We booked a last minute holiday in Madeira in september 2007 and on the advice of our agent decided to go for the Pestana Grand hotel. The hotel was rated as a 5 star by our agent although this site rightly has it as a four-star. We booked on a bed & breakfast basis and with flights and transfers It cost us about £650 each for the week .
On arrival the reception staff were very helpful and spoke excellent English. We had been booked into a mountain view room and asked if we could upgrade to a sea view. This was no problem for, I think, an extra £20 per night. This was well worth it as we noticed that the mountain view rooms all overlooked the car park. The view was excellent from our room and we could see people fishing from small boats, the hotel gardens and pools and people walking along the promenade which takes you from the hotel into the capital city Funchal and the harbours.
The room was a really good size with decent aircon, a fridge and a nice bathroom. All rooms
have a balcony. The cleaning staff did a good job and everyday the room looked as new when we got back from our trips into the island.
Breakfast was excellent and you can eat in the restaurant or outside near the pools. The quality and selection of the food was impressive. Breakfast is serve yourself, buffet style but as soon as we sat down we were asked if we wanted tea or coffee and it always arrived quickly. Sparkling wine was also always on ice in case you wanted a bucks fizz with your brekkie. The buffet included a good selection of cereals, muesli, yoghurts and fresh fruit. Hot breakfasts were available including everything you could want for a full english plus more. Eggs were cooked to your requirement and there was a good selection of bread, rolls and cakes. Everywhere cakes in Madeira!
We went for a walk each evening and so didnt dine at the hotel. Not far away, turning right on the promende is a group of three restaurants, all casual - an Italian, A mexican and a fish restaurant. We ate at the Italian and the Mexican and both were good. The mexican was actually more of a south american restaurant, I had a great Argentinian steak Just opposite these three restaurants was a fish restaurant perched right on the cliff. We booked a good table the day before and had a great spot right on the edge overlooking the sea. The seafood selection for 2 that we chose could have fed four and was excellent.
We picked up supplies for our fridge from the supermarket in the precinct behind the 3 restaurants.
The hotel has very nice pools with plenty of space for sun loungers. Inside the hotel was a very good pool, sauna and hot tub.
Drinks and lunchtime food were good and reasonably priced and service was good.
The walk into Funchal along the promenade is a pleasant one although you wouldnt want to do it every day. The hotel has a regular free bus service to funchal and the bus was always there on time when we wanted to return.
Things to do in Funchal include the botanical gardens with a sledge ride down the hill afterwards. The sledge is a wicker basket which just slides down the steep road and is pushed and guided by two men in 'traditional' costume. This apparently was the idea of a Brit who couldnt face the walk back into town at the end of each day. They take a photo of you on the way down and stop halfway so you are faced with a long walk or an overly priced taxi trip. We paid for the taxi and bought the pics because it didnt add a lot to the total and it was a memorable if slightly cheesy experience. The trip to the gardens is in a cable car not far from where the hotel bus stops in Funchal.
Afternoon tea at Reid's Palace Hotel is not to be missed and I have reviewed this experience elsewhere.
In town are markets and plenty of small restaurants to explore. The local specialities are Scabbard fish, which is really ugly - we saw some in the market - they look like wet black leather sword scabbards with big teeth and bulging eyes. On your plate though they look and taste fine. Limpets are a local treat which we tried but werent to our taste. One thing that you must try are the huge beef kebabs that they serve on 3 foot long skewers which hang from the ceiling in some places or shorter ones on table top holders in others. They are called espetada and are well worth a go. The main specialtiy of Madeira is of course the wine. There is no shortage of tasting opportunities but unfortunately we both hate the stuff so can't give you much more detail about it.
The hotel welcome presentation sets out all of the activities and trips available and I believe tries to sell you a timeshare. The levada walks are popular and well worth doing one or two. Take a waterproof jacket, some decent trainers or walking boots and a jersey as it can get cold, wet and misty at altitude. We hired a car and did our own thing for the week. Hiring the car gave us access to a couple of sandy beaches although one was man-made and a bit grotty.
Pestana have a number of hotels around Funchal. The first Pestana hotel that we stopped at in the airport coach looked like it was in the middle of nowhere and I think was the budget option so be careful when booking.
the vast majority of the people staying at the hotel were 50 plus, mainly retired folk I think. We only saw a couple of families there. I dont think Madeira is a great place for family holidays due to the lack of beaches.
We were very happy with the Pestana Grand hotel and recommend it as a peaceful and relaxing place to stay in Funchal. We rate it as a good 4 star.
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Location. Set on the Ponta da Cruz headland, Madeira's southernmost point, the Pestana ... more
Grand Hotel is a contemporary property which opened in 2004. Situated in a 21st century apartment district, the shops, restaurants and cinemas of Madeira Forum are...
Information:
Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
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