Dorisol Buganvilia Aparthotel, Funchal

Advantages: Comfortable, clean hotel with lots of facilities close to Funchal Lido
Disadvantages: A pull uphill to the door - but it is Madeira - everything is uphill!

...Bearing in mind the price of this hotel, we were agreeably surprised by the quality. The room was clean and of a reasonable size with a lovely sea view and overlooking the swimming pool. The staff were friendly, especially the chambermaids! The breakfast was good, with a good selection of food,although being self-service it was a bit of a scramble if you arrived at around 9am, when we all seem to want to eat our breakfasts! The only problem is that the hotel is a sharp pull up from the road (as is most of Madeira) although those with cars or using taxis will have no problem arriving at the door. The walk into Funchal is very manageable by us two 69 year olds but we are fitter than some and enjoy levada walking. The levada near the hotel has 150 steps up to it!... Read review

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Advantages: Informal, clean, decent food, right near the beach
Disadvantages: Hideously expensive bar and wines

...We stayed at the Pestana Bay "Aparthotel" four-star hotel in Funchal (the capital of Madeira) in August 2005 and I'm happy to recommend it to anyone reading this. It was clean, conveniently placed (i.e right near the beach and with a nearby bus stop for trips into town), not too formal or "stiff upper lip" and the breakfasts were pretty good. COSTS: We paid just over £500 each including flights, for a 2-week stay in August, which we thought was pretty good value given that it's not the cheapest of locations. This included buffet breakfast each morning. The bar is expensive and probably best avoided if you need to watch the euros- we paid something like 10 euros for a Southern Comfort and coke, and a small bottle of beer. There are plenty of bars in Funchal where you can get the same drinks for under four euros, so I would advise... Read review

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Advantages: Clean, friendly staff, in good restaurant territory
Disadvantages: At the top of a great big hill, evening 'entertainment'

...We booked this hotel though Expedia, having chosen it from the many hotels in and around Funchal. We were visiting Funchal in November (still lovely weather for this time of year). Arriving We arrived quite late at night (near midnight). Having got a taxi from the airport we were dropped right at the door and didn't see much until the next day. Reception quickly checked us in and we went off to our room. Seemed clean and friendly enough. The room We had a twin room which was quite small, but we weren't looking to spend a great deal of time in it. There was a reasonably sized bathroom with bath/shower, sink and toilet. There was a tv in the room with various music channels, a fridge, a safe box and a lovely view over Funchal. There was plenty of wardrobe space. The room was cleaned daily and kept in good condition... Read review

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