Savoy Resort, Funchal

...in Madeira staying at the Savoy hotel, a hotel built for the cruise ships patrons and with an old world charm, where we discovered that they were building a 5 star resort hotel overlooking the sea and connected by a bridge to the Classic hotel. That was back in 2001 and it was completed a couple of years later. I always wanted to stay there to see what it was like and I am pleased to say my wish was granted earlier this month.

The ...
...with the logo for the Savoy hotels, which could be seen when the floral top cover was turned down. Extra cushions were put in the wardrobe when the maid turned down the bed and nightwear was beautifully arranged and a delicious chocolate left each night!

Lounge area

There was a good sized settee in green with green and cream stripes, a small round table and padded arm chairs, where you could eat if it wasn't nice enough ... more

Do you remember the 9 11 disaster? I do. I was on holiday in Madeira staying at the Savoy hotel, a hotel built for the cruise ships patrons and with an old world charm, where we discovered that they were building a 5 star resort hotel overlooking the sea and connected by a bridge to the Classic hotel. That was back in 2001 and it was completed a couple of years later. I always wanted to stay there to see what it was like and I am pleased to say my wish was granted earlier this month.

The Royal Savoy resort hotel is built overlooking the sea and I think that nearly every room and suite must have a sea view. We were on the fifth floor and had a magnificent view both of the sea and across to the harbour for the cruise ships. Fortunately through our Vacation Club or timeshare we are able to stay at other resorts and did an exchange as we hadn't used our apartment in Malta this year.

Our plane arrived just before 1.00pm so when we arrived at the hotel our apartment wasn't ready and we were told to come back in a couple of hours, they processed our credit card to save time later. Our luggage had been taken from the taxi so we didn't have to worry about that and spent a pleasant couple of hours in the gardens at Neptune's Bar and had a light lunch, but we soon became too hot in travelling clothes and really wanted to change into suitable clothes for the temperature. We tried at Reception again, but same reply, come back later. Everyone was getting the same information and the staff looked quite harassed, when I looked at the information we had I noticed it did say 4.00pm for check in time, and that was when we got our room key. Was it a case of "It's more than my job's worth" and they did not like giving people the key early? Many regular guests were very annoyed as they had emailed to say they were arriving early but it seemed as if there was a shortage of staff to clean the rooms on the busy changeover day.

First impressions

I knew we had a studio, not as large as our apartment in Malta, but was pleased to see it was really a good size. I by-passed the bathroom and walked through the bedroom area to the lounge were I spotted a small kitchenette and then opening the billowing net curtains, I was able to walk out onto a good sized balcony and look out to the ocean, I thought this is fine I'm going to enjoy being here. The balcony had two comfortable wicket basket chairs and a reclining sun lounger plus large round table. I was even more pleased when I looked in the bathroom to discover we had lovely white towelling robes, and Molton Brown hand wash cream, shampoo and shower cream in large containers! I even discovered terry slippers in the wardrobe, a useful gift. There were lovely pictures on the walls, various scenes, flowers and fish.

Our Studio

As mentioned the bathroom was supplied with containers, rather than little sachets, something I favour and there was also tissues, and shower caps. There was a bath with shower attachment, separate shower, washbasin, toilet and bidet and a set of wooden drawers underneath the vanity unit for toiletries. The fitted hairdryer also had a plug for electric razors. There were plenty of mirrors in fact half a wall!

In the hall area was a double wardrobe with a set of 3 drawers and also a full length mirror, also a cupboard containing all the electric switches for the studio.

The bed was king size, very comfortable and had a foam top comforter. There was another double wardrobe with nifty lights which came on when they sensed you moved something, making it easy to find your clothes. Also a set of 3 drawers and in this wardrobe was a safe - FREE! Full marks for that Savoy! And also an ironing board and iron. There were two bedside tables, with lights and again a wall of mirrors, making the alcove bedroom look larger than it was. Opposite the bed was a desk/dressing table with a standard lamp and mirror and this also had 3 small drawers. The leather directory was on the desk informing guests of all the facilities. The bed had beautiful white embroidered sheets with the logo for the Savoy hotels, which could be seen when the floral top cover was turned down. Extra cushions were put in the wardrobe when the maid turned down the bed and nightwear was beautifully arranged and a delicious chocolate left each night!

Lounge area

There was a good sized settee in green with green and cream stripes, a small round table and padded arm chairs, where you could eat if it wasn't nice enough to be out on the balcony, but we always had breakfast and lunch outside. The square coffee table had a selection of books and magazines about Madeira. There was a large cream wooden cupboard which had the television on top and also housed the fridge, the other cupboard had a little space for food items and also the kettle and toaster were stored here, along with the instruction booklets. The kitchen area was built into the wall which separated the living area from the bedroom. There was a normal sized sink and draining board and two hot plates, above this were 2 cupboards with a great selection of crockery and glassware - 24 glasses for 2 people! and a microwave oven with grill. Under the sink was a large waste bin separated for re-cycling and a supply of dishwasher tablets and washing up liquid and dustpan and brush. Yes, there was a built in dishwasher, quite narrow but very quick and efficient, Whirlpool I think. Also a set of drawers with cutlery, cooking utensils and tea towels and table mats etc.

Other rooms.

