Reid's Palace a Belmond Hotel Madeira

"I stayed here 20 years ago and wanted to return. The place did not disappoint and maintains its standards. Although the Saturday night dinner and dancing is gone (i guess all the guests who wanted it have since died), there was a band in the bar on Friday night. Too bad it was pretty quiet the other 2 nights we were there (one night there was a piano player in the bar). A hotel like this should have some action going on especially on a Saturday night. The Briso restaurant was good for al fresco dining with a view. Breakfast every day was excellent (although they could get a better quality smoked salmon for the buffet). Lunch at the pool patio terrace was very good. Gelato at the gelateria next door was fair. I didn't eat at the Italian restaurant; they had no fish on the menu. We went off property for 2 nights and ate very well at other places recommended by hotel staff. Our check-in was by a striking lady who looked and sounded as if she had been performing in James Bond films all her life greeting 007 as he checked in. A lot of staff there had very elegant voices and demeanors that seemed manufactured just for people working at this fine hotel and which besuited their unique uniforms. Our suite 984 was reachable by about 40 stairs after taking the elevator to the 8th floor. It's not for everyone. Had a nice terrace with great city and ocean views. There were lots of treats and flowers in the room. The room was pretty and the bathroom was spacious. My main complaint which would preclude me from wanting to return to this room is that during the night some kind of device turns on and off every few minutes and it sounds like an x-ray machine in a dentist's office turning on and then off a second later. Unless they can get that thing to shut up, it's really annoying at night if you are a light sleeper. They replaced the thick duvets with sheets and blankets and we slept better with those. The hotel has a shuttle to town. It also picks you up in town but the pickup site is about a mile from the dropoff and it's not really practical to use the shuttle to return to the hotel. They should find a pickup site in town that makes more sense if they are not allowed to pick up exactly where they drop off. Ubers are cheap and taxis are also plentiful although Ubers are half the price of a taxi. Prices for rooms at this hotel are reasonable for international standards; it probably helps that most of the tourists staying there are British while Americans have not quite figured out this place yet although there are some here. There is a gym but it is small with equipment that attempts to be multifunctional in a small space but turns out to be unusually complex to use. There are great views from the treadmills though. There is also an outdoor workout area which can be hot if it is hot outside. It took me about 6 minutes to get to the gym from my room at a very brisk trot which involved 2 elevators, lots of stairs on both ends and lots of walking. The outdoor pools are about a minute closer than the gym. They are quite large and well heated. This hotel has the first bathing suit spinner I saw in all of Portugal on my trip. There is also an elevator that goes down to the ocean level which everyone should at least visit for the stunning cliff views and the ocean water pool if you don't mind a bit chillier water temperature. If you want to be close to the pool and gym you are probably happier staying in the newly built annex. I prefer the historical building although it is quirky and somewhat inconvenient to the rest of the property. This hotel is sprawling and can be disorienting for those who want to not have to go up and down and all around just to get around the property. But it has lots of charm as a historical property now in its 135th year and it is clearly the best in town. Madeira is a lovely island with exotic fruits, dramatic views and lots of activities including canyoning, cliff jumping and hiking. Could be fun with kids even if at the hotel it seems like there are few of them. More nonstop flights from the US are coming and with that some of the charm will probably go away along with higher prices."

"The place is generally quite remarkable. Beautiful hotel with great facilities, mostly attentive staff. Decent variety of breakfast. At this price point, however, there are too many mistakes: - dirty sheets on arrival - wailing water pipes which I worried would not let me sleep. They ended up being quiet in the night, but it stressed me out unnecessarily. - staff member once entered the room without knocking DESPITE music playing on loudspeaker in the room. - dietary preferences are not being followed that well - it took a few days for the staff to remember them - breakfast vegan menu options are better than average but still lacking. Low number of vegan options outside of breakfast. - hotel provides a steamer, but there are no power sockets around the area with hangers - this makes no sense - shower has no moving shower head, only an overhead one. The bath has a showerhead."

"5 Stars across every category - we are seasoned travelers and our stay in Madeira at Reid's was an amazing experience. We chose to make Reid's our hub for our 14 nights stay , to unpack once and relax , while we added adventure to exploring all of Madeira with day trips. Reid's made that the right choice for us."