisey work. If you are in any room be prepared for the hourly and half-hourly booming of the bells in the church clock tower behind the hotel.

Food was basic with little choice but quite good. There was only one bar in the hotel so it was difficult to get any service while sat outside in the evenings. Staff were always polite but I guess they felt sorry for us. One word about the Thomson rep....useless!

In summary you will definely need to hire a car or you will be held prosoner in this difficult location. Upside is you can go to all the places yourself and not get overcharged by Thomson. If you can't drive book through a local agent and save a packet. Beware the locals if you walk further up the hill to the local supermarket this is one of the run down areas of Funchal and although probabaly harmless the local are not averse to asking for money off you.
Watch out for timeshare touts pretending to get your attention through a "holiday survey" form.

Nearly forgot. The most appealing part of the hotel (we only found it on the last day) is a superb indoor pool and fully equiped modern gym in the basement. This can only be reached by a "secret" elevator on floor one of the front block of the hotel. The elevator is about halfway down the corridor on the left as you leave the main elevator landing. Nobody will tell you about this you need to find it yourself.

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Pestana Atlantic Bay Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic June 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : John + Wendy (both 58)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

I find it hard to be as generous with my classification of the Pestana Bay as previous contributors. Positives - large room with balcony overlooking the pebble beach/pool area, decent bathroom, well cleaned daily, nice swimming pool, plenty of sunloungers. Decent buffet style breakfast but not very imaginative. Pleasant and helpful staff particularly on reception. Courtesy Coach to Funchal about every 1.5 hours.

Negatives - At the bottom of a very steep hill just past the Shell storage depot. Admittedly the Depot is not in eyesight unless you walk out of the hotel grounds but your heart does sink when you first pull up in the coach from the airport. Pay the Euro 15 deposit for a lift pass to go up to the hotel grounds on the cliff face above the Pestana Bay. Even then a steepish walk up to the main road.

We went B+B as we like to eat out somewhere different each night. The only meal we had at the hotel was very poor but expensive. We are not fans of set meal/buffets so we decided to go a la carte. Starters were miserly. Wendy's Salmon was not cooked in the centre and my steak had the consistency of a rubber car mat. Ironically the tables around us who had the set meal seemed quite pleased with their choice and the main course of pork looked very presentable.

Bed was large but like a slab of iron. We resorted to placing the quilted cover under the bottom sheet to give some cushioning effect.

Evening entertainment did not inspire us but we were out every night so only got the last hour or so.

We hired a car for 3 days to see something of the island. Very rewarding but a bit nerveracking at times with the Madeirans carefree style of driving. Magnificent scenery and the varied flora is stunning. Make the effort to get to the Fish/Veg/Flower market in the centre before 08.00 and watch them bring in all the Tuna and Scabbard fish. Funchal is quite pleasant in the evening and we ate some nice meals out at sensible prices. Weather was very warm but we had almost constant cloud cover (they call it "the hat") so if you are a sunworshipper don't go in June.

We enjoyed visiting Madeira but felt it was a case of "thats another one ticked off the list" and we would not go back. We are both walkers and I go to the gym regularly but believe me if you intend to get around by foot rather than car/public transport you need to be fit!! We did a couple of levada walks which were really good and it is nice to meet so many different nationalities and friendly locals. However apart from small flat coastal strips and a plateau in the centre of the island everywhere else is about 30 degrees incline or more. Personally I do not think it is suited to families with young children or the elderly.

Atlantic Holidays ticketing arrived promptly with comprehensive information and the organistaion to and from the airport was good but didn't see a rep after that (but then we do our own thing anyway).

Sorry if this sounds a bit of a whinge but I am trying to give a balanced opinion and I don't believe we are hard to please people. I value the comments that others give on this site and always refer to it when booking a holiday.

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Pestana Bay Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic - Sept 2006

Opinion submitted in September 2006 by : Keith Robinson Flintshire

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from our holiday in Madeira where we stayed in the Pestana Bay hotel,
Accommodation was good, however the breakfasts, although good could be a bit of a free for all with people looking for places to sit & the staff trying their best to clear tables to keep up with the demand.

To reach Funchal centre about 4 miles away the hotel supplied a courtesy bus although very good, it was somewhat limited,(at night the last bus coming back from Funchal being 19.00hrs).

However you could always walk but you need to be prepared for the steep climbing that involves.
To get to the tourist district from the hotel which has many fine & resonably priced restaurants. you could take the walk along the stoney water front from the hotel and through a cave/tunnel then climb the steep steps up to road that takes you into that area of Funchal which is about half way between the centre of the city & the Pestana bay.

Would we go back to Funchal yes because it has so much to offer however we'd choose a different hotel because of the Pestana Bays location.

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Pestana Bay Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays - February 2006

Opinion submitted in Mar 2006 by : Ian Sadler - Blackburn (55, 50, 80)

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

I have only scored the resort as average because this best describes the location of the hotel which was quite a way out of the centre of Funchal. As you come down the to the hotel from the road you pass a shell oil depot and while we were there a tanker spent several days mored out in the bay.  Once in the hotel you are not aware of the oil depot and it doesn't spoil your holiday.  The hotel is a little isolated and this is reflected in the evening meal, snack and bar prices.  Go out the hotel and turn right there is a very nice litte beach bar where prices are a good 50% cheaper for snacks and drinks.  Turn left, go along the stone beach on the path through the tunnel and you come to the first fish restaurant which we tried one evening - it was awful.  Instead go up the hill and you come to a top class fish resaurant where a excellent meal with wine came to no more than 15 -20 euros, (hotel wanted 26 euros for buffet without drinks) they also have non fish options and the Maderia steak was excellent.

The hotel was very clean and well maintained and the staff were very friendly - pity about the prices.

Funchal is very nice and clean.  The cable car and botanic gardens are good value and make an enjoyable afternoon out.  We went on an island coach tour, well worth it if you don't suffer from travel sickness because the coach was permanently either going up hairpin bends or down them.

The weather in late February was not very good with a little sun in the morning then heavy cloud and quite often rain. However one chilly evening there was a carnival in Funchal and judging by the scanty costumes they normally expect better weather.

Overall Maderia is a beautiful island and if we went again we would stay nearer the centre and go a little later in the year.

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Pestana Bay Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays - Christmas 2004

Opinion submitted in Dec 2004 by : Martin Hill - Dorset (60, 45)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

My wife and I have just returned from spending Christmas at the Pestana Bay Hotel.  Although it is 4 miles from the centre of Funchal there is a regular free courtesy coach and local buses are just a few minutes walk away.  The staff are extremely friendly, helpful and attentive.  The bedrooms are large and benefit from a small kitchen area with all the necessary pans and utensils to prepare light meals.  There's even a supply of tea and coffee for the first night.

There are plenty of places to eat within walking distance, but if you choose to eat in the meals are excellent and good value.  The great advantage of this hotel is its location literally on the beach!  There's no traffic noise like in many of the central hotels - just the waves lapping on the shore to lull you off to sleep.  The hotel is spotlessly clean and having been refurbished about three years ago is decorated with very colourful tiles and paintings.  

We're already suffering withdrawal symptoms and can't wait to go again!

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Pestana Carlton - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic- October 2005

Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Tony & Pam - Reading ( 57,56)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The rooms we stayed in were recently refurbished and excellant however the lower floors are still being refurbished and noisy work is carried out from 10-6.Relaxing round the pool was difficult with drills, jack hammers etc going on all day.We were informed that the reception areas are next in line for refurbishment so noisy work is going to continue for some time.I mention this in particular because I enquired when booking if there were any works going on and was informed that they were complete. Be warned.
The hotel is in a good location with a short down hill walk to the harbour and marina. The staff were friendly and helpful.

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Pestana Carlton Madeira - Funchal

Operator and Date: November 2004

Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Josephine Sale  69

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This hotel is having a lot of renovation work done.  The noise of drilling and hammering is constant throughout the day.  If you lie around the pool, or, if you fancy a nap during the day, it will not be peaceful.  Check with your tour operator, and if you can be transferred, I would recommend it.  There is also building work going on near to the hotel, which combined with the noise in the hotel, makes for quite a noisy holiday.

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Hotel Pestana Casino Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: Direct - July 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Colin Whitehead - Redditch

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just returned from Pestana Casino Park where the hotel was in a very good position for access to Funchal by foot.

The facilities (both external and internal pools were impressive)were certainly to what should be expected of a 5* hotel. However the service by the restaurant staff was at best mixed with one or two performing at or above the level that should be expected but most falling far short. They could not cope with the demands of guests at breakfast with long queues waiting to be seated and dishes not being cleared from tables. At lunch a visit to the Dockside Restaruant for a sandwich resulted in a 55 minuite wait for its arrival - with at least one customer being told by probably the best person there that the service was soo slow they would recommend that they did not place an order. We went to a Buffet Extravagansa one evening that was poorly attended (even with 20 pople from another Pestana hotel)that on top of the poor service of the waiters was killed by the music finishing early due to teh lack of people. As a result we resolved to eat out on all other nights. 

Having said all this the hotel had as stated a very good position and internally look very good even if the outside did look a little like a 'concrete jungle'. They do however, have to brush up on the service ethic to really achieve the 5* rating.

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Hotel Pestana Casino Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: First Choice - March 2007

Opinion submitted in March 2007 by : Evans - Glasgow (over 50)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Always try to give some feedback as I find this site very useful before booking a holiday.

Was a bit worried about going to the Casino Park as it had been closed for a year for refurbishment but apart from a 1st floor restaurant and a hairdresser/beauty salon everything seemed fine.
They have added a superb pool area and spa with sauna and 2 steamrooms which are really first class and there is also a gym and jacuzzi next to the outside pool.
Rooms are well fitted and we had no complaints although one or two others said there were still snagging problems (like a missing bathroom door). There was a mini-bar in the room, handy for cold drinks and a safe for valuables. First Choice include complimentary tea/coffee which wasn't in the room but the local Rep. was on the ball and got it sorted next day.

Were only on B&B so can only report on breakfasts which were generally very good, lots of fresh fruit as well as cold meats, breads etc. and there was a good selection of fry-ups which they kept replenishing.
Drinks in the hotel are pretty much UK prices as are the measures as others have already mentioned.
Plenty of restaurants in the vicinity and they nearly all do the usual local fish and meat dishes. If you are expecting a gourmet holiday forget it but do check the prices before you go in. The same old Espada fish can vary from ?10 to over ?20 and the quality is the same. One restaurant wanted ?18 for a plate of pasta you wouldn't have paid £2.50 for here. Also wine varies in price a lot and unless you are a Portuguese wine buff go for the house one. They don't sell any other country's wine anywhere we went.

Buses are good around Funchal and you can get a weekly ticket for the yellow ones (called a Giro) from machines in one of the yellow portakabins along the harbour promenade for ?17.50. The machines take euro notes and give change. Cash machines are everywhere so you don't need to bother with traveller's cheques.
Timeshare touts are about mostly on the promenade but they aren't too pushy or aggressive. One on the wide street near the Tourist Information insisted he wasn't but once we found his little leaflets had won us major prizes we moved on. If you are interested in a timeshare your rep will no doubt point you in the right direction. They will give you vouchers for a dinner show in the Casino (worth ?45 each) or just cash (?40). 

Did all the round the island trips before so won't comment other than you should be very sure you're not afraid of heights. If you are your day will be wasted as you will spend most of it cowering in your seat as the bus goes around precipitous bends with only a low kerb between you and oblivion.

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Hotel Pestana Casino - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook-December 2005

Opinion submitted in Dec 2005 by : Anne and John Lewis Wirral 51and 56

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from a week at the Pestana Casino and it was wonderful. Funchal was just fantastic. We didn't know what to expect at this time of year but were not disappointed, the Christmas lights went on on the 1st and they are just wonderful. We couldn't fault the hotel, we were bed and breakfast which was great. Try The Tapasol restuarant near the cable car, it's brilliant. 

Definately return to Madeira in the summer.

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Hotel Pestana Casino Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - November 2005

Opinion submitted in Dec 2005 by : Rachel, Lee (38,40)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Madeira was recommended to us by family members and we weren't dissapointed.Funchal was clean and the locals were very friendly, most speaking English, although we did try to speak a little Portugese.The pavements are a bit uneven though so take care when walking around.

The hotel was clean and tidy and the breakfast choice was excellent.Drinks were very expensive though even during happy hour!Our room had recently been refurbished and had an excellent view.The harbour to the right and mountains to the left, the pool area down below.It was great watching the massive cruising ships coming into the harbour at all times of the day.

The only critisism that we made was that there was no iron or trouser press available to use in the room.Not even to hire.We managed to borrow one though from the maid who was cleaning the room.There are plenty of places to eat and drink in Funchal.Drinks are especially cheap in the harbour area. 2 euros for a litre of Coral beer(local brew).There wasn't however a lot of live music at night apart from in the hotels.We did go to the cabaret show in the casino which is next door to the hotel.The 4 course meal and entertainment was excellent, well worth a visit if thats your thing.

We used the local bus service to travel into the mountains to walk in the Nun's Valley.Some of the hairpin bends are a bit scary though so beware.The driver was very helpfull and let us know which stop to get off at.Fare prices were very resonable.The scenery was well worth it, very dramatic and some of the small villages are very rural.We bought a book of walks in Madeira from the official tourist information centre who were very helpfull.We didn't hire a car,so booked on an organised full day tour of the island through the Style holiday rep.It was 39 euros each which we felt was good value for money.The tour guide was excellent and gave lots of information about the island and inhabitants, with plenty of stops along the way.

We would definately go back to Madeira to do more walking, and because of the climate at that time of year. 

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Hotel Pestana Casino Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays - September 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Richard & Sue - West Yorkshire, 53 & 47

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Casino Park hotel is located about 500m from Funchal centre, so theoretically it is within easy reach.  However, the town is down a fairly steep hill, so anyone with mobility problems could find it difficult.  A taxi will cost about 3.50 euros.

The hotel is pleasant and clean.  Staff are friendly and helpful.  However, the hotel is 30 years old and begining to show it's age in a few places.  Rooms are basic - include TV with the usual English speaking chanels, a mini-bar with a couple of complimentary bottles of water and no tea/coffee making facilities.  Air conditioning is old, noisy and ineffective.  You could always try sleeping with the balcony door open, but we wouldn't advise - the road noise is horrendous 24/7, made worse by the fact that there is a set of traffic lights directly outside the hotel.

Rooms face east or west, all have a side sea view.  Our room was 140m walk from the lifts, so we were kept quite fit!

The pool area is pleasant, although can only be accessed via a flight of steps or through the dining room.  Sun-loungers, towels and matresses are supplied free, but there is a charge of 2 euros for umbrellas.  There are plenty of sun-loungers available and we didn't see any evidence of people 'reserving' sun-loungers.

We stayed B&B - breakfast is self-service, but the quality and choice is excellent.  Food and drinks in the hotel are expensive - a beer is 4 euros, soft drinks 2.75 euros, tea/coffee 2.50 euros.  A lunch-time sandwich will cost you around 8-10 euros.  For people staying half-board, menu choice in the evenings appeared limited.  Alternatively, there is a BBQ.  The charge is 25 euoros pp, or 35 euros including wine.  There is also Oscars restaurant, but expect to pay around 40 euros plus drinks for a 3 course dinner (sleeved shirts and covered shoes mandatory!).

Note that the hotel is closing from May 06 to November 06 for a complete refurbishment.  Work has already started on the first floor - we did hear people with second floor rooms complaining about the noise.

Would recommend trying any of the restaurants on Rua Imperatriz Dona Ameilia, (turn left at the traffic lights outside the hotel and you're there).  Trattoria a la Berninni was good - good quality, well presented and reasonably priced.  Expect to pay 25-30 euros for a 3 course dinner with drinks.  To be honest, we did find the food OK but a bit bland - it is rarely served with a sauce or a dressing.  The Madeiran idea of adding flavour seems to be to smother everything in garlic.

We hired a car for a few days to tour the island, which is a good idea if, like us, you prefer 'doing your own thing', although, like everything else on Madiera, it is relatively expensive.  A tip is to consider buying a weekly bus pass which costs 15 euros and gives you unlimited travel anywhere in the Funchal area.  You can visit all the main sights around Funchal easily by bus - Monte, the Botanical Gardens, Tea House Levada Walk etc.

Overall, we felt that neither Madiera nor the Casino Park Hotel lived up to expectation.  The scenery is dramatic, but you can see similar scenery in other places such as the Greek islands.  Maybe it was the time of year, but the only flowers we saw were ones that had been grown in cultivated conditions.

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Hotel Pestana Casino Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays Jan 2005

Opinion submitted in Jan 2005 by : Alan and Judith - Warrington 49,53

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This is the third time we have stayed in this hotel. It is excellent accomodation being one of the first hotels out of Funchal and is very near to the centre. The hotel is excellent and the staff are friendly and helpful.
Funchal is January is lovely and warm and still has the Lights from Christmas which are quite spectacular in the harbour.
We will be back next year.

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Hotel Pestana Casino Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - Oct 2004

Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Nicola & Darryl.  32 & 45

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The hotel was okay, clean, room was basic. Entertainment was a live band at night.  Drinks in the hotel very expensive - 5 x as expensive.
Due to the time of year the hotel was quite empty which was good if you wanted to sunbathe without the crowds however didnt really give the hotel much atmosphere.  Weather was very good for the time of year, we did have rain on a couple of days. 

Funchal is a city, lots of cars.  Not sure why Maderia is called the floating garden as didnt see that many flowers, maybe due to the time of year?  Maderia is extremely mountainous and not at all good if you are scared of heights. My partner is, which spoilt things somewhat as he didnt enjoy the trips... lot of drops and tiny roads.
Also, be careful that you are not short changed at the hotel when exchanging travellers cheques, this happened to us on 3 occasions in 1 week and judging by the reaction of the reception staff I'm pretty sure it was not a mistake! 

In the welcome meeting we were invited to go and visit the new sister hotel of the casino park in exhange for some money off a trip or a casino meal, this we did however it took 4-5hours, as once there they tried to sell us a time share!  rather suprised we were enticed to go during the welcome meeting!!...
Plenty of good restaurants along the road outside the hotel. The Red Lion was very good.

overall I'd say the holiday was average.  I went to Croatia earlier in the year which was fantastic. 

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Hotel Pestana Casino Park (Renamed from Carleton Park) - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays - May 2004

Opinion submitted in May 2004 by : John Scurr -Near Lancaster (71,wife over 21!!)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

May 2004 for one week on half-board.
Absolutely first class in all respects.Very handy for town.Only one observation which we made Hotel aware of.Why is wine so expensive in restaurant with price marked up about Five! Price in wine shop Euro 5 is around Euro 24!
Good news only 5 minutes away at Mister Wine , at Olimpo Shopping Center Shop no.207.I have no connection except as a satisfied customer.

