Pestana Grand Premium Ocean Resort

"This was a great place to stay for our week in Madeira! The hotel as a whole is really lovely, and the rooms were a great size, with gorgeous sea views from the balcony. The whole hotel is very clean, and never felt crowded (although we did come at the start of September). The pool facilities are also fantastic, with two outdoor saltwater pools (which aren’t that salty at all so are lovely to swim in) and an indoor pool which we didn’t try but also looked lovely. Even during the busiest parts of the day, the pool was never crowded and you could always find a sun lounger - it was really refreshing to not have to go and reserve a lounger at 7AM like you have to do so often!! It was also great to have pool towels provided, as it’s one less thing to have to pack. In terms of food, we were very impressed by the buffet - for both breakfast and dinner, there were a wide range of options, including vegetarian and gluten-free dishes. What was really refreshing was that every night had a different theme at the buffet (for example, one night was a traditional Madeiran barbecue with skewers of meat, while the next was all vegetarian dishes). It was also lovely that, for a couple of the themes, the buffet was served outside by the pool, instead of inside. Picky eaters be warned, though - there’s no chicken nuggets, chips or pizza here!! Also shout out to the lady who was making the omelettes at the egg station during breakfast - they were delicious!! We also tried all three of the a la carte restaurants during our stay, and were thoroughly impressed with each of them. They each have a very small menu, but what they serve is absolutely delicious!! Each restaurant has its own unique vibe, which was really lovely as well. However we would recommend you book these as soon as you arrive, as we were only just able to get into the Italian and had to ask reception as the booking machine had no availability. Lunch at the pool bar was also delicious - a lovely mix of light bites and slightly more substantial lunches, all outside by the pool. Drinks from here can also be taken back to your lounger if you ask for them in pool-safe cups. Drinks service throughout our stay, both at dinner and during the day at the pool bar, was absolutely fantastic. The drinks selection is really wide and they have some lovely cocktails on the menu, with the ability to also make other classic cocktails that aren’t necessarily listed. We would recommend trying the Strawberry Love, as it was really delicious. Overall, the staff were really friendly and attentive, especially those working at the buffet, bar and a la carte restaurants. Reception were also very helpful (especially the lovely Dina), especially when we had issues booking the a la carte restaurants. However housekeeping was slightly hit and miss - sometimes our rooms would be cleaned early in the morning while we were out at breakfast; however on other occasions we would put out our ‘please clean my room’ signs at around 9AM and our rooms would still not be cleaned by 5PM when we returned from our day out. We also had issues with housekeeping not replenishing the coffee and tea-making facilities in the room, meaning we had to contact reception to resolve the issue. The hotel is in a fab location, just under an hour’s walk from the centre of Funchal, and only a few minutes from a local supermarket and a couple of bars/restaurants. Taxis between the hotel and Funchal were around 14-15 Euros each time, but regular buses ran from a stop a few minutes’ walk from the hotel, costing just over 2 Euros per person. However unlike the UK there’s no way to live track these buses and they can be busy, so don’t use them if you’re in a massive rush!! Both the tours we booked through GetYourGuide picked us up from the hotel with no problems, and it was really nice that the hotel had a private driveway as it made waiting for the pickups a little bit nicer (as opposed to a lot of other hotels where you wait on the side of the road). Overall, this was a lovely week in a great hotel - aside from a few issues with housekeeping, it was a fab experience and we would definitely recommend."

"Great experience : we opted for half board, this was amazing, with different dishes and recipes every day including live music with diffferent group and singer everyday. Staff and cleaners were very professional and helpfull. The ressort is great for family, no complaints. Everything was spotless. Would recommend this hotel for great experience of life."

"Friendly staff & excellent facilities. Convenient location to explore the wonderful island of Madeira"