There are Junior suites, superior and two bedroom suites and even two penthouses plus 12 double rooms which don't have kitchen facilities, altogether 174 rooms. All the rooms have been tastefully and elegantly decorated with good quality furnishings.

Places to eat and drink

The main restaurant on the ground floor was called the Armada restaurant, this alternated between having Buffet service or a la carte. We ate here twice, the first night was the welcome Buffet a great choice of starters and salads, soup, main courses and sweets, fresh fruit plus cheese and biscuits plus house wine for €32. We also tried the Italian night and sampled some lovely pasta and rice dishes, slightly more expensive at €39, and no wine!

Breakfast was served here and tables were also available outside by the pool. They served an American buffet breakfast at €16 per person and daily specialities were also served.

The Galley was a place you could get a drink or lunch time meal, and also shared the outside seating with the Armada restaurant.

Just behind the galley was the Piano bar where we had a coffee after dinner, and a drink whilst enjoying the evening entertainment. The seating was very comfortable and also plenty of seating further away from the Piano and stage, where you could talk and still listen to the music. The dance floor was very small, but adequate whilst we were there. Some people sat in the Library and watched from above, as this area was open.

The Neptuno Terrace snack bar, was where we had our lunch the day we arrived, plenty of seating outside with umbrellas, waiter service of drinks, snacks, pizzas, and lovely ice creams.

You could also eat at the restaurants over the bridge at the Hotel Savoy, so plenty of choice.

Activities

Not everyone wants to go sightseeing or lie sunbathing so having some activity during the day is quite good. There was Aqua aerobics in the indoor pool, Pilates another day, flower arranging demonstration and a mini golf tournament, even a visit of the kitchen. There are lots of things to do in the garden at the Savoy like Giant Chess, quoits, tennis, mini golf, table tennis.
We were given a leaflet with excursions that we could go on, and the Levada walks, we didn't make use of any of these having visited the island before but the seemed to well subscribed the week we were there.
There was a small area for children to play and more toys over the bridge at the Savoy hotel.

The Spa

I do enjoy being pampered and thought I would check out the Spa, I was a bit taken aback by the prices though -€75 for a basic massage, specials like Coconut delight when you get a foot soak, body scrub, coconut bath, body mask and face treatment costs €215. There was a special offer for a face treatment and a massage for € 90. The spa overlooks the indoor pool and looked very nice but I kept a tight hold on my credit card!

The outdoor pools and grounds

There were 3 outdoor pools, two sea water and one of these was heated and a fresh water heated pool, plus two children's splash pools. There is a pool attendant where you can exchange your pool card for a towel and on its return you receive your card back.
There were plenty of sun beds and padded mattresses and also umbrellas, the staff were very helpful and waiters from the Terrace bar came round if you wanted drinks. There were toilets and changing rooms at both ends of the gardens and we enjoyed walking around the area , watching people who used the access to the sea bathing and climbing up the steps at the viewpoint and the Fort to look out to sea. The fort sometimes is used for small weddings making an unusual setting. There are some water features and little bays with loungers rather than in rows.

General information

The hotel is built into the cliff and when you enter reception it is on level 8, so you go down to level 1 for the pool. Level nine has a door onto the bridge to go over to the Savoy hotel, but you need to use your key pass to enter stopping non residents entering at that level.
There is plenty of seating and unusual art pieces and wooden tables and chests in the Reception area, plus two lifts that go up internally and two lifts with glass which gives you a sea view at certain levels.
There was limited outside parking and also underground parking with a lift directly into the hotel.

Vacation ownership

As I have already mentioned we went on an exchange through Interval International, but we were invited to the meeting on Tuesday morning to find out more about the hotel and the island. We were directed to our personal team member, who fortunately after discovering we had come on an exchange wasn't too bothered in hard sell, but some people were subjected to a long morning and being urged to buy! We had our coffee, there was also Bucks Fizz and sat out on the veranda reading the information we were given about the resort. There was also a Cocktail party in the evening at the Galley Lounge where the wine was flowing and a few lovely canapés - more of theses delicious morsels would have been appreciated! We noticed that there was a list of restaurants where you could use your discount card, so we spotted our personal team member and asked for the card! Providing you pay cash you get 10% off the bill or 5% if you paid by Credit card. The list was very helpful and the directions useful. You also get vouchers for recommending people to buy a week at the resort.

Price

This really depends on what type of suite you choose and when you go. There was a special offer on when we were there for a Half board package, 3 nights cost € 117 or 5 nights €180, and this would be in a normal hotel room without a kitchen. To stay in a Junior suite costs £1696 for a week on December 15th 2009.

My Views

The staff on the whole were very friendly, the door man always spoke, the maid was efficient and the suite was clean, they even emptied the dishwasher if I had put it on and gone out. The waiters were also excellent but the Reception staff needed a little more training in how to cope with a huge in take of people as Monday flights from the UK bring in hundreds of guests! The situation is great over looking the sea and a short walk downhill takes you onto the road past the harbour and into town, disadvantage is you have to walk uphill on the way back! It is in an excellent situation for restaurants and a few small supermarkets, the buses run off the main road near the Savoy hotel or downhill towards the harbour. Taxis arrive quite quickly when requested and the resort will arrange collection from the airport when you arrive.

Would I return? You bet I would! If we can get another exchange but not at full price!

PS This is a 5 star resort not 4 as shown by Ciao. 

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