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Pestana Grand Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays - February 2006

Opinion submitted in Feb 2006 by : Bob & Jane Roberts (54,54)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Other reviews accurately describe this spotless two year old 5* resort hotel with all the facilities one needs. We particularly enjoyed the indoor/outdoor saltwater pool, jacuzzi and steam room.  Staff are very professional, friendly and obliging. Rooms are large and well appointed.  The evening 'entertainment' was very missable though.  I guess that the avearge age of the guests is somewhere in the 60's, predominently British and Scandanavian with a few other European nationalities.

The brochure and website pictures are rather misleading, implying that the hotel sits in splendid isolation on a coastal promentary when in fact it is part of a quite densely built up area.  This is no bad thing as it means that shops and a good choice of restaurants are nearby - but I do think they need to update their pictures.  There was some minor work going on at an adjoining site, which was mildly irritating when the machinery started at 8:30, but that will be finished within a month or so. There is a major building going up a little further to the west, which looks as though it will take at least another 6 months to finish, though it was not noisy while we were there.

Most rooms have some sort of sea view because of the design and position of the Hotel, but the more direct views are from even numbered rooms. The lower the room number the nearer you are to the sea and the higher the floor the more extensive the view. The top 3 floors (5, 6 and 7)seem to be reserved for time-share, but if you can get something even numbered on floor 3 or 4 you're likely to have a very nice view.

We stayed B&B and ate out both nearby and further afield. Local restaurants use good quality ingredients but rather spoil them by overdoing the olive oil based dressings.  Our most enjoyable meals were often lunch in smallish provincial towns, where simple fare like barbecued meat or grilled fish was about 25 Euros for 2 including a half bottle of wine. This is about half the cost of an evening meal in a resort restaurant near the hotel and getting on for a third of the cost of eating in the hotel itself.

I would certainly recommend this hotel to anyone looking for a very high quality well appointed, luxurious base from which to explore Funchal and Madeira more widely. 

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Pestana Grand Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic August 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Anne Sanderson -Doncaster 47. Jeff Sanderson - Doncaster 48. Nicki Sanderson -Doncaster- 18

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from a fantastic week at the Pestana Grand.

This hotel really deserves its 5 star rating. We had booked a triple room but on arrival had been allocated a junior suite. This had a bedroom two bathrooms and a lounge, where an extra bed had been put in. It was still large enough to hold a dining table and chairs, a three piece suite, T.V. fridge etc. We had booked flexi dine where we had three meals in the hotel. The food in the morrocan, Italian and the Atrium restaurant was very good but you do need to book early or you are left eating very early or very late. The flexi dine or dinearound [which you can buy at the hotel] is good value if you want to eat three course each night but if not it actualy works out cheaper to pay for what you have.

One slight critiscm was that on our visit to the moroocan restaurant we were asked if we wanted red or white wine and stil or sparkling water. We were not shown a wine list and it appeared the drinks were included in the price but at the end of the meal we were given a bill for the wine and water. I think other guests were caught out with that. We didn't mind paying but should at least been shown a wine list so we could choose the wine and know what we were paying for.  

Apart from that the staff at the hotel were excellent, receptionist, maids, bar staff etc, made you feel really important- you felt you could ask for anything and they would do their best to find it for you.

I would also recommend the fish restaurant near the hotel "O Barqueiros" I think that's how you spell it. The food is excellent, plenty of it - don't have a starter or  you won't do the main course justce. The staff are excellent. We did have a starter and my daughter ordered garlic mushrooms. The waiter was most concerned that she had not eaten them and asked why. She told him that the mushrooms were not like at home. He explained that they do not get fresh mushroms in Madeira but they are all canned. When we adsked for the bill they did not charge for the mushrooms. A nice touch that makes you want to return knowing that customer satisfaction is important to them. Taxis are cheap and reliable - you can't always get on the hotel bus as it does not operate a resevation system.
Evening entertainment is vey low key though the evening when David Hedges sang songs from West End shows was the only time the bar ws full. He was excellent!

We will definitely return to this hotel next year.

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Pestana Grand Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic - June 2005

Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Bob & Carol (52,49)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We booked this holiday online with Atlantic Holidays 3 weeks before departure. They were very efficient with the booking and all of our questions were answered with a telephone call.

As for the hotel well it was superb, it is probably one of the finest Hotels on the Island and is well worthy of  it's 5 star rating. We have stayed in many 4 and 5 star hotels all over Florida and the Pestana Grand is certainly up to the best that we have stayed in. The rooms are spacious,pleasantly decorated and well furnished with the bed even bigger than an American king size. The general standard of cleanliness throughout the hotel was excellent. A small (empty on arrival, can be filled as a mini-bar if requested) fridge hidden in the unit under the TV is very useful for keeping drinks etc cool. The bathroom is of a good size and both bath and shower cubicle, wc and bidet. The hotel has 4 themed restaurants and the food served in these although slightly pricey was of excellent quality, we ate evening meals there for 4 out of our 7 nights stay. They offer an "eating around" promotion which consists of 3 three course meals plus 1 bottle of wine and 1 bottle of mineral water for 105 euros per person, which is a considerable saving over paying per meal per person per night. After our evening dinner we often spent a couple of hours in the very comfortable bar listening to live music (some good some not so good) and enjoyed a couple of drinks before bedtime. 

There are also 2 comfortable and relaxing reading rooms off the bar area if you wish to seek quieter surroundings. The locally brewed "Coral" beer is good and not expensive and is available all over the Island. Outside the gardens are very well maintained as are both the seawater swimming pools, albeit a bit on the cold side, towels and sun parasols are available free of charge and guests are not allowed to reserve sunbeds by placing towels on them as is so often practised by certain nationalities. The staff are extremely helpful and most speak very good English. On the negative side there is a new building being constructed on the east side of the hotel which will probably be finished by the end of 2005. However this did not cause us any discomfort from noise, dust or any other building site effects even when relaxing by the pool.

Summing up this is a beautiful, comfortable, clean welcoming hotel where you can relax in style. We loved it and will most certainly return.
The hotel is situated about 3 miles from the centre of Funchal and it runs a regular shuttle bus to the centre throughout the day. The alternative which we did on several occasions (other than taxi) is a very pleasant walk along the recently constructed sea front path which takes about 45-50 mins .Access to this path is directly behind the hotel.

Funchal is a busy town with plenty of  bars and eating places and a feeling of security when  roaming about. The cable car is well worth a trip and the Monte gardens at the top is a very pleasant place to spend a few hours.   However we gave the toboggan run a miss after watching 2 toboggans nearly embed themselves in the front of 2 oncoming cars on a blind left hand bend. 

I could write for a lot longer about the Island mainly good but summing up Madeira is a lush place with spectacular scenery, a bus trip of the Island is well recommended as long as you don't suffer from travel sickness, plus lots of walks  excellent cuisine  and  pleasant climate. 

We will definitely return.

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Pestana Grand Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic - May 2005

Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Martin and Marion - Burgess Hill (52,50)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Island for the older traveller as there is little for the younger generation to do at night.

Hotel was a real 5*, breakfasts had a wide variety of good quality food with the usual exception of the bacon.

Went B&B so cant comment on the food at other meals though the morrocan appeared to be well liked by other people who were eating in the hotel.

Used local transport to get around all the buses were clean and with a good service and really cheap prices we went far and wide and saved a fortune by not going on the reps organised trips.

The restaurants by the Eden Mar were well worth a visit the Italian was excellent and cheap which is why people queued outside most nights, also went to the curry house a few doors up not to bad, the juice bar had lovely drinks, salads and rolls.

Down on the lower level by the marina there are about 7-8 restaurants which work hard at getting you inside, we had a couple of good meals down there, especially fish.

In the old town, Rua D. Costa and its extension beyond the bollards, was also good. Had an excellent couple of meals down there. Avoid the place next to the chinese as this provided poor quality food and had miserable staff. Chinese was also reasonable value and the clown who serves the outside area was entertaining.

Had a great relaxing holiday on a warm, sunny island (hotter than you think because of the breeze). Locals welcoming, never felt threatened once, and everwhere so clean even the toilets in the smallest bar.

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Pestana Grand Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays - Sept / Oct 2004 

Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Ralph & Christine Davies - Nottingham (54,52)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

September 27th - October 4th.
We found the Pestana Grand by searching the internet and Atlantic holidays were offering a free upgrade to sea view room.  We were not disappointed, the sun rise every morning was lovely.  The staff were welcoming and attentive without being intrusive.  Everywhere was spotless.  The decor was modern but still retained a warm feeling.  Plenty of nice comfortable settees and chairs.  

The 'no reservation' of sun beds was good and everyone while we were there adhered to it.  The two huge swimming pools were excellent with jacuzzi areas in each.  Children were not allowed in the pool nearest to the pool bar which enabled the adults to swim without having to dodge children (although having said that when we were there we only saw 5 children) The bedroom had a good size bed (2 3/4 single beds pushed together)lounge area with settee and armchair.  The bathroom was modern.  We paid £189 pounds each extra for half board - this seemed a lot of money but the food in the different restaurants was also excellent. 

We were both looking for something to criticise and if we had to it was the evening entertainment - it was virtually non existent.  We would certainly go back to this hotel,

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Pestana Grand Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays - Jul 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Pete & Dee Catton - Wilts (45,45)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Totally agree with earlier review of Pestana Grand Hotel, excellent. 

Hotel and service exceeded all expectations.  Room was spacious, well equipped, beautiful views and clean.  Sea water pools were great,  and not overcrowded, provided with pool towels and sun shades.  There were some young children around the pool but it was never noisy, there is a childrens area at the end of one of the pools.  

Stayed on B&B board and breakfast was very good.  All usual dietary requirements catered for, and as much as you want to eat.  Ate Lunch and Dinner several times and it was pricey compared to some local restaurants as you would expect in 5 star accomodation but food was very good and filling.  There are Italian and Morrocan restaurants, (dress codes in force, no shorts, gentlemen must wear trousers for dinner), a Portuguese grill bar, which wasn't open and you can get lunch, snacks from the pool bar. Drinks were priced as 4Euros for a large Coral, (which is very nice!) Same for large Brandy, or tea for two.  Coast Bar had extensive, reasonably priced cocktails, always provided entertainment, ranging from House Pianist to a variety of of combos over the weekend, some good, some dire!  Still a pleasant accompaniment to a relaxing night cap. 

Only moan about the Bar which is not the fault of Hotel, is when Toddlers are allowed to wander around the bar at 11pm, climbing over people and furniture, whilst parents video them expecting you to smile sweetly, yes I do have kids!

Ate at several local restaurants within walking distance of hotel.  If you turn right on coast path, 5 minutes away there is a lovely fish restaurant. Very good food, tried Scabbard Fish, nice, good service and value.  Also Pizza place next door, cheap and cheerful, very filling option on a budget, good for kids. There is a supermarket in this complex.
Grannies restaurant was good, excellent pepper steak, Tuna, nice experience and location, but fills up quickly and Service tends to deteriorate. Summertime restaurant next door, pricey and not as good.  O'Briens bar in Crowne Plaza is good for a beer. Typical Irish Bar with good quality style pub food. Tried Moby Dicks, not far away from Crowne, cheesy name but very good fish.  Swordfish steaks were enormous and tasty, good value, service.

Walked to Funchal along coast path, about 45-60 mins leisurely walk, enjoyable, but tiring and hot.  Although temps are lower compared to Med, still very warm and got burned very quickly.  Some cloud but still very hot, humid. Funchal was nice, bit oppressive with noise and pollution from traffic. Was harrassed several times by Time share touts on approach into Funchal.  Was also accosted along sea front and town centre by young reps who swear they are not time share but are doing holiday surveys.  Next thing scratch cards come out, wife won bottle of champagne, I won star prize (600 euros, video camera etc), which I had to go to a travel agents for a 60 min presentation to claim, offer declined. 

Restaurants also tout for business but not as bad as other holiday resorts.  Be aware if you walk down main road from hotel to restaurants, there is a grill bar called the Monumental Grill.  It is  badly located and the staff desperately try and get you in. We had a nightly game of cat and mouse with the Staff. The tout would see you approach, dash across traffic to ambush you.  We stopped, then crossed across Zebra crossing to look in a shop.  He was hiding behind a large tree and it was comical to see his head pop out when we didn't appear. He then dashed back across to our side and got us. It becomes a pain as they block your way.

The holiday  was a wonderful experience, we went to chill, took it easy and the Hotel and it's fantastic facilities made the holiday very enjoyable. Madeira is a wonderful experience, so pretty and relaxing.  Realised one night whilst eating outside that were no bugs, mosquitos etc that normally plague you.

The Hotel is a little way out of town, but the views and impressive location compensate for this, and there are courtesy buses during the day. There is some major building work going on opposite to one side of the Hotel, which was noisy from the pool area.  If you were allocated one of the rooms opposite, it would be a nightmare, but there didn't seem to be many rooms in use on that side. If you were allocated one of these, ask for a move! 

The Hotel is very new and seems keen to impress and build reputation. Highly recommended.

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Pestana Grand Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays - April 2004

Opinion submitted in Apr 2004 by : Mark Jones - London (40) David Tomlinson - London (35)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Pestana Grand Hotel is the newest and finest 5* hotel within the Pestana chain which opened in March 2004. I was amazed about the quality and design of the hotel which was absolutely superb. I thought I had been transported to paradise !

The hotel is thoroughly modern and contemporary in design with every detail well thought through. Use of fabrics and colour schemes blend to create an atmosphere of metropolitain international quality.

All the staff were immensely helpful and no request was ever met with anything but an enthusiastic and cheerful response.

Food is available within a range of "themed" restaurants at the hotel at a standard and quality which easily exceeds anything which we were offered at a range of restuarants in the old town. Although the hotel's restaurants might seem a little pricey the quality and flavour of food offered is simply far above what is offered in local restaurants.

The rooms were large and spacious - we were in room 1313 which offered splendid garden and sea views facing west. The bathroom was excellent with separate bath and shower arrangements

Pool facilites were beyond excellent with two very large outdoor pools and one indoor/outdoor pool (one can swim through a doorway to reach the outside !) Leisure and spa facilites were all superb.

Hotels also visited during the stay were the Cliff Bay (food somewhat old fashioned in style - Jacket and tie required), Pestana Carlton Park (a vast 1970's creation which made me feel as though I was feating in an Orwellian novel - food tasty although buffet style which I personally hate). It is esential to book the restaurants well in advance within the Grand to ensure that you can be fed at your preferred time (I had to wait 60 minutes for a table one evening)

The Hotel is located on the western finges of the hotel zone and about a 45 minute walk to the old town along the sea front promenade. I would not hesitate to recommend the Pestana Grand Hotel to anyone and plan to return soon ! It is by far the finest hotel on the Island.

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Pestana Grand Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Atlantic Holidays - 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : B & P - Fife (59,57)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Flight was from Glasgow with Euro Atlantic airline. Food was abysmal, neat trick of staff on flight was to offer an exchange rate of £1 to One Euro if you didn't have Euros, work out the profit on that! The seat pitch was poor at 29 inches.  The organisation of the flight attendants verged on the incompetent.

The hotel was excellent, everything previously said covers it--except the vast amount of building work going on in the immediate vicinty of the hotel. Some rooms face the building site, others look directly onto flats on the other side of the road ( high odd numbered rooms are not to be favoured).

One gripe, if the bus to the airport leaves at 0750, why not start breakfast just 15 minutes earlier than the normal 0730 to allow a reasonable time for the meal.

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Pestana Miramar Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Thomson - May 2007

Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : Pat and Allan (54 and 52)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

Madeira is a pretty lush green island and Funchal is built on the side of a mountain.  Funchal is a busy working city and felt this holiday was more of a 'city break' with a few sightseeing attractions thrown in for good measure.  Shopping is limited but indoor fruit, flower and fish market in Old Town worth a visit.  Landing at Funchal Airport can be scary due to the crosswinds but that was nothing compared to the minibus transfer to the hotel - not sure any drivers on the island abide by the speed limits.

HOTEL: Excellent location opposite Reids Palace.  Turn left out of hotel and it's a twenty minute walk to central Funchal and turn right out of hotel and it's a twenty minute walk to the Lido (tourist area).  Hotel was spotlessly clean with excellent facilities offering good friendly service and surrounded by beautifully maintained gardens.  Quirky layout - went up five floors to our room and still ended with a ground floor balcony next to pool. 

Large rooms complete with kitchenette but no complimentary tea, coffee, water and milk although nearest supermarket is a stone's throw.  Nice big bathroom with shower.  Air conditioning as quoted in brochure is a noisy ceiling fan.  Try and avoid room 1013.  Lousy view and next to passageway linking the Miramar and Village hotels - plenty of people noise - also next to cleaner's station who start work at 7:00am.

Self-service breakfast offering good quality and choice.  Didn't sample hotel restaurants in the evening so unable to comment.  Three immaculate pools - 2 outdoor and 1 indoor.  Beach towels provided in room and free sunbeds but it costs two Euros a day to hire a parasol.

WEATHER: Extremely changeable - two seasons in one day.  Out of 7 days we have 2 days of torrential rain, 1 full day and 2 mornings of warm sunshine (hot enough to sit by the pool) and the rest of the time it was overcast and cloudy.  My advice is come prepared for everything from a bikini to a brolly!  First time abroad I've ever needed to wear a jacket, especially in the evening when it gets chilly.  Another first, able to drink the tap water here.

I can see why the older generation are attracted to Madeira.  Temperate weather - never too hot or too cold all year round.  It's superbly clean everywhere, no 18-30 groups and never saw any nightclubs or discos.  On the other hand Funchal has a very hilly terrain and the cobblestone pavements become slippery when wet.  It's not the cheapest of places - average meal for two is 40 Euros including drinks.

EXCUSIONS: Did a couple of Thomson trips namely a half-day trip to the Nun's Valley (breathtaking scenery) some liqueur tasting and finishing with the toboggan run (a must but you do have to pay extra for this).  We also did the dual cable car trip to Monte and the Botanical Gardens (another extra cost although I believe you can get an all inclusive ticket at cable car station).  You need to be pretty fit for the gardens as it involves climbing steep paths and stairs and pick a nice day as clouds tend to gather on the mountain top.  The Casino night is well worth it - 4-course meal and floorshow - the free wine stops flowing once the meal is finished.  We're not great coach travellers so didn't go on the full-day coach trips to the east and west coasts of the island but supposed to be well worth it.

RESTAURANTS/PUBS: Our favourite (went there three times) was the Terrace D'Ajuda (right out of hotel and take first right). Great food and service and reasonably priced - totally run by women.
Paradise (towards Lido area) - best to book for a decent sea-view table.
La Tricolore Pizzeria (1st Floor in Monumental Lido building) - good Italian food.
Tapassol and Le Jardin (old town) - small, good quality food and cheap.
Red Lion Pub - real British pub.  Check your change, young barman short changes!
O'Briens Irish Pub (towards Lido area) very quiet - not your typical Irish pub abroad.
Prince Albert - real pub atmosphere and much cheaper than hotel bar prices.

Only approached by a couple of timeshare touts carrying out a "survey", one in the hotel Reception who asked us on our first day if we were owners - apparently most of the Pestana are timeshare lets.  We were hassled more by taxi drivers - never seen so many yellow Mercedes taxis in such a small place - they easily outnumber the tourists and are all fighting for business.

