"We stayed at Pestana Casino Park for a week and had a fantastic holiday. The hotel is in a brilliant location, within easy walking distance of Funchal town, the marina and plenty of restaurants, bars and attractions, although be prepared for some steep hills! Having the casino next door was a nice bonus, and guests receive a free one-week pass, which we really enjoyed. It was also convenient having an ATM and a small jewellery shop in the hotel lobby.
The hotel itself is beautiful, with stunning views over the harbour and immaculately maintained gardens. The outdoor pool was always spotless and felt really fresh and clean, and we never had any trouble finding sunbeds, no matter what time of day. The indoor spa pool was also lovely for a relaxing swim, although it could have been just a little warmer. There were plenty of comfortable seating areas around the hotel to sit with a drink in the evenings and enjoy the views.
Our room was spacious with a lovely balcony, and the housekeeping team were outstanding. The room was cleaned every day, with fresh towels, bedding changed regularly, carpets vacuumed and everything left spotless. We were really impressed by the high standard of cleanliness throughout our stay.
Breakfast was excellent every morning with a great variety of hot food, pastries, fresh fruit, cheeses, meats and breads. The evening buffet changed theme each night, which kept things interesting throughout the week. Our favourite was the Medieval Night, where the fish was cooked to perfection. The restaurant staff worked incredibly hard to keep everything clean, with tables cleared and reset quickly.
The Dockside Bar became one of our favourite places for lunch thanks to the delicious food and stunning views over the harbour. A special mention must go to Teresa at the Dockside Bar, who was so warm, friendly and welcoming throughout our stay. She always had a smile on her face and made us feel genuinely looked after. We’d also like to thank Fabiana on reception, who was incredibly approachable, helpful and a pleasure to chat to. They are both a real credit to the hotel.
One unexpected highlight was watching the hotel’s falconer use an eagle to keep the pigeons away. It was really effective, interactive and something a little different that we looked forward to seeing each day.
There are just a few small areas where the hotel could improve. The carpets in our room and along the Level 5 corridor looked a little tired and could do with replacing. The rooms would benefit from USB charging points, larger bath towels and a hook in the toilet area, while larger glasses at breakfast would also be appreciated. Some background music around the outdoor pool would help create more of an atmosphere.
One thing we did notice was that there were clear signs around the pool stating that jumping in, ball games and inflatables were not permitted, yet these rules didn’t seem to be enforced. We completely understand that families are on holiday and children should have fun, but at times there were inflatables, balls and lots of jumping into the pool without any intervention from staff, despite the rules being clearly displayed. It just made the signage feel a little pointless.
We were also disappointed that desserts had run out by around 8:30pm one evening. Charging €4 for a 500ml bottle of water at dinner felt a little expensive, especially as an automatic service charge was also added.
These are all relatively minor points and certainly didn’t detract from what was a wonderful stay. We thoroughly enjoyed our week at Pestana Casino Park and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone visiting Madeira. We would happily return in the future."