If you're planning a holiday to Funchal, avoid hotels in the Lido area as there is a tremendous amount of building work going on - lots of noise all day till at least 9:00pm and views of cranes.  Take care when crossing roads at uncontrolled pedestrian crossings - nobody stops except hire cars and taxis and you take your life in your hands if you just step on the crossings.

All in all a restful and enjoyable week and would recommend.  Would we go back - probably not as we saw and did everything we wanted in a week.  

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Pestana Miramar Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - feb 2006

Opinion submitted in Mar 2006 by : Alan and Deirdre Waites

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was our first holiday to Madeira, although I had visited thirty years ago in the Royal Navy. We are not great package holiday junkies but here we were prepared to be convinced. Convinced we were. Other contributors have commented on how steep this Island is but that is all part of its charms. Staggeringly   beautiful scenery with flowers everywhere you can look. Plenty of reasonably priced excursions providing you organised them yourself and did not buy though the operator(exactly the same transport is used)

Not for the 18-30 crowd sure enough but if you are looking for somewhere to chill at virtually any time of the year without needing to fly for 8 hours this is the place. Readers will notice how well the hotels are rated, in just about every case they are either very good or excellent. Ours at the Pestana Miramar Hotel was really good. First class accomodation along with first class food. Service was always just at hand but never in your face. The staff all seemed to want to be there.

The facilities were excellent too, two outdoor and one indoor heated pool. Jacuzzi, gym, sauna library amongst other facilities. The evening entertainment can be a bit ropey. Suggest visitors go B&B, as we did, as it allows you to try all the local eateries and it is cheaper to drink in the local bars, a lot cheaper!!!

Yes heartily recommend both Madeira and the Pestana Miramar Hotel in particular.

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Hotel Pestana Village - Funchal

Operator and Date: may 2006

Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : pam and kaye sheffield 31 59

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This resort is one of the best we have stayed in.
All the staff were very helpful & especially Rita in Owner Relations.
The gardens were beautiful & well maintained.
The resort is well located for local ammenties & cheap travel to the centre of Funchal.
We would recommend this resort as a 4 star holiday location.
There are many trips available including the boat trip aboard the catamaran "Sea Born" which is excellent.
The other trip to recommend is the west island tour but please remember to take this by mini bus as otherwise you will miss out.
Altogether a great place for a holiday !.

The two local restautants we would recommend would be "Terrace D'Ajuda" & "Laeria Portugesa" which are within easy walking distance once turning right out of the resort.

Looking forward to returning to Maderia in the near future !.

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Hotel Porto Mare - Funchal

Operator and Date: First Choice - July 2007

Opinion submitted in July 2007 by : Paul FOX (46)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just arrived back from 2 weeks holiday in Maderia Porto Mare Funchal 23.07.07.Having never been to Maderia before we did not know what really to expect but by the time we returned we would recommend the Island to anyone.The place is so laid back and trouble free we did not wont to return.
We stayed at the Porto Mare Accomodation which was perfect.They could not do enough for you.The rooms were excellent and spacious and on arrival within half hour a bottle of wine was delievered to our room.
There are four pools four bars and four restraunts within the Porto Bay complex which can be used by anyone within the accomodation.

We did the time share tour but there is no pressure and got a free boat trip out of it.There promotion is the high standard of accomodation throughout so do not have to be forceful.
Had to pay one euro per day for umbrella but that is just a note more than a complaint.
Plenty of places to eat around the complex so you do not have to go into town,but the Marina was very plesant.
If you are going to Porto Bay Complex  you will certainly enjoy and be completely chilled out.

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Hotel Porto Mare - Funchal

Operator and Date: Via Directa - Sept 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : ages 40-45

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

If you are thinking of booking your accommodation at the Porto Mare you need to be aware, (as indeed we were not) that there is a new building site just starting to one side of the hotel.  This will probably continue into 2007.

We paid extra for the sea view which in fact could only be seen by standing at the railings on the balcony and looking left!  That, together with the new building site did ruin the first few days of our holiday.  By the time the hotel agreed to a room change it was nearly time to come home.

Having said all the above, the hotel is great.  The rooms are modern and roomy with good bathrooms.  The hotel is built in the shape of a "U".  If you are lucky enough to be allocated a room on the inside of the "U" then you will have little to complain about.  I think all of these rooms, (except for the ground floor rooms) must have excellent sea views.  I only wish we had had stayed in one.

The breakfast buffet is fantastic and open from 7.30am to 10.30am which caters for the early walkers to the more laid back breakfaster.  We stayed half board and ate in the local restaurants which were good, although you have to ask around for recommendations.  The old town area is small but there are a few good restaurants there.  Didn't sample the hotel restaurant in the evening so can't comment.

The pool and garden area is superbly maintained. 

Access to funchal is easy by bus or taxi or a 20 minute walk.

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Hotel Porto Mare - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook- August 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Carleh Bullock- Hampshire (42,18,16)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The hotel is very nice and seems more like 5 star than 4 star, the apartments are huge and the beds are very comfy and spacious, all rooms have lovely views of the sea. The food in Madeira is not that great, its mostly Espada- fish or beef, which was a bit of a pain for me as i dont like beef or fish!, the best restaurant was the Italian in the hotel, the chocolate brownie desert is particularly good!!.
Bar Varanda is a nice place to have lunch in the day and Bar Portofino is great to sit and have a drink in the evening, we sat out there most nights under the stars, on the most comfy sofa's ever!!, the Non alchoholic cocktail- the Sunflower is very nice, had that alot. these are the best bars and they are in the hotel so you dont have to go far.

if you see a black and white cat, please feed her, we did, and we called her Maddy, so be nice to her, there is also another cat who is a big tom cat- Mister tom, so please give him some food too if you see him!!

The spa treatments are lovely, had a full body exfoliation on the last day, very nice and my skin is still soft!!
if you have teenage children they may get a bit bored as there is not much to do in the evenings, the bar gets quiet after 11.30pm because everyone goes to bed!!
Also the entertainment is for older people and not very exciting.
the best thing by far was making friends with some waiters, who spoke really good english and were always helpful and lovely.

A very good holiday, and i would def consider going back.

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Hotel Porto Mare - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice (internet) - March 2005

Opinion submitted in Apr 2005 by : Gary Rawson

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Flew out to Madeira on March 28th for one week, for our honeymoon. Weather was perfect, at about 24 - 25 degreees each day, although we believe it was not good the week before.
The Hotel was really good, in particular the outdoor pool area. The room itself was a good size, the bathroom as good as anywhere you might find.
The only 'gripe' is the lack of a trouser press, and no remote control for the air conditioning. Neither was a major problem!!
The meals at the hotel are ok, but better value can be found elsewhere.

The Hotel is about a 20 minute walk into Funchal town centre, although the hotel bus runs up to about 5pm.
Taxis are found a few yards away from the main hotel entrance, and are only 5 euros each way, although one driver with an anti Maderia problem tried to charge us 7 euros.
There are a few time share touts, who will at first ask you if you are English, then say that they are conducting a survey which will take just a few minutes...... not true, run away!! Thankfully they are easilly shaken off by us experienced travellers.

We went on the East tour of the island, which is highly recommended.
The Market in Funchal is well worth a visit, as is the trip to Monte, via the cable car. Monte is where you find the toboggan rides, where you sit on a wicker settee, and pushed downhill for 2km at 35mph.
Restaurants are good. We liked the 'La Paella' which luckily was almost opposite the hotel.

Overall this was a great holiday / honeymoon. Some of the other hotels do not look anywhere near as good as the Poprto Mare Hotel, and are not in as good a location.

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Hotel Porto Mare - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson Dec 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2005 by : John Ruddock  Cheshire (57,56)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We were allocated the Porto Mare on a Thomson 4* hb choice package bought over the internet for a total price of £488 for 1 week.This has got to be one of the best hotels I have stopped in.The rooms are spacious and well equipped,the beds enormous,the balconies more like a second room.We were on a half board basis and can,t praise the meals too highly.If you so desired you could have Champagne at breakfast at no extra charge.

Don,t go to Madeira expecting a Tenerife type holiday,its a lot more sophisticated without any beaches unless you take a trip to the nearby island of Porto Santo which has a beach to die for.This cost around £50 for two return tickets on the excellent Ferry service.

Don,t (like we did) book the Holiday reps tours,they can be had for a substantial discount everywhere.Best tours we went on are the West tour and the East tour of the island for spectacular scenery,both full day with lunch.

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Hotel Porto Mare - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - Dec 2004

Opinion submitted in Feb 2005 by : Helen Griffiths-North Wales (55,47,15

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Holidayed in December 2004, never been to Madeira before.
Weather was showery first day but then majority of the time was sunbathable out of the breeze.
Absolutely superb holiday.

Hotel was brilliant only two very small moans - the evening entertainment was geared to the retired age group and the hotel rooms (which were excellent, large, well equipped and very clean)didnt provide milk(not even powdered) for morning hot drinks.

The pools were great, gym was brilliant, free internet access in reception (for us sad business people who have to keep in touch with the office) We had a go at scuba diving in the pool, did aqua aerobics and all that sort of thing. Definite highlight was the 4x4 jeep ride around the island - all day and not to be missed.
Also worthy of note was a superb restaurant called Solar da Ajuda, went 3 times and can only sing its praises. It is on Rua da Casa Branca, go to top of hill above hotel, where there is the muddle of roads and go 'straight across' the middle and up the hill, just up on left. 
Hope this persuades you to book both hotel and restaurant, or you will miss out!

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Hotel Porto Mare - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson September 2004

Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Baker 55,49,25,22

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Our rooms were spotlessly clean, and quite large. Good quality furniture and huge beds. Kettle and tea & coffee facilities as well as a fridge/minibar. Only do not use the mini bar if you do not want to be charged exhorbitant prices. 1 bottle of Keo beer from the fridge was the same price as a 6 pack from the local supermarket Pingo Dolce (excellent choice of drink and goodies for days out). 

Hotel breakfasts were first class, champagne, all manner of cooked food and cold meats & cereals. We were only b&b so could not comment on evening meals. There are so many restaurants around the area, we enjoyed going out to eat. Hotel has 2 outdoor and 2 indoor pools shared between Eden Mare Hotel that ajoins Porto Mare. Plenty of sunbeds when we were there, either around the pools or in the beautiful gardens overlooking the Atlantic. They even came around with a large bowl of fresh friut in the afternoons. 

Madiera is a lovely island, although they are constructing roads and buildings at a rapid rate. We hired a car for a few days and toured all around. Some of the road tunnels on the north of the island are a true driving experience not to be missed, it is fine until a huge construction truck meets you head on. Not for the feint hearted, but don't let it put you off, it is well worth it. 

All in all it was one of our best holidays.

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Hotel Porto Mare - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice June 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : David & Irene Cobbold 61 -59

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Funchal and Madeira in particular were everything the reviews had said it would be. Pleasant town, pleasant island, no 18-30 groups, bars, discos etc, but still more than enough to keep you occupied. 

The Porto Mare is quite new, opened in December 2003 and is superb.It is situated at the Lido end of Funchal but is an excellent position, not overlooked by any other hotels, and with all rooms haveing sea views. We were lucky in having a room overlooking the poo, gardens and sea. The rooms were all very well equipped with fridge multi channel TV, Tea-coffe makings, hair dryey dressing gowns etc. Our veranda was enourmous, more like a patio, and came complete with table chairs sunloungers and beach towels. 

We had Breakfast only, which was buffett style taken on the restraunt veranda, very nice. The staff were most attentive and helpful and could not have been nicer. The evening restraunts were nice but at Hotel prices I am afraid, our first evening we ate in the hotel and had their 20 Eu set meal which was very nice. However, you could have the same outside for much less. 

First Choice tours were very expensive, and we ended up going with Strawberry World (about two minutes walk from the Hotel on Estrada Monumental) on the East island and West Island tours, both full days and well worth it but only half the price of first choice. Their is an awful lot to do on the island, I can recommend as well, a cable car trip from Funchal to Monte, a trip around the Monte gardens, a ride in the whicker chairs down from Monte, a visit to Nuns valley, and a trip to Funchal market, Friday seems to be the best day. For the fish fancier you must try the espada, not the nicest looking of fish but certainly one of the tastiest. 

All in all a superb holiday, Hotel and Island 11 out of 10. 

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Porto Santa Maria Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: First Choice - June 2006

Opinion submitted in August 2006 by : Dorothy and Eamonn McGrory, 44 and 45

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Our first and last visit to Madeira.  The hotel was first class with very clean and spacious rooms with towels and beds changed every day (and sweets left on your pillow).  We had paid extra for a sea view which was well worth it.  The breakfasts were excellent - English breakfast, cereal, toast, rolls, yoghurts, fresh fruits etc.  The staff were very helpful and polite although we had to wait one hour before we could get into our room on arrival.  We ate out of the hotel and found some very good restaurants and one or two not so good.  

The thing that spoiled our holiday was the weather.  The sun came out about 10am and disappeared again about 12am.  We had about 4 days sun in total in 2 weeks - very disappointing.  

Madeira is a very quiet place with not much to do at night.  There is nothing for younger families and very little for young or middle aged couples.  The whole place seemed to be full of the older generation. 

As stated the hotel was excellent but we wouldn't recommend Madeira to anyone under retirement age.

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Porto Santa Maria Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - Feb 2006

Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Bert,June Savage,Brixham  68 65

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Exellent holiday,1st visit.Weather could have been kinder,but February is a little early.The local eateries are very good,otapasol,El Gordo,Gavio Novo has limited table space but what a meal,and the staff are all up on practical jokes.If you find the portions to large,then visit M&JCaldeira,this is located down the promanade to the Beatles boat,put your back onto the boat and facing you across the main road is a wide pedestrian walk way,it is the first restaurant on the right,in blue,here you can get Half portions that are really good value.
I doubt that you could get a better location,or hotel in Funchal.the evening walks are on the flat and very relaxing.

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Porto Santa Maria Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - September 2005

Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Mick and Mary Chapman - N Wilts (55,44)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This holiday lived up to our expectations, slightly ruined by the 4 hour delay leaving Bristol and the restricted sea view that we were allocated (ground floor side room). That did not detract from having a wonderful time. Overall, the hotel is excellent both in cleanliness, serviceability, facilities and friendly staff. There is a free internet facility in the foyer, regularly used by the Brits! We made good use of the pools and jacuzzi. 

Although 2 weeks B&B, we did eat in the hotel on 3 occasions. Although the food was plentiful, you would get better outside, where you will find about 10 restaurants literally outside the hotel gates. Our favourite was Le Tapassol but I could not fault the food wherever we went. We experienced one reps trip but I personally would recommend others, incl. Strawberry World. Much cheaper and tend to travel on mini-buses instead of coaches. Also think about taxis!! We hired one for a morning and it only cost 45 euros (90 for the day) and they will take you anywhere at your leisure. This is the price, whether it is for 1, 2, 3 or 4 people. We have bought a time share (not from a tout). The hotel is one of four on the island and the timeshare element is at the Porto Mare complex. It is part owned by Thomas Cook. After some research, a bit of advice and thinking time, we signed on and I don't regret it for one moment. 

If you like a relaxed atmosphere, then this hotel and location come highly recommended.

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Porto Santa Maria Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Eclipse Direct - August 2005

Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Don, Kayte 43,45

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Porto Santa Maria Hotel in Funchal is excellent it's central for shopping,restaurants etc. We had a studio with a sea view this is well worth the little bit extra. The staff are very friendly and helpful couldn't do enough for you. We would recommend this hotel.

The bus and Cable Car Stations are only a couple of minutes walk from the hotel. We took the cable car up to monte, well that was an experience, it was around 15 Euros round trip but the views are fantastic its well worth the trip. We visited Monte's Gardens it cost us 10 Euros each to get in we had a great time there. There's a good cafe at the bottom of the gardens, we recommend the cake and you also get a free glass of wine to enjoy.
We did not go the Toboggan Sledges it looked a hair raising experience although we might try it next time round.

Funchal is a beautiful and very clean City with plenty to do for everyone. The restaurants are great and good value for money, we went to the Tappassol it's just across the road from the hotel, we really enjoyed it there, the banter from the waiters is good entertainment and the food is great but recommend that you book a table as it gets very busy.
The only thing I will say about Funchal is to watch out for the Timeshare Touts you will find them during the day along the waterfront, you will also find that some of the hotel groups are selling their own Residence at your welcome meetings.
But that has not put us off, as we are looking forward to going back as we had such a great time

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Porto Santa Maria Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - August 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Sandra Douglas Hants (50s)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Hotel is wonderful, couldn't find a fault with it at all. Locals are very friendly and drivers are very patient and actually slow down when approaching pedestrian crossings! Lots of resaurants to choose from right outside the hotel and can recommend Le Jardin, O Tapassol and O Regional. Situation of the hotel helped to make this a good holiday as it was 'on the flat' and within walking distance of all attractions within Funchal centre.

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Porto Santa Maria Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Eclipse, July 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Ann & Bill - 56, 59

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from our 2nd holiday to this hotel (we were guests in 2003) and we were very happy to note that the hotel standards are as first class as our previous visit. Staff are still very friendly, helpful and respond quickly to any requests. Hotel rooms are spacious, very clean and well furnished. For those people who find Funchal boring, and expect english pubs and discos,  I suggest they choose another destination. Funchal is a working town, full of character and very pleasant locals, it is not a purpose built tourist resort. 

I would have no hesitation in recommending the Hotel Porto Santa Maria to anyone visiting the beautiful island of Funchal.

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Porto Santa Maria Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice- June 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Russs & Sue williams (47)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

One of the best hotels we have stayed in. Light, airy, spotlessly clean, lovely pools. Breakfast excellent with something for everyone. Stayed B&B to enable us to visit the many restaurants outside the hotel gates. Recommend Tapassol Bar- gets very busy with return visitors and locals, and the Chinese restaurant along behind hotel. Nic and Daniel are fun waiters,we had two great nights enjoying their banter, and the excellent food is value for money.

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Porto Santa Maria Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Eclipse - June 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Jean & Tony Hancock (50's)

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Hotel Porto Santa Maria is very nice but did not like Madeira.  Out of the Hotel there are loads of stray dogs and men dossing around the streets.  There is a nice flat work along by the sea but to go anywhere else it is hilly everywhere.  The trips are very boring - we did the East, West and Nuns Valley.  They mostly take you to viewpoints, Porto Moniz and Machico were OK.  Don't go with your travel company - there are loads of places to book for about a quarter of the price.  

The weather was OK but lots of cloud.  Take care on the roads - the first day there we saw a woman get knocked down by a motor bike and she was on a crossing.  

The best meal was at Tartaruga(in the old town) we did not like the restaurant touts and they sometimes were rude.  We also found the shop assistants very rude.

It was very boring in the evenings - not very good entertainment in the Hotel and never found any other.
The best trip we did was to go in the cable car to Monte and went in the Tropical Gardens.

We would definately not go back to Madeira.

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Porto Santa Maria Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - February 2005

Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by : Crowe - Birmingham (37,37)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This hotel was absolutely excellent, one of the best we have stayed in.  The food was good, the staff were helpful, the rooms were well appointed and include a small kitchen area with fridge.  The location was ideal as it was right on the sea front in the old town of Funchal.  Many of the hotels are located to the west of Funchal and require a good hike up and down hill in to the town itself. This hotel was very convenient for the town but also in a quiet position.  The old town has many wonderful restaurants worth trying, the fish is of course a speciality in many.  The cable car is close to this hotel too and worth a trip on to see the hill top village of Monte.  The municipal gardens here are lovely (and free!).  The Botanical Gardens in Funchal are also worth visiting. Altogether a very interesting, welcoming island.  

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Porto Santa Maria Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Style Holidays - July 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : Sue & Martyn, Wiltshire (50 & 49)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We spent 2 weeks in Funchal - the first week here in the Old Town and the second at the Choupana Hills high up in the hills (see separate review). It's a great combination, with easy access to Funchal for the first week and a total 'away from it all' feel for the second. We did a lot of walking and recommend Madeira Explorers for their guided walks - we took 3 and did some on our own. We went virtually all over the island - a 4 wheel drive jeep trip to the West, and taxi tours to Nuns Valley and the East. They cost around e50 for a halfday and e90 for a whole day - up to 4 passengers and you have more freedom to go where you wish. Our walks took us to places inaccessible by vehicles. 

This hotel is in a great location - we didn't fancy staying in the tourist area as it's full of hotels everywhere you look. This was much more peaceful - low rise too. And it only took 10-15 minutes to walk into the harbour area. Would also be good choice for anyone less mobile as it's in a flat area (few & far between on this island!) There are dozens of restaurants within a few yards of the hotel, all keen to entice you to eat there. (Can be a pain sometimes). They all offer similar fare of varying quality and portion size but the best was probably the Tapassol. It gets very busy so you need to get there early.

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Porto Santa Maria Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson -June 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Hugh and Lorraine - West Sussex 55 and 52

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion:

We took our holiday here on the basis of the recommendations of this site and were not disappointed.

The position of the hotel is ideal being in the old town and within 100 yards of the dozen best restaurants in Funchal.

It is a gentle stroll to the cable car, bus station , the market, the marina, cathedral , Blandys wine lodge and the shops - if you did not want to walk there is a taxi rank outside the hotel gates.  

Our room was large and well furnished with a very nice view over the sea - It was quite pleasant to sit and watch the ferrys and cruise ships passing by and the magnificent spectacular 20 minute fireworks displays over the harbour on the Saturday Nights by countries competing for the award of the New Years Eve contract.

We went B & B and the breakfast was excellent, we did not dine at the hotel because of the diversity of restaurants close by - our favourite was the Portao where we were just so well looked after by the courteous and friendly staff who did not try and hassle you in like some of the restaurants.Try the fillet espetada ( fillet steak on a skewer)at an amazingly cheap Eu 7.5 followed by the crepes suzettes swimming in grand marnier @Eu 5.5 washed down with a bottle of the Monte Velho Tinto @ Eu12.

The hotel has a gymnasium and pleasant pools and sunbathing area with beautiful gardens although you do feel a little bit on display to walkers on the promenade.

Barbara runs the beauty treatment and massage room at the hotel and we can both recommend her for a massage - very relaxing and good value.

Go to Blandys , take the tour and sample the Madeira wine , try a couple of the vintages ( 1958 Bual recommended)- if you really want to splash out you can buy a bottle of 1920 vintage for Eu 650.

We hired a Jeep from Atlas , agreed a rate of Eu 38 on the phone and when they delivered the guy said we could have for Eu 30 a day without a problem and we used for four days to view the spectacular mountain scenery,the Nuns valley, beautiful flowers and villages in the centre.

Down sides are that the island is spending EU money to build roads and tunnels everywhere so be prepared to get dusty and trapped behind concrete mixer lorries on the narrow roads.

We also found the pigeons a nuisance on the terrace and around the pool.

Generally an excellent holiday - Recommended

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Porto Santa Maria Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - May 2004

Opinion submitted in May 2004 by : Bob Gray - Thornbury, Bristol (62, 60)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion:   

We selected this hotel largely on the basis of the highly favourable reviews on this website, and I am delighted to confirm that it's all true! Beautifully appointed, perfectly situated, and staffed by efficient, intelligent and friendly people. I can't imagine that anyone would be disappointed. Just one thing; the toilet paper is poor stuff.

Dining in is fine, but quite unnecessary as there are oodles of good restaurants within 5 minutes walk of reception. Our favourite was Gaviao Novo at 131 Rua Santa Maria. Really fresh fish perfectly cooked and served with style. You will have a good time. Best of the rest we tried was O Tapassol just outside the hotel gates.
A full 3 course meal for two, with wine, can come to over e60, but a sardine salad is only about e4.40.
If you have time to visit only one of the many gardens, make it Monte Palace Tropical Garden (e7.50)- spectacular. One unexpected delight not in our guide books was the modern (1997) church at Camacha - a stunning interior.

Weather was variable; often started with warm sunshine, then cloudy and cool mid-day, bright again later. There was one single shower of rain during our fortnight. We found it perfectly pleasant for getting about, but sunbathers might find it frustrating. A e1.30 bus trip takes you 5-600 metres above sea level, where it is noticeably cooler.

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Hotel Quinta Da Casa Blanca - Funchal

Operator and Date: Eclipse - May 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Phillip Emmerton - Bedfordshire (50 - 48)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

If you want a quite luxery holiday with almost no children with beautiful secluded gardens and low cost this is it.
5* hotel, heated swimming pool which we never saw more than 10 people at (hotel only had 43 rooms). maid service twice a day. Gym, Sauna, Steam room relaxation room, which we used every evening before going out and was almost empty, extra towels and gowns at pool and gym, umbrellers in rooms and dotted around just in case it rains. In small luxery hotel guide and would cost £150 - 200 a night to stay and book privatly.

If you had a walking problem there might be a problem but only a short walk to local amenaties, but down a steep hill, but Taxi's are very cheap. We didn't try the restaurant as that was in keeping with the luxury hotel and expensive but lots of local restaurant within walking distance.

If you want a good coffee and you are in town go to McDonnalds its half the price of the local cafes served in proper cups and located in a prime location on the front.

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Hotel Quinta Da Casa Blanca - Funchal

Operator and Date: Strawberry World - 2004

Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by : Philip Bayfield - Cambridge - 57,56 Two in party

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Our first visit to Maderia.
We found the resort and island excellent - perhaps busier and a more bustly feel than we expected.
What really made the holiday for us was the excellent hotel.  We could not praise either the staff or facilities highly enough.
A wonderful reception on arrival and shown to a lovely garden side room that leads out directly onto the imaculate gardens through a large glass sliding door. Air conditioned and very relaxing.
The pool also was a joy to sit around and never overcrowded; also cleaned every morning and always spotless.
We dined twice during the week at the hotel and each occaision was to be remembered. Again the staff were friendly and very efficient.

Outings included tea at Reids (excellent but not as dressy as I would expect) trip in the cable car, a trip to the west of the island by mini coach, botanical gardens and walking around both the old town and the veg and fish market. All very enjoyable.
If you like fish you will not be disappointed in Maderia as a holiday destination. The most spectacular fish restaurant is just 12 minutes walk from the hotel. Turn left out of the hotel and first left and walk down the steep hill and the restaurant is facing you at the bottom.  Small but wonderful fish - the best on the island.  It is also an entertainment in itself watching the owner describe the fish served that evening to the customers.
As I say we loved our week on Maderia (a week is plent long enough at a time) because of the beautiful flowers, lovely people and LOVELY hotel.

We would go again and def. stay at the same hotel.

Beware of the steep hills and take a taxi. They are very cheap and easy.

Have a good stay if you decide to go.

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Quinta das Vistas - Funchal

Operator and Date: Direct with Strawberry World (Hotel) and TAP Portugal (Flight) - August 2005

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Donna, Surrey   (40, 30)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

What can I say, just returned from a lovely break in Funchal!  I'll keep it brief,  but mirror a lot of the positive comments already on this website

HOTEL -  Excellent,  Truly five-star,   staff were wonderful, food excellent, room delightful, pool fabulous, gardens beautiful.  The only downside is the walk back up to the hotel from the town, some narrow windy roads, with no footpaths, very steep and Madeiran drivers (a little dangerous to walk up after dusk)   however Taxi's were only around 5 Euros from the old town and 6 Euros from the Lido so no big-deal,  Hotel also has a courtesy bus running regularly to town.

FUNCHAL - Old Town, Pretty little town, nice to walk around the old narrow streets,  shopping centre is just commercial enough to be able to buy anything you want, but not over developed at all.

LIDO - Where a lot of the hotels are,   many restaurants to chose from,  In the 9 days we were there, we spent 3 in the Lido area and were only approached 3 times by the timeshare touts.  The hotel warned us of ALL the information centres and there trips being on commission from the places that we visited.    Try the Liqueur shop half way down the hill in front of the Monumental Lido for all the Madeiran Wine, Cake and Cigarettes, excellent value and they will make deliveries to your hotel!! (Open until 11pm)

TOURS -  Make sure you go with Strawberry World (Shop in the front of the Monumental Lido Shopping Centre, Estrada Monumental - or on their website)  The tour reps were very good,   and the costs very cheap in deed:

East of Island (Full day - 25 Euros - Very Scenic)
West of Island (Full day - 25 Euros)
Nuns Valley (Half day 15 Euros)
Dolphin/Whale Watch (Half day (25 Euros - I think) this was on the 'Sea Pleasure' and we sailed with Dolphins for a good 20 mins)

RESTAURANTS - I reiterate an earlier comment, its hard to find a bad restaurant in Funchal!  Although you have to like fish!!  Try The Vagrant on the promenade (The Beatles Boat - Excellent Food,  Jardins do Infante near the Savoy.  Also  all the restaurants in the old town.

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Quinta das Vistas - Funchal

Operator and Date: BA & Strawberry World  -  July 05

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Eve & Adam Smith (33, 34)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from 9 days at this hotel and, as we had visited Funchal on a package tour in 2003, decided this time to book direct with BA and use Strawberry World for hotel and transfers.  I can honestly say we will repeat this exercise in future as the service levels were higher for significantly less cost.

Booked online with BA and were able to select our seats and check-in online - made for extremely fast operations at the airport and most importantly we were able to avoid the check-in shuffle.

Strawberry World (particularly at their Bournemouth office) were very helpful in every respect and provided good advice prior to booking regarding the hotels available.  We selected Quinta das Vistas from their advice armed with information from this website, and it proved to be an excellent decision.

This hotel has a fanastic panoramic location on a hill above Funchal town centre and very much feels like an escape from the touristy hubhub beneath it.  Please note that it's a steep 30 min walk from the Marina and so regular use of taxis will be a necessity.  However, they are cheap and plentiful and this should not detract from the location.  In fact, as a result of this the views from rooms and public areas are excellent - particularly from the terrace where you can take breakfast or dinner.

This is very much a classy hotel with understated service - we were amazed at how efficiently things operated, staff would miraculously appear just as you needed them and all were very friendly and attentive.  We very much enjoyed our stay here and can only recommend it to others - you will not regret selecting this as your accommodation in Funchal.

Funchal itself seemed to be much quieter this year than 2003 and it is very difficult to understand why.  For a relaxing friendly location I am sure it cannot be beaten and the climate is perfect.

We rarely visit the same hotel twice, but will make an exception in the future.

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Quinta das Vistas - Funchal

Operator and Date: Strawberry World - October 2004

Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Devon -  48, 47

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just had a lovely holiday in Funchal and I would probably agree by and large with all that has already been written on this site about the resort itself. The island has a very tropical feel to it, is immaculately clean and extremely friendly. Our only disappointment was the lack of any sandy beaches - but this would not deter us from going again.

Now - the hotel! We booked fairly late (and it has to be said the transaction was probably the smoothest we have ever made - top marks to SW!)and were offered the choice of three hotels - all 5 star. Despite the wonderful reviews elsewhere on this page we usually avoid large hotels and so decided on the much smaller, boutique style Quinta das Vistas. From the moment we arrived we knew we had made the right choice - this hotel sets the standard that all hotels worldwide should aspire to. It is one of four hotels in the Charming Hotels Madeira group - all small - all in the Johannsens Guide - and I would guess all of a similar standard. Being small they have a more intimate atmosphere and can offer a more personalised service - it was like having our own personal staff.

The champagne breakfasts on the terrace  with its panoramic view of the bay are to die for.

The evening restaurant is just the height of elegance and luxury. The food is wonderful and the service is first rate.  The dancing Maitre'D knew exactly which table each guest preferred, recommended superb wines that were very
reasonable and made everyone feel that they were his very special guests.

There are not enough superlatives to describe the Quinta das Vistas - go there and be pampered!

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Quinta das Vistas, Palace Gardens - Funchal

Operator and Date: Independent Travel - September 2004

Opinion submitted in Sept 2004 by : Carmen Hugrabbit - Rhode Island (29)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

I stayed there a week ago with some friends and we had the time of our lives.
We made an online reservation on their website (www  charminghotelsmadeira  com) witch is very complete and organized. Its a delightful hotel, with amazing view, and I just loved the arquitecture.
Excellent service and personal attention, the staff told us what we needed to know about the island and the best way to enjoy it.

The accommodations are great, with quality furniture and very clean. The food is delicious.
Great interior and exterior heated pools, surrounded by beautiful gardens and their SPA has a nice relaxation room with panoramic view, and a lot of other services, including massage, Jacuzzi, Turkish bath...
Great holidays to remember and hope to return soon.

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Quinta das Vistas Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Strawberry World - February 2004

Opinion submitted in Mar 2004 by : Christine Tailor - Reading (48,45)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We first visted Madeira in 1988 and this year we returned for the first time. We were amazed at how much Madeira had changed, especially the addition of a new motorway that practically runs across the island and many new hotels, shops, roads and tunnels.

We booked on the internet with Strawberry World and though a little apprehensive about booking this way, Alice the salesgirl was very helpful and seemed to have a thorough knowledge about everything in Madeira, and having spoken to other couples in the hotel - it seems we got a very inexpensive deal indeed. Top Marks to Strawberry World.
We flew with Excel Air and I must say that landing in Madeira was effortless and quite safe. Nothing compared to the white knuckle landing I remembered in 1988.

We arrived at our hotel Quinta das Vistas with the Strawberry World bus, which was nicely air conditioned and very welcome because the weather was absolutely gorgeous and quite out of character for February we were told.
The hotel is very new and perched on small hill above the main city of Madeira - Funchal. Spectacular views all the way down to the harbour and wonderful garden areas and pool. The room was very clean and nicely decorated - but I would have prefeered a softer mattress, however my husband was quite pleased. The waether was very warm during the day and quite cold in the evenings.

The staff were all very friendly and I beleive Madeira has not changed at all in that respect. Wherever we went - locals were friendly and helpful.
The hotel spa was especially enticing and all the facilities were available at no extra cost. Food was consistently of a high standard, but I recommend having breakfast before nine thirty to take full advantage of the continental buffet. After that, the selection tends to dwindle.

Lots of new things to see and do including a visit to the caves on the north coast which wrere formed by volcanic activity millions of years ago - and a ride on the new cable car from Funchal sea side to the village of Monte.
What didn't we like? Apparently a very, very rare phenomena - but during our stay Madeira was visted by clouds of Grasshoppers that has apparently been blown over from Africa. These two to three inch long insects were in fact very hard to find but we did come across a dozen or so during our stay. Quite unusual for an island that seems void of any insect or wildlife. We were however assured that they do no damage to the loacl plants and disappear after a couple of days.

All in all a very special week for us and we highly recommend Madeira, particularly with its new cosmopolitan face.

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Quinto Do Monte - Monte (Nr Funchal)

Operator and Date: (Sovereign Direct) Sovereign - April 2005

Opinion submitted in Apr 2005 by : Terry Lawrence - Surrey (51)

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Hotel Quinta do Monte is located approximately 20 minutes drive from the centre of Funchal.  A return taxi fare (April 2005) is around e25 and the cable car (station located just a couple of minutes walk from the hotel) is e12.5 per person for the return trip (based on discounted tickets issued by the hotel although operation of the cable car ceases at 18.00).  A hotel courtesy mini-bus provides a shuttle service to the centre of Funchal around three times a day (last return from Funchal at 21.00 Monday - Friday and 18.00 at weekends).  At an altitude of around 550 metres, temperatures at Quinta do Monte are considerably lower than in Funchal. 

We found no restaurants in the small village of Monte or within walking distance and, consequently, the dining options, apart from the hotel, are either in Funchal centre or a drive of up to 10 kilometres further up the mountain.  The restaurant at Terreiro da Luta, 3 kilometres further up the mountain from Monte, provides stunning views over Funchal, a charming dining room and excellent service.  The "Casa  de Abrigo do Poiso Restaurante", approximately 7 kilometres beyond Terreiro da Luta, has more of a tavern atmosphere and is popular with locals.  It was consistently good for both food and service. 

Although the Quinta do Monte is well located far away from the hotels that are crammed cheek by jowl in Funchal's tourist area around the Savoy, its restaurant proved very disappointing.  We found service to be particularly poor in the restaurant.  Breakfast was mediocre and the selection well-below standard for a five star establishment.  Although available, cooked breakfast was not proffered by the waiters who, in any event, were often not in evidence.  Consequently, dining out was a far superior option for the evening meal. 

The hotel rooms were, though, clean, quiet and well decorated even if the house-keeping service was somewhat inconsistent.  Reception staff were friendly and helpful.

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Quinto Do Monte - Monte (Nr Funchal)

Operator and Date: Strawberry World - February 2004

Opinion submitted in Apr 2004 by : Brian Williams - Rugby (70, 67)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

At holidaysuncovered.co.uk we read 70 reports before planning a week in Madeira. Thanks to the website and to those reviews the holiday went without a hitch.

The Funchal travel agent Strawberry World had received good write-ups. An email to their office was answered with three on the same day from Alice. On checking with a well-known UK travel company for the same hotel and departure airport, we were quoted a much higher price.

Two of the 70 reviews really struck a chord - those covering the Quinta do Monte Hotel. It clearly had character, was smaller than many other 5 star establishments, and in particular it is not in the hotel district of Funchal. If and when we go again we wont stay anywhere else. Karmen and Luisa, who were at reception when we sought advice, couldn't have been more helpful. The hotel's strength and weakness is that, while it is just 3 miles inland from Funchal, it is also 1800 feet above the town. The views and the gardens are wonderful, but in February it was often cloudy and sometimes raining in Monte, while below Funchal basked in the sunshine.
The cable car from town terminates very close to the hotel, but at 14 euros return you might not want to use it regularly. The toboggan run starts 100 yards from the hotel gates, but now only takes you half way to town. We hired a car, so cannot comment
on buses and taxis.

Strawberry Autos' Toyota Yaris was a bit tatty and without wheel trims, but as we were frequently driving through narrow gaps, this was no bad thing. Parking in the narrow streets of the Old Town meant remembering to fold in the parking mirrors.
Any car with less power might be inadequate for some of the hill starts.

With restaurants too we followed website recommendations. The Portao in the Old Town, unimposing from the outside, stands out not just for its good food but for the friendliness and good humour of the staff. A couple of hundred yards away the O Tapassol also gets our vote.

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Hotel Quinta Do Sol - Funchal

Operator and Date: Easter 2006

Opinion submitted in May 2006 by : Linda and Vaughan 55,56

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Funchal is an excellent place for walking, visiting gardens, eating out etc.  Good places to visit are: Blandys Gardens, Botanical Gardens, Cable cars at Monte and Botanical Gardens, Nuns Valley, Tour of the West, Porto Santo- six mile beach, the market is well worth a visit, especially the fish, flowers and fruit.  Funchal is a lovely town just to wander around. 

Hotel location is very good, just along from Reids.  Rooms are spacious and comfortable and bathrooms are very good.  However you must choose a room facing the garden as currently there is building work going on at the front of the hotel and it starts at 8am and goes on till 6pm.  Our view was of a crane!
The old town provides many good places to eat and there is a lively atmosphere.  The best place we found was Portao.  Excellent value for money and friendly service.  Other local places were Berninis,excellent Italian food and again very good value, and the best meal of all was at Casa Velha which is near Berninis.  This is an upmarket place with good service and good views.  We had crab soup, seafood mousse,chateaubriand,passion fruit parfait, a bottle and a half of wine, water and coffee - all for 70 euros.
For guided trips we found Strawberry World was excellent.  They use 8 seater mini buses and have excellent English speaking guides.

A friend took us to Porto Santo - and 2 and a half hour trip by ferry.  It is well worth a visit.  Lovely beach and different to Maderia.  lots of people living in Maderia have second homes there.
All in all Maderia appeals to the more middle aged person.  Not a lot for children to do, except a Water Park. 
It is a relaxing place where you feel welcome and comfortable and will want to return again.

Weater at Easter time was changeable. Showers but always warm.
If you like walking and gardens you cannot go wrong!

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Hotel Quinta Do Sol - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - March 2005

Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by : The Evans Party - South Wales ( 39 , 68 )

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We booked on a First Choice late deal, so the accommodation was allocated on arrival.
From the outside, yes the Hotel does look at little dated, and the rooms do need to be updated as well, we were on the first floor, looking out to the Magnolia Gardens at the rear, which didn't seem to get the sun until the late afternoon.

The food in the hotel is really very good, at the time, which we think was due to the building works, the evening meal was reduced from 25 euros per night to 15 euros. Ther servive in the bar was also very good.
This being our second trip to the Island ( we stayed at the Oasis Atlantic ) we felt that although the location was central, the hotel lacked the basics, such as a shop for the basics. To go shopping, there was an extremely busy road/roundabout which need to be navigated. The road/s are very busy and can be noisy, though there are crossings.

The pool area was always kept clean and there were plenty of sunbeds even on the hotest days, and the hotel did have a good mix of nationalities.
As for the building work, this stop on the Wednesday before good Friday, and I assume did not start again, untill after the Tuesday we left.

Would we go back, The answer would be no, having done all of the trips on offer, and having seen everything we wanted to see, there's no point. The weather was fantastic as was the friendliness of the locals, though driving on the Island can be a bit hairraising, even if you used to driving on the right side of the road.

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Hotel Quinta Do Sol - Funchal

Operator and Date: Flight thro' Atlantic Hols, Accom. thro' StrawberryWorld Feb 05

Opinion submitted in Feb 2005 by : Alan&Pam 55,53 NW Leics.

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

despite  Unusually, appalling weather,we shall return as there'so much to see.

unfortunatly,the front of the Hotel, seaview side, overlooks building works,should be Ok once the foundations areout . Persnnally, I,d give it 12months?to finish the job. It is Classic slightly older, no mature, hotel with a good ambience.Sorry,but they're bound to lose clients this year.However,it will stand the test of time,due to location.The other side faces a beautiful Pk. We did THe 25 Fontes levada walk. Exhillarating,despite the Hailstorm as we emerged from the 800mt. tunnel...if you havn't a torch, they lend one!The Works Didn't  bother us as we were out most of day,they "knock off" about 5pm. Seems the more you pay for a meal the more FAWNING you get,price bears no resemblence to food quality.In fact, I found, the smaller the place/price, the bigger the Whiskey!!

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Hotel Quinta Do Sol - Funchal

Operator and Date: First Direct July 2004

Opinion submitted in Aug 2004 by : John and Helen Norris and family

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

As the brochures say, Madeira is a sub tropical island of considerable beauty.It is a holiday resort frequented by an obove average age clientele. Our children were nevertheless greeted with exceptional kindness by the local Madeirans and the Hotel staff.

The Hotel Quinto Do Sol was excellent. The staff courteous and attentive to our needs. The Hotel has a slightly old fashioned ambience, which we found most endearing.Rooms are well appointed, breakfasts hearty, and the poolside area kept spotless. The Hotel website does not tell you, but towels for bathing are provided free of charge-so you can save some luggage space.

The Hotel is a brisk 20 minutes walk from the center of Madeira, so having 3 children we often walked down to Town and got an inexpensive taxi back.

Talking of taxis, many of the drivers will take you on a full day tour of the island for around 75 euros-ask for Roy at the McDonalds taxi stand near the Marina.His engish was first class. This is a very cheap option compared to Travel Companies Excursions, and basically you can go wherever you want.

We were most impressed by the Madeira Shopping complex, which is a taxi ride out of towm. Prices and Quality excellent, far better value than the tourist shops. Look out for Zara-I picked up a pure linen top for 4 euros in their sale!

For evening meals try the Jardins Do Infante(a 5 minute walk from the Quinto Do Sol, on the left hand side of the main road towards town)

Staff are most welcoming and professional-our kids loved them! Food excellent, especially the pork and beef.
Do not expect a cheap holiday in Madeira-we spent a fortune! However, it an ideal resort for those seeking a more sophisticated holiday, free from the bright lights and noise of discos and bars.

We had a great time.

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Hotel Quinta Do Sol - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - June 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Bill and May Mitchell Kelso  60+

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We went on a Thomson late 4t deal-booked Sunday 4pm left Glasgow 9am Monday All was well with this hurried arrangement. When we saw the Quinta Do Sol as the coach arrived we wondered what was in store for us it is cetainly not the most elegant hotel in the world and gives off a faded Sixties impession externally. 

However on entering the foyer all was well itwas spotlessly clean if a little worn and the rception staff were most welcoming. We had paid for a balcony facing the sea at a very moderate extra cost and found this worthwhile - the noise from the nearby main road wwas obtrusive on the balcony but was shut out by the doors and curtains at night.The room and bathroom were well used and probably ready for an update but again were spotlessly clean and more than adequate. 

The breakfast was ample if a little predictabe and uninspired likewise the Dinner on the one night we ate in- better to go b&b and eat out in the many restaurants nearby.All in all a good holiday for the price we paid whether it is worth the full brochure price is debatable 

We woldsay that the hotel was 4 star when it was built but by todays standards probably only 3 star.  

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Hotel Quinta Mirabela - Funchal

Operator and Date: Flight Options - October 2004

Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : C and D - Coventry (56,57)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This is a newly converted Quinta on the tobaggan run in Monte, not so high up as the Quinta do Monte so more likely to be in the sunshine! Everything was fine, service good, food good, views excellent! Plenty of areas to relax in, most of them in a sunny space. Nice pool, excellent gym. The only thing we noticed was that the hotel was a little quiet (ie not that many guests staying) but maybe that was a result of it being relatively new. Takes about 35 mins to walk into the centre of Funchal (which is easy after the first time of using the muscles!), and if you fancy it, plenty of exercise walking up to the Monte gardens.

There's an absolutely excellent local restaurant about half a mile up the hill called the Rustico. It's got local atmosphere with good food to boot! Even the taxi drivers were telling us about it.

Overall recommended and we'll return.

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Hotel Raga - Funchal

Operator and Date: First Choice - Jul/Aug 2007

Opinion submitted in August 2007 by : Denise, Phil, Amy, Victoria & Shirley (44, 42, 16, 11, 71)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

After booking the holiday, we were quite relieved to see the reviews getting better after the refurbishment. Following a little misunderstanding on arrival more due to the tour operator than the hotel - be aware that if you are on the early flights out of the UK you could find your room unavailable before 2.00pm - we were delighted with the standard of our rooms. The design is contemporary and spacious, with laminate floors, dark wood fittings with light walls and all rooms having space for a sitting area, although the paintings can be a bit interpretive! Bathrooms are excellent with showers capable of knocking you sideways.

Other reviewers have suggested breakfast can be repetitive, but being buffet style it's only as repetitive as you choose to make it. On the menu daily were at least four varieties of freshly baked bread, croissants, sliced bread for toast, all with butter, jam, marmalade or honey; three varieties of cereal; sausage and/or bacon, tomatoes, baked beans, scrambled/boiled eggs; ham, cheese and salami; fresh and tinned fruit with yoghurt; two varieties of fruit juice, coffee, hot chocolate and about six types of tea. The 'English' side of the breakfast was a bit disappointing, but the freshly baked bread was to die for, especially the fruit loaf!

Be aware that there is about five floors difference between the bottom road and the top road bounding the hotel. It is probably easier to use the three levels of stairs down to the bottom road rather than use the 'ramp' to the top road, its gradient is probably about 1:4.

Excellent swimming pool with attentive staff and pool towels provided so, unless you are particularly attached to your own, save the weight on the outward flight to pack your suitcase with Madeira wine for the inbound.
The reception staff are knowledgeable and helpful, all with excellent English language, and as we always say when we review hotels, take time to make friends with them, because you'll always gather plenty of local hints.
Being B&B, we didn't use the hotel for evening meals (which did seem quite limited when we bothered to take a look at the menu), choosing instead to try a different restaurant each night, never walking further than 400m from the hotel. Quality was generally fairly good but we won't recommend any because we all have our own preferences - just get out and try them. One place we should, and shouldn't if only for the sake of the waistline, recommend is the cake shop 25m from the Estrada Monumental (bottom road) entrance of the hotel towards Funchal - the variety is amazing, all delicious with a fantastic cup of coffee.

Overall, a superb hotel, and dog noise? We were at the back of the hotel and anybody who has complained in these postings must be hypersensitive or a cat lover! We were more concerned that it might jump 6m from its garden onto the road!

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Hotel Raga - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson 2007

Opinion submitted in February 2007 by : Mary Gallagher  West Sussex

Resort Rating: Poor

Accommodation Rating: Below Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

RAGA Hotel not suitable for senior citizens lots of steps , poor quality food , no entertainment, swimming pool outdoor lots of steps to the pool, no facilities when raining, no tea and coffee making in bedrooms.no help with baggage two and from bedrooms, receptions rude and unhelpful should not be rated as 4 Star refurbishing still in progress, overall opinion a total waste of money.

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Hotel Raga - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice September 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : 59 and 55

Resort Rating: Average

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Dated hotel situated next to busy road with noisy buses all day and scooters all day and night. Room on 5th floor and balcony suffered from intrusive noise. "Gourmet restaurant" and cocktail bar closed all during the holiday. Buffet breakfast tried to be English and continental  but was not much cop at either. Was very grateful we were only B&B.
Staff did their best but conditions were against them. Was good to have fridge in the room. Didn't use the pool area - next to main road. Went to the Lido which was much better and has sea bathing as well as pools.

Ate out at local restaurants and all meals were fine and not expensive. For take away sandwiches and cakes use the semi basement just to the left of the hotel ( as you go onto the main road pavement) - excellent quality and cheap.
Funchal didn't appeal at all to us but the covered market was worth a visit. The docks area is quite tawdry.
Enjoyed 2 trips on catamarans watching dolphins and whales.

Coach tour to the East of the island was OK but marred by constant talk from the guide ( much info about empoyment rates, economic growth etc as well as usual tourist stuff) Driver's break was at Santana which was 55 minutes too long.

Went on jeep safari that was much better.
Booked a walk along the mountain peaks but the minibus did not turn up ( Madeira Tours). Two levada walks were OK but didn't see much because it was mostly through trees.
Funchal airport seems well organised and the transfer was efficient.
If I go to Madeira again I'll pay more money and go to somwhere facing the sea away from that damned road eg the Cliff Bay
Temp. during the day was in the low 30s which we were told was a heat wave.

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Hotel Raga - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - July 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : Eric Parsons - Lyneham, Wiltshire 49, 45, 15, 12 and 8

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

2 Weeks B&B for a family of 5.  Adjoining rooms on the 9th floor with views over the sea, Funchal and the mountains.  Breakfast was superb.  I have never had bananas that tasted so good.  Do the thursday night
B.-B.-Q.  Excellent.

Hotel facilities more than adequate and as other people have said the staff are friendly and helpful.

Downsides to the hotel. No Tea/Coffee making facilities in the rooms.  Only 2 lifts which is chaotic on operators changeover day.

Hotel well situated, bus stops, Lido and a few shops very close by.

We attended a time share presentation reciving a voucher which entitled us to 50% off car hire.  Well worth the time.

Game of the holiday?

Ordering a meal out then trying to guess the total cost.  We never got it right, I'm sure I must have been under charged.  Watch out for cover charges, you will be given a roll or un-requested morsel, if you don't want it, send it back or you will pay for it.

The whole family had a BRILLIANT holiday faulting nothing but the lack of a kettle in the room ( we purchased one down town and brought it home with us )

Liked Funchal, loved the island as a whole, thought it great value for money.  

Go now before Madeira gets as busy as the Spanish Costas.  

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Hotel Raga - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - july 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : midlands (27, 43, 32)

Resort Rating: Below Average

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We booked this holiday as a late booking through thomson for £209pp plus usual extras.  The hotel was quite dated but clean and in good order. Staff didnt speak much english so sometimes dificult to explain what you wanted etc.  Food was very basic breakfast was a good variety but the evening meals were very disappointing with no variety and small portions.  Some good local resturants if you can climb the hills around the hotel.  Recommend the dolphin watching on the catamaran fantastic experience and quite cheap 25 euros.

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Hotel Raga - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomas Cook Direct) Thomas Cook - June 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Peter Davis - Salford (69, 61, 59)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We enjoyed a very good holiday at the Hotel Raga. The staff were all friendly and helpful and we found generally the facilities were very good.
We were on the third floor with great veiws out to sea. Although overlooking a main road, we were not disturbed by road noise at night.
We were bed and breakfast and the food was more than adequate. eating out at night was no problem, there being plenty of good rerstauranrs within easy walking district.
A lovely island with great scenary. I would say not for children though, there being no beaches. Not an ideal place for teeanagers and young persons as the night life is low key.
Altogether we had an excellent holiday and i would recommend both the resort and the hotel to anybody.
PS. The tiles mentioned in the first review are still there. (green) but who bothers looking at tiles when you are doing what comes naturally. No problem whatsoever.

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Hotel Raga - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - February 2005

Opinion submitted in Feb 2005 by : Jayne Gould - Bristol (51, 54)

Resort Rating: Poor

Accommodation Rating: Poor

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The hotel Raga is in need of complete updating.  I would think it was built in the 1960's.  I have worked this out from the sea green tiles that were in the bathroom that were popular at about that time.  The room had a constant musty smell.  The cleaners did their best by leaving the patio doors open all day but it came back as soon as they were closed again.

We were on the top floor (11th) facing north.  There was a constant grinding noise which we discovered was coming from some sort of generator which was on the roof directly above us.  We complained about this but nothing was done.  The badly fitting patio doors meant that the wind blew into our room even with both sets of curtains drawn and that in turn caused the door at the other end of the room to rattle even when double locked.  There was of course no sound proofing so that the local dogs that barked all night could be clearly heard.  Neither was there any air conditioning or heating and we could definitely have done with some heating.

The breakfasts were very basic and never varied and the food was obviously of the very lowest quality.  One night we decided to have dinner in the hotel which we soon regretted.  The main course was the size of an average started.  We had two slices of potato each - not even a whole potato between us!

We were appalled at how worn the seats were in the bar area.  One night the leg came off the chair that my husband was sitting on. (He is 13 stone and tea total so there is no question of any wrong doing on his part.)  The barman who was passing at the time only laughed.  There was no apology and no attempt to obtain another chair for  my husband.

We paid First Choice £1072.00 for 7 nights on a bed and breakfast basis and we certaily did not receive value for money.  I sent a recorded delivery letter to them supplying my full address and two phone numbers and requesting a reply with in 7 days.  To date 11 days have passed and they have not even had the decency to send an acknowledgment.

The resort of Funchal is very steep.  We were suprised at  the poor state of the pavements - cracked paving stones and pot holes - considering the number of elderly people that visit the resort.  The beaches are mainly pebbles and the sea quite rough.  Certainly not the place for a nice little swim.

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Hotel Raga - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice    jan 05

Opinion submitted in Jan 2006 by : jim and sue shepley          54

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The hotel Raga is about 2kms from the centre of Funchal.Access to the hotel via the drive is very steep, but there are steps at the front leading to the street.The walk into town is level apart from the last 300 or so metres which is downhill.Buses are cheap ,frequent and easy to use.The weather was mostly cloudy and overcast,take a coat at this time of year.

The hotel is pleasant and the staff are friendly,we stayed bed and breakfast,the selection of food is good.

My overall view of Madeira is nice but a little dull. 

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Hotel Raga - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - 2005

Opinion submitted in Mar 2006 by : 52, Brian 50

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Booked a late deal accomodation on arrival.Hotel Raga was well located, clean, but rooms small. The breakfast was excellent. Pool good no need to take pool towells. Entertainment was basic keyboard and drummer most nights, good for 60+.
Madeira is very hilly but it is a nice walk into Funchal and a nice walk opposite way along promenade.
West coast trip worth a vist we went with Strawberry World at 25 euros each,We took a bus ride to Monte for 1.9 eurors return and the cable car ride down for 9.5 euros.  Book our trips through Strawberry World as they are cheper than Thomsons The special prices offered on street have a catch you have to attend a time share to have the 'special discount.'
Eating out, plenty of restaurants around but beward the bread rolls and extras they bring you have not ordered.  Rolls can cost up to 2.5 euros each and at  Lido Restaurant had a excellent meal but they bring apperatife of olives and patea costing 8.5 Euros so send them back straigh away and you don't hae to pay [check bill]. eg the cost of the price of a meal elswhere.  All in all a Nice Hols Weather was excellent not a bad day. Flowers beutifull. 

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Hotel Raga - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours Septeber 2004

Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Lisa 47 and Rodney 48 Gillingham Kent

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Raga hotel is well situated in the Lido area of Funchal about 3 Kilometres from the centre and we found it more than adequate for our purposes. There is a good and regular bus service opposite and there are are a number of good restaurants locally. The hotel itself is a good base and our room was large and had a TV and fridge in it. We were on B&B and found the breakfast to be very good with a buffet of great variety. The public rooms however were very hot and small. The hotel bar could have done with some air conditioning and was the size of a large lounge in a house. This was best missed. The pool was nothing to speak of either.

Madeira is a wonderful island and there are plenty of places to visit. we especially liked The Valley of The Nuns and the not to be missed basket ride down the hill. The flower and fish market in the centre of Funchal were also very interesting.We also completed one of the eaier Levada walks about 6 miles.

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Hotel Raga - Funchal

Operator and Date: Airtouts August 2004

Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Ken and Carole - Leeds (54,54)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We chose Madeira in August to avoid the heat of the Med. Yes - record temperatures; even locals were flaking. But what a super holiday at the Hotel Raga.B&B only, so we didn't sample the buffet dinner, except for the gala al fresco BBQ night - and that was top class. We lunched several times on pool-bar snacks - very tasty and when too exhausted (the heat!) to venture out for dinner, the hotel snack bar (open to public) had great food at sensible prices.

The Raga Hotel is well located in a pictuesque location with pretty, easily managed walks along the sea-front. The lido area was just far enough "out of town" from Funchal for us, but had plenty going on day time and at night but fairly laid-back.

Our holiday was made complete by the brilliant staff at the Raga. Really warm,friendly and helpfull. The hotel may not be as swish and modern as some of the big new ones but we find them too impersonal. Whereas the Raga is a true holiday hotel. Would you believe the few youngsters at the hotel were even well behaved? Yes - it was a pleasure to be able to enjoy the poolside bar without being terrorised Med style, by kids young and not so young. There are quite a lot of steps to get around the Raga facilities, but it is on a rock in the Atlantic, after all. We had the best time and recommend the Raga for super value and friendliness.

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Hotel Raga - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - 2004 / 2005

Opinion submitted in May 2005 by : Iain Macdonald - Forfar (47,68 )

Resort Rating: No rating

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Although I had been to this hotel 7 years ago it hadn't changed one bit. Yes its dated but its clean, affordable with very friendly staff. It is ideally positioned as all tour busses leave from the Monumental Lido Next door.We used Strawberry World.com, situated in the front of the Monumental Lido, for some of our tours and they were excellent. I recommend you see both the east and west of the island. Monte gardens and Blandy gardens are a must. If you use the local busses, try to buy your ticket at a shop beforehand as its much cheaper than paying on the bus. Theres lots of eating places, and the food is good, all of them give you a free madeira wine to start with or to temp you into there restaurant. A good option is the tourist menu which was around 15 euro but that includes a starter main course sweet and a drink. Try the fish dish Espada its served with banana and lots of veg.

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Hotel Raga, Savoy, Alto Lido, Pestana Village, Quinta Do Sol, Santa Isabel, Carlton,  Royal Savoy

Operator and Date: Martins, Thomson, Airtours, Style

Opinion submitted in Oct 2004 by : Liz Foster  South Queensferry (41)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

From the number of places I've listed as staying and the number of tour operators listed you will have guessed that I've visited Madeira frequently, often more than once per year. I have in fact been visiting for the past 20 years. Therefore I can now vouch for both the under and over 40's. 

I have always travelled to Madeira as a single person. the reason I first went was that the winter weather was good, no lager louts and there were good offers at various hotels for singles, i.e. no single supplements. I always go B&B, I've never eaten in a hotel, my night out is my dinner. I can also say that unlike most other places I have visited I've never been given the worst room in the hotel. On several occasions I've had seaview rooms.

Santa Isobel 3*** This hotel is a very basic and has very old fashioned decor (1970's). It did have a couple of advantages though, it was near the town and during the twice I stayed here I had free access to all the facilities at the Savoy next door. I doubt that this advantage is still available as the Royal Savoy has now been built on the where the Savoy lido used to be.

Raga 3*** Cheap and chearful. Would use it again. The rooms were large and all had a balcony and full sized fridge. This is one of the hotels where I had a seaview room.  The cellar styled bar was cute. I've stayed here three times.

Alto Lido 4**** One of the best for value for money as a single. I've stayed 5 times. I'm facinated each time by the indoor/outdoor pool - it has a retractable roof which closes automatically when it rains. This hotel is a mix of rooms and timeshare, a good mix in my opinion. Some of the timeshare owners have been going for 15 years or more.

Sheraton/Carlton (I can't get used to its new name)5***** now owned by Pestana. Had a huge studio apartment with seaview. The only problem here was that I was next to the Royal Savoy and they had an outdoor caberet. Lots of complaints were made to reception and after total non cooperation from the Royal Savoy, they phoned the police who shut the caberet off in about an hour.

Savoy 5***** A treat and a half. The broucher price was about half as there was no single supplement - they don't do that very often, therefore I took advantage. I'm very glad I did. Definately lives up to it's reputation of splendor. It has been refurbished since I stayed there but I can't for the life of me think of what could be better.

Pestana Village some say 4**** some 5*****. FAB! I had a one bedroom ground floor apartment in the gardens. The gardens were so lush that the cannas either blocked my view or gave me extra privacy from the path which went past my window, depending on your point of view.

Quinta do Sol some say 3*** some 4****. Ask for a mountain view room rather than a seaview. The seaview is distant - beyond a busy junction and across the Savoy, Carlton and Royal Savoy. The mountain rooms are quieter and overlook the park at the back of the hotel. The decor is a bit dated. I've stayed here twice.

Eating out, I have eaten everywhere, the old town, the Lido area, the Marina and never had a bad meal. My favourite however is Solar D'Ajuda on a side street by the Monumental Lido Hotel and I always have steak on a stone, its a bit of a gimmick but its excellent. The raw steak is served at your table on a marble 'plate' which has been heated to 400C, you then cook it as you like it. Its served with baked potato, dips and salad. This is a very busy and noisy restuarant you need to book if you want to eat before 9pm - EVERY DAY!!

As a single I've never had any problems in Madeira and go back because I feel safe. I regularly walk from beyond the Lido into town at night and don't feel intimidated. I find that the waiters, taxi drivers etc, treat me with respect - much as they would their mother or sister, I occasionally get chatted up by the resuarant touts, but its only friendly banter and I've never had any hassel from anyone.

Trips the only thing I can say is don't always your tour operator they charge a premium. Try Strawberry, Viva or Windsor. Couples can get really good deals. The main difference in these tours is whether or not lunch is included. I've done most of the tours several times, East & West coast, Nuns Valley, Machico, Riba Brava and a few of the lavada walks both by public transport and organised tours. If you have never been to Madeira before go on an organised tour and really find out what's what other wise be adventurous and use public transport.

A few of the previous comments complain about the amount of road building etc. Maybe tourist should think about the locals for a minute. Someone I have come to know over the years told me about the day he was born. He is 36 years old, his family lived on a small farm on the way to the Nuns Valley. When his mother went into early labour his father had carry her the 10km or so in a basket on his back to Funchal - why? The track was such that a horse could hardly get to the farm. this maybe a bit of a family legend, but illustrates how the locals benefit. After all us tousits are only there for a week or two each year. Even in the time I have been visiting it used to take over an hour to come from the airport to Funchal over very rough roads and the Glasgow flight always had to land at either Porto Santo (the next island) or Lisbon because the runway was so short the aircraft could not take off with a full load of fuel. Also last year was the first time I was able to take a trip round the east coast because the old road was considered too narrow and winding for tourists. The other thing that has changed is that now the sewage and water systems have been upgraded you can now flush toilet paper.

The only groups I would not recommend Madeira to are young familiy's looking for children's clubs or teenagers looking for night clubs.

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Hotel Regency Cliff - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson feb 2007

Opinion submitted in February 2007 by : Audrey Taylor - Dalgety Bay Fife  (65)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Regency Cliff is a very good 4 star hotel, small only 57 bedrooms but the attention to detail is excellant.
During our 7 night stay we had a buffet dinner on 4 evenings with a good selection of food and on the other 3 evenings it was waiter service with an excellant a la carte menu.
There was entertainment on only 3 evenings but this suited us, a classical pianist, an excellant singer, and a local folk group.

The hotel is situated in the Lido area with a courtesy bus into town several times a day or the local bus from just outside the hotel.

We used Strawberry World for our excursions around Madeira and found them very good.The weather was warm about 17 - 22 degrees not always sunny but pleasant to walk about without the need for woollies etc.

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Hotel Regency Palace - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson April 2004

Opinion submitted in May 2004 by : Pat & Bex Barrow - Norwich (38, 36)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We weren't quite sure what to expect, given that brochure photos are often deceptive.  However, this hotel lived up to all our expectations.  The staff were superb and attentive, the food more than adequate.  The hotel restaurant was NOT cheap but the quality of food was good and the help-yourself breakfasts were as big as you wanted them to be.  The rooms were very well appointed (we were given a suite of rooms) and if you wanted to cook your own simple meals, there was more than enough in the way of equipment to do so.  Not all of the facilities advertised were free so watch out before committing yourself to a massage, etc.  Perhaps the only problem was the occasional smell of fuel oil from the Shell depot at the base of the cliff on which the hotel stands.  From most rooms, you wouldn't know it was there (except for the smell, obviously) and it wasn't a major problem while we were there in terms of noise.  The views from the hotel are otherwise excellent.

The hotel has a free shuttle service to the centre of Funchal (but you need to book in advance).  This service stops at about 6pm so later journeys are at your own cost.  Taxis back to the hotel (about 3km) were about 5 euros.

Funchal itself is incredibly pleasant but hardly a raver's paradise (which is why we went).  Crime is apparently very rare, and we never felt even remotely unsafe walking around.  If you are looking for somewhere to eat, you're spoiled for choice, but I recommend heading for the 'Zona Velha' where there are stacks of really good restaurants (particularly Arsenios which 'Fada' - the local 'folk' music, great fun!).  

Also recommended are the organised trips to the Nuns' Valley, going from Monte to Funchal on wicker toboggans, and an afternoon in the Blandy's Wine Lodge.  If you do the latter, you can try some Vintage Madeira by the glass which, while expensive, is far better than the run of the mill stuff you usually get.  Lastly, we'd recommend the trip on the replica of Columbus's Santa Maria (complete with bar) which takes you along the coast whale watching.  They even have some Vintage Madeira in barrels in the hold which they provide if you happen to be in the right place at the right time.

Overall, we had a fabulous time and if we ever got the chance to go again, we'd be there like a shot.

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The Royal Savoy Resort - Funchal

Operator and Date: March 2005.  Time Share

Opinion submitted in Dec 2005 by : John 56, Partner 40+

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

My wife and I visited the Savoy in 2002 and subsequently bought a weeks time share in March at the Royal Savoy. What can I say about a superb 5 star hotel? 

The location is as good as it gets in Funchal and is about a 15_20 minute walk from the old town centre. We have a one bedroom apartment overlooking the pools with  mind blowing sea views and the room is perfect. Excellent room facilities with a sofa bed for guests which is made each evening by the maid who leaves chocolates on each pillow. Staff superb, food is very good in the buffet restaurant and outstanding in the Admirals restaurant and very reasonably priced. The wines are excellent. There are roomy guest areas on several floors and a great outside panoramic lift.The hotel also does a 10% deal where guests at the start of their holiday purchase a voucher in 100 euro denominations to spend in the hotel on drinks and meals. they are given an extra free 10% so a 220 euro bill only costs them 200 euros. 

A tip for would be time share purchasers, visit the guest meeting at 10.00am on Tuesday morning and speak to time share owners. There is a reception in the evening where all guests meet and chat. It may well be possible to buy a week from them at a vastly cheaper rate than through the Time Share organisation. 

Take your walking boots, there are many guided walks, the two highest peaks is a must and not difficult. I had at least 4 70 year olds on this walk two years ago and they managed ok. Guides are usually mountain resccue trained, Emmanuel is a guide who is passionate and animated about the walks. Do some, you will not be dissapointed, views are terrific. Watch out for the hard sell in the indoor market in the old town, some of the stall holders really get in your face and I suspect some may overprice their fruit and veg. The new shopping mall takes you back to home and is not Madeira. Try the restaraunts in the old town but be carefull one has the waiters singing old Portugues and Madeiran durges and these can be awful on the ear.. 

The down side is that Madeira is becoming to much like Tenerrife in places with a water park and other similar venues, not good as the spoil the areas they are buit in. Avoid if you can. On a final note I was told on authority !!! that it is planned that The Savoy Hotel is to be demolished soon. I do know that the old empty hotel next to it is to come down but the Savoy to vanish? If it is true then not only will an old institution vanish but the demolition and rebuilding will knock the gloss off that particular ares for a couple of years. 

Talking of the Savoy have a visit and enjoy the guest areas, resplendant with grand piano and chandaliers and take afternoon tea on the terrace.  Enjoy Madeira, try the local buse to places like Nuns Valley or 4 of you book a taxi for an island tour and save a fortune. Visit before it starts getting infested with kids and juveniles (only joking), very few teenagers visit. Itis very safe and relaxed, night life is there to be enjoyed but mainly chill out time for 30+ holiday makers. Get out and about. The golf club up in the hills is very good but can be chilly and windy while down in Funchall the sun shines and temperatures are much higher so be warned. 

Personally I look forward to my yearly visits Madeira is a superb relaxing island with great local people so go and enjoy and see some of the quickly vanishing local life by taking a walk on the Madeiran side. You will not be dissapointed.

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Hotel Sao Joao - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - September 2005

Opinion submitted in Oct 2005 by : Julie Smith - Ipswich (40, 55)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Overall the hotel wasn't that bad.  The staff were very friendly and helpful and not grumpy at all.  The hotel was clean unlike some parts of Madeira ie toilet facilities which I did not feel were up to standard in some eating establishments compared to other resorts.  There was also a lot of litter strewn around in places.

The evening meals in the hotel were excellent with plenty of choice.  However, I did feel that the breakfast selection was rather poor with bacon one morning and sausages the next but never both, and it would have been nice to see some of those big tomatoes which were on offer for evening meal but never appeared at breakfast time grilled.  There was also a poor choice of cereal.  I would have expected a better choice of breakfast for a four star rating.

The entertainment was OK, apart from the man on the organ who couldn't seem to quite get the rhythm and tone right, but bad entertainment is all part of the fun on holiday.  The barman made up for it with his great sense of humour.

The hotel I felt generally catered for mostly elderly Continentals, mainly German, French, Spanish and we did feel somewhat outnumbered by them.  The breakfast selection I felt proved this.

However, everything else about the hotel was great, nice indoor and outdoor pool with plenty of sun loungers.

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Hotel Sao Joao - Funchal

Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel/Airtours July 2005

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : London 31,28,10

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Poor

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Firstly about the hotel. The Sao Joao hotel is rated 4 star! Please note it is a 3 star at best.
The food is exceptionally poor. A lukewarm running buffet with the same food every other day. We only ate in the restaurant 6 nights out of the 14 we stayed. Potato smiley faces were served 3 of those nights! The breakfast was extremely poor. You couldn't have bacon and sausage together, but they alternated between the two. I'm just so sorry we booked half board.

Three bars are advertised in this hotel but only two were open. The poolside bar served a small range of drinks. A 33cl bottle of coke could be purchased for 2.50 euros(£1.75), down by the marina local snack bars served a coke for 1 euro. The local beer Coral was served for 3 euro. Whiskeys like Jack Daniels and Jamesons were priced at 4.80 euros a measure. Therefore a Jack Daniels and coke would cost you 7.30 euros!!!(Over £5) Please allow me to rant on... The first drink I bought for my son at the lounge bar was a glass of lemonade with a splash of lime cordial. 2 euros for the lemonade, 2 euros for the lime. This drink cost 4 euros!(£2.80). I have never paid these prices for drinks in my entire life.

Now onto the childrens activities..... oh sorry... they dont't exist. There is nothing for children at this hotel. No entertainer of any kind. My son is a 4ft 5ins 10 year old(1.35m). As soon as you walk down the five steps into the pool the depth is 1.4m, this is the shallow end!  He isn't a very strong swimmer so he was unable to use this pool(It wasn't clean anyway). This was fine. Try the indoor pool..... 1.5m -1.7m. He couldn't stand up in this pool either! The result was constant trips back and forth to the lido situated 1.5 miles away. The lido ended up being our saviour on our holiday. Fancy a game of pool??? The pool table in the snack bar beside the swimming pool had various drink stains on it and no chalk was available. This might have been nearly acceptable if it didn't cost you 5 euros an hour to play on! Unbelievable isn't it?

With the exception of one person, The bar staff were the grumpiest men I have ever seen in my life.
The night entertainment in the hotel consisted of an organ player four times a week blasted out the same old tunes on his casio. The miming magician used the same magic set that my mother bought me when I was a child but he did know quite a few ballon tricks.

The cleanliness of the hotel was average. The rooms however were kept clean by the maids. The other plus point was the hotel mini-bus that would drop you into Funchal town or down to the Lido, free of charge amazingly.
To summarise, this is the most expenisve hotel I ever stayed at with absolutely nothing for children. My advice, stay well clear of the Hotel Sao Joao.
One more point!! Plaese note the rooms in this supposed 4 star hotel do not have fridges so you have no choice but to buy cold drinks from the bar.

The resort of Funchal was lovely with many lovely walks and excursions. Don't book excursions with your rep. You can get them much cheaper around town. Madeira has the largest gas balloon in the world, You drift 500ft in the air to take in some lovely scenery. I would also recommend a trip on a catamaran to do some dolphin spotting which was out of this world and very reasonably priced.

There are many lovely bars and restaurants to try in Funchal although it helps if you like fish which seems to be on the menu everywhere.

The Lido is great for kids and very reasonably priced. I would also recommend the aqua-park in Santa Cruz. It isn't incredibly large, but the rides they do have are excellent and it is easy to keep an eye on younger ones.
Madeira is a fabulous place to visit and would consider coming again. There are many stunning hotels and apartments to choose from. It's a shame we didn't pick one of them.

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Hotel Sao Joao - Funchal

Operator and Date: (MyTravel Direct) My Travel - April 2004

Opinion submitted in Mar 2005 by :  Mike & Lynda - East Lothian (48,53)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We stayed at the Sao Joao in April 2004. (Building work appeared to be about to start on the vacant plot nexr to the hotel and may cause so noise problems) and had picked it because it wqas more central than a lot of the other hotels. 

We had a room on the top floor with a sea view and found it very clean and tidy, staff very helpful & frendly, and it had a good bar with entertainment some nights. ( Visiting National Football Clubs use this hotel to stay and train at some Friday/Saturday nights and can fill up the indoor swimming pool/Fitness equipment). We hired a 'Smart Car' to get around the Island which was great with the automatic gears in some of the hair pin bends. The island itself is amazing with very dramatic sceinery, but in the spring we found it quite cool away from Funchal and at one point we found ourself in 'Pea Soup' fog up on the  flat top of the mountain. 

The old town of Funchal is a delight to wonder, no crime, The local paper headline when we were there was 'Car widow broken in attempted robbery' Thats as bad as it gets. The Food on the island is amazing, fantastic beef on skewers with garlic butter, very ugly fish that are really tasty, dozens of realy good restaurants around the 'Old Town Area'and very cheap, lunch from £3.50 Dinner from £6.00. not a great deal of night life and most bars close around midnight, but no British 18-30 drunks, wonderful! 

All in All a great place to got, some amazing walks along the irigation channels through the mountains. Weintend to go back , but probibly a bit later in the year when it is warmer. If you want to really spoil yourself have afternoon Sunday tea at 'Reids' not cheap at £25 pp, but an indulgence you must rty once in yoour life.

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Hotel Sao Joao - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Airtours Direct) Airtours - December 2003 to January 2004

Opinion submitted in Jan 2004 by : David and Sylvia Hosgood - Cardigan (71,72)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We spent 2 weeks at the Sao Joao, to cover Christmas and New Year. This was our 6th visit to Funchal, but our first to this hotel. We had booked rather too late to get accommodation at our preferred hotels, and as it was described in the brochure as having 4 stars, I had expected there to be better facilities than in fact there were.

The bedroom itself was fine, but I was dismayed to find that no shampoo was provided in the bathroom. On enquiring at Reception if the maid might have forgotten to put this there, we were told that it is not the hotel's policy to provide shampoo. I was annoyed about this, as I had loads at home and could easily have packed a bottle. Instead we had to go out and buy some. I then discovered no hairdrier was provided, and had to hire one at Reception. This was just an inconvenience, but had I known about it before, I would have taken my own.

We had chosen this particular hotel because it advertised an indoor swimming pool and I usually spend a large part of any holiday swimming while my husband goes out walking (something I am unable to do due to a medical problem with my feet). On going to look for the indoor pool, we found that we had to leave the hotel foyer by a side door, walk down a flight of steps, walk along the length of the outdoor pool, then go down a further set of steps to reach the "indoor" pool. Had we been unlucky enough to have much rain during our stay, this would have entailed getting wet before even getting near the pool. My disappointment regarding this facility was increased when I found that the hotel did not provide towels for use at either of the pools and guests were requested not to take the towels from their bathrooms. Had the brochure made mention of this fact, I could have packed my own towels, but as they are bulky I had not packed any. I did not want to go and buy some at the shop, as that would have made the cases too full for our return journey. Result - I couldn't use the pool.

I had been pleased to read in the brochure that the hotel provided table-tennis, but was dismayed to find that this was in fact an outdoor facility, and as the hotel was up a steep hill and it was therefore quite windy, it seemed a bit unfortunate that they couldn't have provided a table indoors (especially for use in wet weather). Not a great problem for us, since we had lovely warm weather during our stay, but it's something the hotel might think about altering.

We found the staff extremely friendly and helpful and the meals were adequate if somewhat repetitive. All the rooms were clean and our towels were changed daily and the bed-linen 3 times a week.

We had paid extra to have a sea-view, and this was wonderful, especially as it made a marvellous place from which to watch the famous New Year fireworks. This year we thought they were just as good as the spectacular show put on for the Millennium - and we echo other people's admiration for the millions of coloured lights which decorate all the streets over the festive period. 

At the Gala New Year's Dinner, I was pleased to find that most people had dressed in evening clothes, as this had not been the case for the Christmas Eve Gala dinner. I would advise ladies to wear something smart but not too glitzy on that occasion, but "pull out all the stops" for New Year. I would have liked all guests to wear smarter clothes for Dinner, regardless of occasion, as I personally feel it an affront to a hotel which has made the effort to set the tables attractively and to try to cater for all tastes regarding food. Many people only wore jeans and sloppy tops, even to the Gala Dinners.

The Courtesy Bus was a great help and we thought the driver extremely good and most obliging. A pity that the bus didn't run in the evenings, as we would have liked to go down to the promenade and have a stroll after dinner. However, we found that by turning sharp right on leaving the front door of the hotel and walking (carefully, on very rough ground)down a side path, we came out onto the road into town and were able to take the No.11 bus, the bus-stop being only a few yards down the road. On returning up the hill, we could exit the bus a few yards down from the hotel entrance and walk on up, or else continue to another bus-stop up the hill and walk back down. Bus fares are very cheap.

We took several local buses to places we hadn't visited on previous holidays. The most memorable was the No.81 to the Curral Das Freiras (Nun's Valley), along a series of hairpin bends not for the faint-hearted but very beautiful. Another day we took the cable-car, which had been built since our last visit to Funchal. This was most interesting and is a "must" in our view. We enjoyed drinks at a cafe near the top, then took another local bus back to town.

Our 7th visit to Funchal will not be to the Sao Joao, unfortunately, but the town itself remains our favourite destination, particularly in winter. It's also a very nice place to visit during the Mardi Gras festival, at which time the Jacaranda trees are in blossom and are a beautiful sight.

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Savoy Classic - Funchal

Operator and Date: airworld tours-march 2006

Opinion submitted in Apr 2006 by : Stuart Kirk (62 and 62)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just returned from the fabulous island of Madeira staying at the 5 star Savoy Classic although I am sorry this is not a 5star more like 4 star, like a Dowager Duchess it has seen better days, the decor looks tired and the staff also, the breakfasts were monotonous with the same juices the same fruit and the same porridge, boiled eggs and fried full English every day. I think the only thing that changed was the flavour of the fruit yoghurts!!
I can not fault the facilities there and at the Savoy Royal across the road, good gyms and swimming pools.

Do watch out for the subtle time share in all the major hotel chains including the Savoy, there are so called Information centers by the main entrance advertising very very good deals for trips around different places on the island but to get them you have to attend a sales pitch for the so-called Savoy Resort Hotel or read that as time share, a waste of three hours of your holiday. And very, very expensive too.

Dont let this put you off, the island is wonderful full of great views and surprises but if you are looking for 5 star this hotel is not for you, it is being demolished at the end of this season may be this accounts for the poor food and service!

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Savoy Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Flight Direct Feb 2006

Opinion submitted in Mar 2006 by : Jackie 42, Kevin 46

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The savoy is a classic hotel but is showing signs of its age, shaby furniture and in our case a very small bathroom, with 60's style pink tiles. Rumour has suggested that it will be demolised soon. Which may account for the above.

The Hotel is spotless and using joint factilites with Royal Savoy is excellent. The Royal Savoy has far better pool side views.

Maderia is a pretty island which is a good choice to relax and potter about. It feels a very safe and clean resort, However do not visit it you are looking for a noisy night life. We are in our 40's and felt very young as most of the guests appeared to be over retirement age. I would not recommend it for children, but then again did not look for childrens factilites.

A very relaxing enjoyable holiday, with Savoy in one of the best locations. Be prepared for a steep walk uphill on the way back to your hotel. I admired the elderly for their staminia!

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Savoy Classic - Funchal

Operator and Date: Classic Collections - Nov 2005

Opinion submitted in Mar 2006 by : Michael and Marian over 55

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We stayed at the Savoy Hotel in Funchal for a seven day stay during November 2005.
The hotel is one of the best places to stay in Funchal.  We were of the seventh floor in an ocean view room, obtained for the same price as a side/ocean view by out travel agent. This offered a good view of part of Funchal including Reids's Hotel and part of the harbour complex. The Royal Savoy, the Savoy's sister property are separated by a minor road, but are linked by a footbridge. One can use the facilities of the two hotels and charge these to your room direct.

We have travelled the world and stayed is many top class hotels. The Savoy is in a holiday resort yet still oozes respectability without being too posh

There is ample space to spread about, both inside and out, plenty of garden area to relax in and a choise of pools.My wife is just under 5ft tall and found the Savoy pool too deep, she cant swim, but likes to walk in the pool holding of to the pool edge, only there wasn't a rail or grab tile to hand on to. The pools at the Royal Savoy were better, but still a little deep for my wife.

Funchal has plenty of restaurants, some within easy walking distance. We found it easier to walk into town, and get a taxi back. Taxis are plentifully and reasonable. All use metres. 
O Celeiro at Rua dos Aranhas serves decent food; it's up a little side street and has part of the resturaunt on the highway (pedestrianised)
Quinta Palmeira on Avenida do Infante is in an old courtyard within easy walking distance of the Savoy - on the same street -serves very good food served with a flourish!!
There are a number of restaurants in the hotel, these offer excellent cuisine and have a themed buffet each night as well as 'al a carte'. The top class Fleur de Lys is on the top floor of the Savoy, and has an old world elegance about it. It's worth going there just to see the rest rooms - the height of luxury!!!

We would definitely use this hotel again, and can highly recommend this hotel.
Michael and Marian Caernarfon Gwynedd

A superb hotel offering very high standards of accommodation.

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Savoy Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Orchid Travel - August 2005

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Julie + Gary, Paisley ( 27,26)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Just back from a week at the Hotel Savoy.  It was first class and I recommend it to anyone. Beautiful grounds and first class pool area.  We also used the indoor pool a lot which was quite quiet but lovely to end the day.  Hotel staff were superb and couldn't do enough for you.  No need to take towels, they are provided at the pool for you.  Never a problem getting a lounger either.  Drinks were about 4 euros a beer, 6 a cocktail and 2.50 for a coke.  You could get a toastie with chips and salad for 7 euros so it wasn't too dear either.  We had euro traveller cheques and at reception if you gave them 100 euro cheque you got 100 euros back, no charge!
We didn't eat in hotel (it was 33 euros each without drink) but if you want to eat in posh restaurant you need a jacket and tie and for the piano bar men need long trousers.

Funchal was a lovely place with no shortage of nice restaurants. Mar Azul on the waterfront was the best by far.Went on cable car and to the gardens at the top which was 22 euros each but we did spend 5 hours up there it was so nice.  Didnt fancy the toboggans much! 
Funchal was great but I missed the nighttime 'buzz' of other resorts as there was no street traders, shops closed at 7, and hardly any bars or nighttime entertainment. It didn't have any lager louts (which we were trying to avoid) but I felt that after dinner there wasn't much to do but head back to the hotel where the entertainment wasn't up too much.  

I probably wouldn't go back simply because you can see the whole resort in a week but I would recommend it to other people as it is a beautiful island.  It was overcast the whole time we were there but still warm enough to sit out and get a bit of a tan.  It was really pleasant at night as well.

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Savoy Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Style Holidays - June 2005

Opinion submitted in July 2005 by : Anthony and Paula Jarvis - Wirral (35, 35+)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

For the previous couple of years we had had our holiday in the Algarve. We wanted to try something different but keep the Portuguese theme so we decided upon Madeira.

We found Madeira to be a top class destination. We would rate it very highly and recommend it, especially if you are a more 'mature' holidaymaker. There is no beach in Madeira. Consequently there are probably better other resorts for young families, teenagers and party animals to go to.

Firstly, the hotel. The Savoy resort is easily one of the best on the island. We found the Savoy upmarket but (surprisingly) generally unpretentious. The room was spacious and kept very clean: 32 channel TV, mini-bar, air-con and balcony etc. The bathroom was also very clean with lots of piping hot water with a high pressure coming out of the shower. We booked with Style Holidays and were give a side sea view at no extra. The 'Mountain View' rooms back on to a busy main road (so ask for a high floor) and the sea view rooms get too expensive. The 'Classic Savoy' where we stayed had an old world charm about it. The facilities included a lovely sun terrace, out door pool/Jacuzzi, heated indoor pool/Jacuzzi, gym, sauna, Turkish bath, mini-golf, tennis courts, driving nets, ping-pong, oversized chess, a snooker table and free Internet access.

What seems to be the norm in Portugal we were only B&B which actually suits us great. For breakfast there was a huge choice of all the usual: cereals, cooked, juices, fruit, continental and cakes. However this included Porrage and freshly made omelettes cooked to your choice by a chef in front of you. Having said we found the hotel generally unpretentious, the main restaurant, the "Fleur de Lys" looked very pretentious and expensive. The classic Savoy is linked by a bridge to the newer, more modern "Royal Savoy".  Classic guests can use all the Royal facilities. Even though the Royal had a nicer ambience to it, it was £300 each more expensive for the week we stayed. Why pay more when you can use all of the facilities anyway?

The Savoy is situated in one of the best spots in Funchal, only a 20 minute walk to the centre. Coming back involves an uphill climb that some less mobile people could struggle with. However, there were loads of buses passing the hotel and it was so short into town that a taxi (with a rank just outside the main entrance) wouldn't have broken the bank either. We noticed that other hotels located further away in the hotel zone offered a courtesy bus into town. I don't recall the Savoy having this, probably because it is so close.

The hotel also put on evening entertainment and this included a "light Classical concert". When we were there it was a tenor (David Hedges) accompanied by a classical pianist. This cost us extra, 12.50 Euro each to attend. About 30 people attended in the beautiful setting of the hotels main drawing room. I can't find the superlatives to adequately describe the performance.

Other entertainment included "pub" type singers in the main bar. We had a great night in there, on the dance floor with 'Duo Tropical' belting out the hits.

During our stay we were fortunate enough to witness the final fireworks display of the Atlantic Festival in the main Funchal harbour. It was breath taking.

Other tips: In Madeira the timeshare touts have a new strategy, they don't tend to pester you in the street with their stupid scratch-cards but have set themselves up in "Information Kiosks" that offer cut price trips/excursions or free bottles of Madeira wine just for calling inside, guess what you have to attend a 90 minute presentation to get them. The restaurants do pester you a bit though and this can be quite annoying when you just want to look at the menu outside.

Visit the Blandy's wine tour, for 4 Euro it was excellent, all about the history of Madeira wine making. However, unless you want to spend more than 50 Euro on a bottle forget Blandy's and Dioges the best place to actually buy Madeira wine is the large 'Super Doce' supermarket in the centre of town. It had the largest choice and cheapest prices. 

Restaurants: by far the best we tried was 'O Celeiro' in the town centre. Simple food well cooked and inexpensive with it.

Trips: we did Nuns Valley (spectacular) and a boat trip. We greatly enjoyed both.

The cable car ride was spectacular. We chose to return via the much-recommended toboggan ride. This was a bit of a damp squib. It was too short, too slow and too expensive. Also it does not go all the way into Funchal so you are left with the choice of a 2-mile steep down hill walk or a 12 Euro taxi ride, we did the latter.  The Botanical Gardens were worth a look using the local bus service.

In summary we thoroughly enjoyed our holiday in Madeira and would recommend Funchal and the Savoy hotel.

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Hotel Savoy Classic - Funchal

Operator and Date: Kwik Travel - 2005

Opinion submitted in Aug 2005 by : Tracey Sedgwick - Stockton on Tees (43)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This was one of our best holidays.  We were looking for somewhere to "chill out" and Madeira did just that!  Taxi ride from the airport a bit hairy - but felt safe enough - checked in at the Hotel Savoy Classic and into our room.  Very clean and staff so polite and courteous.  It was great that we could share the facilities of the sister hotel The Savoy Royal, as the pool facilities at the Classic, although adequate were not quite as extensive as the Royal.  The glass lift was a thrill ride in itself!  

We were B&B and the breakfasts were superb.  Lots of choice - and even though breakfast was supposed to finish at 10.00 the staff kept replenishing empty hot plates etc.,  Found some excellent restaurants just outside the hotel.  If you can afford it you must have Afternoon Tea at Reids Palace - it was excellent - everything from the staff to the tea itself was first class.  A real treat!  I felt very safe in Madeira - no loud music blaring out - no youths hanging around - bliss!  

Would definitely visit again.

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Savoy Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Transun - April 2004

Opinion submitted in Apr 2004 by : Michael McFaul (54, 52)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Savoy lived up to its reputation as one of the top hotels on Madeira. Everything about it was top-quality right down to the Easter display in the foyer which included a mass of live chickens!
The location was good too - just a short stroll into the centre of Funchal and plenty of restaurants in all directions. (Note: people eat earlier here than in most tourist destinations - at 10.30pm we were often the last people in the restaurant.)
We were struck by how clean Madeira was - taxis, buses and even the bin lorries were all bright yellow and spotless. No grafitti anywhere and the place feels very safe although the drivers are as aggressive as they are in mainland Portugal.

For such a small island there is much to see and journeys take much longer than you would expect due to the nature of the terrain - high mountains and deep ravines - although increasingly tunnels are being built to make access easier. There are plenty of spectacular sights and even landing at the airport is quite an experience, looking as it does from the distance, more like an aircraft carrier.
The weather was mildly disappointing - most days were overcast and quite cool for much of the time and we missed dining al fresco.
However a lovely place to visit and develop your calf muscles!

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Tivoli Ocean Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: Thomson - June 2007

Opinion submitted in June 2007 by : R&S Taylor

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just arrived back from the Hotel Tivoli Ocean Park in Funchal Madeira.  The hotel service and breakfast was superb.  We were celebrating our Silver Wedding and were upgraded to a Tower Suite room by Thomson.  Each of the rooms were enormous, and the balcony was very spacious too.  We can highly recommend this hotel with confidence.  Yes they are building on either side, but it was no problem.

Funcal is a good area for exploring the island.  We can heartily recommend the Italia restaraunt which has some very reasonable but excellent meals.  Bear right outside the hotel, and turn right by the Yacht bar, carry on straight down and you will find it about half-way down the hill on the right.

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Tivoli Ocean Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: First Choice July 2006

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This is a really lovely hotel - spotless and very friendly staff.

Good location with great restaurants nearby.

Oh and lovely breakfasts - with very good choice.

Will definately be returning there!

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Tivoli Ocean Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: First Choice - July 2006

Opinion submitted in July 2006 by : Sara Harrison - London (26, 29)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This hotel is perfect for those that want to chill out and for those that need a base while they travel around the island during the day.

The hotel staff are very friendly and accommodating - the room service, cafe and restaurant facilities are all very good.

Make sure you explore the hotel on the first day - we only discovered the pool table the night we were leaving.

The facilities are fairly comprehensive - indoor and outdoor pools, loungers, sunshades, two gyms, indooor children's play area, jacuzzi, 2 saunas, turkish steam room, spa (the massages were very good), live music lounge, cafe and restaurant.

The breakfast buffet is excellent with lots of different things set out on different tables ranging from diet foods to fried food to madeiran specialities.

Although the hotel is about a 40 min walk from the centre of funchal, it's not a bad walk and taxis only cost about 5 euros. There are restaurants and shops around this hotel and there is a nice walk along a promenade that passes right in front of the hotel. There is a complementary bus that goes into funchal but it only goes at certain times from 9-5ish with a 2 hour break over lunchtime.

We found the best places to eat were:
O Jango - old town
La brasserie - just by Tivoli hotel promenade - looks very contemporary and is almost situated under the pool.
Taj Mahal - just near the casino area on the road that goes down to the avenida do mar road. THe staff are very friendly, very accommodating and the food is a welcome change to the repetitive Madeiran menus.
A bakery near the eden mar shopping centre - this place had all sorts of cakes and sweets and seemed popular with the locals.

Whale watching:
THis was one of my highlights and I really enjoyed the excursion. We used the Sea Pleasure catamaran although this trip takes longer and the boat is considerably slower than the Seaborn catamaran which was able to get much closer to the dolphins as it
was much quicker. Both of the boats offer some shade, a bar and some toilets - all required after a few hours on board. The trips offered by all the companies were about 25E.

Travel:
We hired a car which worked out at about £20 a day. Some of the roads around the island are quite narrow and steep but it's a good way to see the scenery. Other people did recommend using the local taxis which cost 45E for half day and 90E for a whole day. The taxi drivers seem quite knowledgable and are flexible with your needs.

Monte:
Definitely recommend catching the cable car up to Monte and coming down on the Toboggan - it's a bit on the pricey side but it's something you can't do elsewhere. The tropical gardens are also worth a wander round, although when we went it was deserted.

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Tivoli Ocean Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: Voyages Jules Verne - April 2006

Opinion submitted in June 2006 by : Gaye Myatt - Windsor (48, 46)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

2nd visit to this hotel (see our main review in april 2005).  Still impressed with hotel and island, although having now spent 2 weeks in total, feel we have 'done' sites and restaurants.

Updates to last visit
* Went on 2 levada walks with different walks companies - thoroughly recommended.
Knowledgable guides and nice to have transport to/from walk, rather than working out public transport times.
* New cable car recently opened to Jardim Botanico.  Terrific views - far better than more established cable car.
* last time, felt restaurants in old town were OK but nothing special. Still feel same - this time, tried a couple of restaurants near hotel which were good.
Restaurant next door to hotel garden exit on promenade side (sorry forgotten name) was excellent and stylish. Nearby pizza parlour Papa offered good local ambience and vfm
*  Monte Palace Gardens are as beautiful as ever - if you like gardens, don't miss.

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Tivoli Ocean Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice Premier - January 2006

Opinion submitted in Feb 2006 by : Jayne and Stewart - Nottingham (45, 40)

Resort Rating: Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We have just returned from a week at the Tivoli Ocean Park in Funchal.  The hotel is very nice and clean but having previously stayed at the Tivoli Marinotel in Vilamoura we felt it wasn't quite as good as this one.  The staff are very courteous and friendly and the buffet breakfasts are fantastic - something for everyone.

Funchal is perhaps more suited to slightly older people than us, although it was nice to feel young again! The general uniform of the holidaymakers there is a cagoule, good stout walking shoes and a stick with badges on.  I felt quite out of place in my skirts and sandals and my feet seemed to attract a lot of attention!  Even in the evening in the restaurants people were still wearing their walking clothes.

Tivoli Ocean Park is set in the lido area of Funchal about 30 minutes walk from Funchal centre.  There are plenty of shops and restaurants nearby, thankfully no fish and chip shops.  There's not a lot of choice for vegetarians unless you eat at the pizza/pasta places.  Casa Italia does a lovely vegetable pizza big enough for two and very reasonably priced.  The chinese restaurants Grand Asia and China Town are both very good also and very reasonable.  There is plenty of choice everywhere for meat eaters, lots of variety.

There are three large supermarkets within walking distance also very cheap.  Just a short walk up the road to the left of the hotel is a new shopping centre called Madeira Forum with some really nice shops including a Zara and Mango (all much cheaper than the UK).

The weather for late January was very mixed with some days of torrential rain and others quite hot and sunny.  Even when it rained it was still quite warm.

I didn't have the footwear to go on any official walks but we did a lot of walking out and about which was very nice.  There are lots of steps and steep hills everywhere so you need to be quite mobile.

All in all Madeira is a lovely place - we will probably go back in about 20 years time when we are old enough!

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Tivoli Ocean Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: (First Choice Discounts) First Choice - July 2005

Opinion submitted in Sept 2005 by : 48

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

The Hotel was definately 5 star.  It is beautiful.  Staff were friendly

Madeira is a beautiful island, very hilly but if you take your time manageable by all ages.

It is peaceful and unspoilt.

I would certainly go back here again.

The flowers are wonderful and everything is spotlessly clean.

There are Levada walks for all ages and it is lovely being out in the countryside.

The views from the Mountains are spectacular and photo shots are amazing.

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Tivoli Ocean Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: Voyages Jules Verne - April 2005

Opinion submitted in Apr 2005 by : G Myatt - Windsor (47, 45)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Great 7n holiday - we would return for another week and would stay at the  same hotel.
We had never travelled before with Voyages Jules Verne - mostly aged 45+ travellers on this trip - but very impressed with efficiency of company and the knowledge and helpfulness of reps.

Before we arrived, we were concerned that our Hotel near the Lido looked as if it was a long way out of Funchal.  However, we needn't have worried as the hotel runs a free shuttle bus during day, the public bus system is excellent (runs until midnight - approx 1 euro fare depending on zone)and taxis are easily available (approx 6 euros).

Hotel is very roomy and spotless.  Apparently, hotel is c7 years old but very well maintained.  Plenty of room around pool, good choice of breakfast buffet and staff all very polite.  We were on a B&B basis, but ate in the hotel's a la carte restaurant twice and it was very good.

Funchal itself was much busier, less picturesque than we expected - it's a working town.  Nevertheless, worth a wander. The "old town" section was only 2 small streets so smaller than we expected but mostly restaurants so there is plenty of choice.  All our meals were good and reasonably priced - we particularly liked Arsenios which included some fado music and O Tapissol. All the restaurants were full of tourists (mostly British), but the menus were based around Portuguese food.

Near our hotel, there were also restaurants/cafes but these tended to be more pizza/burger style.

We chose not to hire a car as Funchal is so busy and the island overall is very mountainous.   All the companies offer the same sights so wherever you go, there will be other tourist buses.   We went on a full day Venture East excursion including trip to Pico Ariero - great views.  Would also recommend seeing Curral das Freiras (Nun's Valley) - but look into getting a taxi or bus rather than excursion.   Madeira is famous for its gardens but we were disappointed with two of the gardens we visited including Quinta de Palheiro Ferreiro (aka Blandys).   In Funchal, don't miss going on the cable car to Monte and if you enjoy gardens,visit the Monte Palace Gardens - we thought they were fantastic.

The wicker basket trips are a famous tourist experience - remember that apart from the 10 euro pp.fee, you will be expected to tip the pullers, buy the photo (10 euros) and unless you fancy a stiff walk, get a bus or taxi back into central Funchal.

We did not go on any of the official levada walks - we definitely plan this next time.  Folks who did go said the difficulty gradings were probably one notch up from what they expected ie a "moderate" graded walk was harder than they expected. Keen walking friends of ours who went to Madeira a couple of years ago, found the Sunflower walks book invaluable.

Overall, Madeira caters mostly for couples  and 40+ - it doesn't have the attractions to appeal to people looking for wild nights or children. Those with mobility difficulties need to be careful (everywhere is hilly). However, it is a very scenic island with a "classy" feel.

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Tivoli Ocean Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: (Thomson Direct) Thomson - November 2004

Opinion submitted in Nov 2004 by : Morna Cox - Aberdeen (38, 49)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

HOTEL: Would thoroughly recommend the Ocean Park - room & all reception areas were clean, freshly decorated & spacious. All staff nice and friendly. Plenty of choice at breakfast and definitely enough to keep you going for the day. It's about a 30-40 min walk to the old town, but there's also a hotel courtesy bus running through the day which we used a couple of times. The hotel is on an access road, below the main road through the area, therefore did not suffer from the trafffic noise that I heard some other holidaymakers comment on.

WEATHER: Very mixed in the 1st week of November!  It was never cold but, out of 6 days there, 4 had rain showers - some of them very heavy!  Take a brolley everywhere - but, if you don't, there's usually an entrepreneur not far away selling one!  We had 2 days when the sun was hot enough to sit/ lie in it.

RESTAURANTS: Plenty of choice - and very good quality.  We didn't have a bad meal but would particularly recommend Casa Italia (walk to end of access road to hotel & turn right down the hill to the Eden Mar complex) for the gorgeous food & large portions at very cheap prices.  Also, would recommend "O Dragoeira" (again, end of road, but this time turn left before the BANIF office, and it's on your right on the hill).  Try the "steak on a stone" - you cook it on a very hot stone in front of you, & the steak is excellent!

COFFEE!: This might sound strange, but i just have to tell you about the lovely coffee/ gateaux/ tarts/ pastries in a very small place we found - "Boutique Lido". (End of access road, sharp left round the Bank and it's opposite you). Suffice to say - if you try it once, you'll be back!

THINGS TO DO:  We did the Cable car trip from the Old town up to Monte, and then took the toboggan back down.  Would recommend both - I wasn't sure about the toboggan ride but it wasn't TOO scary!  I reckon that if the locals park their cars on the road you go down, they must have complete confidence that you're not going to hit anything!  The toboggan ride only goes half way down to Funchal but you can get a taxi back for about 8 euros. We walked back to the hotel, which took us just over an hour. We also did the East Island trip, and a Levada walk, both of which were enjoyable.  Like previous reviews, we booked these through Strawberry World as they were half the price of Thomsons (again, end of access road, and their office is opposite at the Monumental Lido complex). 

All in all, very enjoyable!

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Tivoli Ocean Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: Strawberry World - June 2004

Opinion submitted in July 2004 by : Andrew Blee - Bournemouth (34,28)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Excellent

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

We stayed 7 days in Funchal, Madeira and had booked on the internet with lastinute offers from Strawberry World. Tivoli Ocean Park is actually a five star hotel and we paid only £165 each - beat that!

A large U shaped hotel overlooking the ocean and with a great swimming pool and leisure area inside the U.
Excellent service from all the staff (we guessed thay had all just returned from a 'be nice to clients' course).
Rooms very nic ely decorated in fresh colours and with plenty of room between the furniture. Wonderful bathroom and nice touches such as mini-bar, flowers, information booklets and very very clean.

We usually go for four star accommodation - but at that price we opted for the five and were absolutely thrilled.
Funchal just a few minutes (15 actually) from the hotel and very beautiful with wonderful gardens. Shame about the traffic though and for anyone that thinks the roads in Madeira have been badly planned - let me assure you that they were not planned at all!
Overall, a wonderful holiday and certainly a bargain.

Just two small complaints:
1. Strawberry World has difficulty supplying us with our requested hire car on time - but appeared 25 minutes later at the airport with apologies and a free upgade to airconditioned Astra.
2. We found it difficult to get Coca Cola or Pepsi in restaurants and waiters continually tried to fob us off with a local Cola that was quite frankly - not nice.

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Tivoli Ocean Park - Funchal

Operator and Date: Strawberry World Travel - May 2004

Opinion submitted in June 2004 by : Karin Rickard - Cork (50,52)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Now very acustomed to booking our flights, hotel and car rentals on the internet we read all the reviews in the Madeira section with great interest.

Strawberry World Travel seemed to come up quite often with very favourable reviews and when visiting their web site and seeing that they actually had Irish staff as well, we decided to give them a go.
A very polite Alice revealed a vast knowledge about which hotel had what to offer and was quite forthcoming with her private views as well.
We chose to stay in Funchal at the Tivoli Ocean Park Resort Hotel for £175 each for a seven night stay. At that price we didin't quite expect to find the high five star standard we received. Facilities, rooms and catering were extraordinarily good.

Having mused at the driving standard of the locals we opted not to hire a car at all (a first on our travels) and instead toured the island with a local tour company. Strawberry World Travel also provided this service and we spent a total of two and a half days on the move.

Quite dissapointing was the vast amount of construction going on around almost all the island. What could have been breathtaking views were marred by cranes or trucks or buildings in costruction.
Our coach driver assured us that once the current projects were completed at the end of this year - the island would be all the more wonderful. I'm sure he is right but that was little compensation for us!

All in all, our stay in Madeira was very pleasant indeed. Strawberry World Travel are to be thanked for their excellent service, price and support. Tivoli Ocean Park was the highpoint of the whole week and we can recommend this to everyone that seeks a really good hotel with everything on site you could wish for. Flights with BA were simply... BA!

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Vila Camacho, Residential - Funchal

Operator and Date: Voyages Jules Verne - Feb 2006

Opinion submitted in Mar 2006 by : Andy & Julie - London (47, 40)

Resort Rating: Excellent

Accommodation Rating: Average

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Our second holiday in Madeira, last time was Dec 2004. Once again, had a great break. Madeira is truly a special place but it's not a holiday destination that suits everyone. Look at comments made by contributors on this website to see what Madeira does and doesn't offer and more importantly, whether it's likely to suit you. To summarise, good for: temperate climate, food, relaxation, scenery, strenuous walking, flora and fauna, Christmas lights in December. Not good for: nightlife, binge drinking, sunbathing, beaches, leisurely strolls, sea swimming, activities other than serious walking.

Resort
Second time around, I still think that Funchal town isn't anything special. Apart from catching buses and the cable car to Monte, I wouldn't waste time there unless the weather was seriously inclement. Only attraction we visited and enjoyed was the quirky museum of electricity. Worth a visit if only to remind us that Britain was once a manufacturing nation. It's dry on a wet day and cheap. Entrance on Rau Brigadeiro Oudinot I think - near seafront end.

The walk from the main hotel area (Monumental Lido) into town is grim. Like a cattle run but with heavy traffic. We were told this route gets plagued with timeshare salespeople in summer (not an issue in winter). Take the bus or use a map to find an alternative route into town.

Head inland though and it's a different story. Stunning scenery awaits and its best explored on foot so get fit before you go. Catch a bus to a suitable starting point - buses go everywhere (timetable from the real tourist office opposite the cathedral) - and set off into the wilderness. You'll hardly see anyone on these walks (well, not in winter anyway). We walked on established paths/levadas for over six hours and didn't meet a soul but we did see birds of prey circling overhead (or were they vultures?), afternoon mists funnelling through passes and laurel forests clinging to the side of mountains over a mile high. And the silence is amazing. Plan your route carefully though so that you know what you're taking on. Levada walks have a habit of starting easy and becoming more challenging as paths deteriorate or sheer drops appear alongside. You wouldn't want to take the kids on some of these walks - not unless you intended to get rid of them. 

Unlike the UK, Madeira isn't a 'nanny state'. Hazard warning notices, guardrails etc aren't widespread so take responsibility for your own safety. In my opinion, some of the levada footpaths cut into the side of cliffs were so potentially hazardous (due to precipitous drops on one side) that people wouldn't be allowed near them in the UK. Sunflower Landscapes publish a 'car tours and walks' guide to Madeira that's a great help (freely available over there and here for about £11). Buy it before you go and get internet updated information on the walks. Notice how often the word 'vertiginous' appears in the book.

If you can't manage the walking, take organised coach tours. Try Nuns valley, West island and East island tours. Take the cable car to Monte and then on to Jardim Botanica (both places are worth a visit). The new cable car route from Monte to Jardim Botanica is breathtaking (a head for heights is needed).

It's difficult to eat badly in Madeira. Even cheap and cheerful outlets serve decent food. Worthy of particular mention is Restaurante O Tonel. It's tucked away on a small lane/footpath that runs alongside the Hotel Vila Ramos, up from Rua da Casa Branca. It lies just behind the hotel. There's an excellent and imaginative menu, impeccable service, great atmosphere and it isn't expensive but feels it. Three courses of such quality plus drinks for two would cost me over £80 back in blighty but we paid about half that. Also, if you have a word with enthusiastic chef Ian the night before you intend to eat, he'll accommodate your particular dietary requirements, e.g. vegetarian/vegan (I should be on commission). Another great place to eat is the new Japanese restaurant at 53 Rua da Casa Branca. Food not particularly cheap but exquisitely presented and again, of superb quality. Allow the Japanese manageress to guide you when you order.

Residential Vila Camacho
Bear in mind this is a very cheap hotel. We paid around £200 each for one week B&B incl. flights & transfers, not AOA and with a reputable travel company so we weren't expecting miracles (and we didn't get one).

Vila Camacho advertises itself as 3 stars but two would be nearer the mark. Situated maybe 500m from the seafront (in Madeira, that means up a hill), it's in a decent enough area away from busy roads so fairly quiet. There are barking dogs all over Funchal but they usually stop by late evening. The hotel looks good from the outside despite it sitting on a very small plot. Out front there's a nice patio area with tables and chairs on which you can enjoy breakfast and lunch with distant sea views. To one side, they've shoehorned in a tiny swimming pool. Inside, it's perfectly serviceable. Rooms are basic, neat and clean if a little dark and there wasn't much space for your stuff in the rooms we saw. Bathroom is adequate, most have just a shower, common areas were clean and tidy, staff mainly friendly and helpful although a bit stressed serving breakfast. Ever stayed in hotels where you can clearly hear other guests moving about and, er, going about their business? Well, I recon this is one of the worst. We thought it was raining heavily one night but it wasn't!

The hotel building is confusing. Seems like it's been extended over the years. This means that room outlook is variable. Several rooms on the ground floor have a walkway going right past a window. Not very private. There's also a small annex block, some 30m away along a narrow lane. Rooms in the annex seemed OK but again a bit dark and with walkways going past the windows (have I got a thing about this?). Our package price included a room in the annex but, upon arrival, we were offered a room in the hotel for a little extra so we took it (not much different really and in some ways I wished we'd plumped for an annex room).

The breakfast included in the package consisted of bread with slithers of cheese and ham followed by mixed fruit salad, tea or coffee and fruit juice. Boring after a few days. A cooked breakfast cost extra. We had a couple of rainy mornings so everyone wanted to breakfast in the hotel dining room rather than sit outside. This is when we realised that the dining room couldn't seat all the guests. Some of us had to wait about 30 mins. Such a delay could put you out if you'd planned an outing. Didn't eat dinner in the hotel but others praised it. Overall, the hotel is fine as a base but not a place to spend much time. Regular bus services run from near the hotel into town or walk down to the Monumental Lido (about 800m) and catch buses to just about anywhere on the island.

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Vila Camacho, Residential - Funchal

Operator and Date: Jules Verne - 2006

Opinion submitted in January 2007 by : Brendan (39) Helen (38)

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

This package was good value for money with a no-frills approach. The hotel is simple but welcoming. The meals are adequate to good and the staff are helpful but can in busy periods, be a bit slow. The only slight annoyance was complimentary mineral water in the room that turns out not to be when settling your room bill!

The location is quiet and the hotel has a very pleasant terrace/ garden with nice views. it's a twenty minute walk into central Funchal and a ten minute one to the hotel zone. The walk on the way back is steep in places but a taxi will only cost you about 5 euros. The Island is great to explore in a hire car. I don't drive normally but found the coastal and mountain roads safe and the walking sometimes spectacular!

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Vila Ramos Hotel - Funchal

Operator and Date: Alatantic Hollidays Aug 2006

Opinion submitted in October 2006 by : Dave Olive Hollie - Topping 48,46,13

Resort Rating: Very Good

Accommodation Rating: Very Good

My/Our Holiday Opinion: 

Price £365 per person 7 Nights dep Gatwick

Good basic Hotel on the edge of the main Funchal Hotel Zone.
We had a ample sized triple bed room with sea view.
Hotel pool has an "Astraturf carpet" around its edge, watch out for Lizzards hiding in your towel or clothing layed on the floor.
Food was average but we were only half board, so we had the pleasure of tryin