Girassol Suite Hotel

"Good location, lovely hotel, excellent food, friendly staff, nice rooms, good price"

"The hotel was lovely, very clean and with very welcoming and helpful staff. We didn’t use all of the facilities but the pool area and bar on the first floor were very nice. We only stayed bed and breakfast and the food was good and plentiful (can’t comment about the all inclusive). All in all, a very nice hotel that we would recommend to anyone and a lovely holiday. The hotel is also well placed for buses and not too far from central Funchal. Our only issue would be that we would have loved nightly entertainment in the first floor bar."

"We have just returned from a 7 night stay at the Girassol Suite Hotel and can not fault any aspect of our holiday. We travelled as a family of three and enjoyed all inclusive accommodation in a junior suite. Upon arrival at the hotel, the reception staff greeted us warmly and explained every aspect of the stay to us including meal times, the pool towel system and local tourist taxes to name but three. The food was great and there was plenty of it, always something to choose and was regularly refreshed and hot! Breakfast was the standout meal with lots of choice, lunch was very nice as was dinner. We ended up eating all of our meals (bar one when we were in Funchal at lunchtime) in the hotel so that tells you something! Service in the restaurant and bar areas was very friendly with all staff attentive and polite. The AI drinks in the bar in the evening were fine, but avoid the cocktails as they are pre-mixed and sometime tasted a little off. While the room decor is a little tired (as is noted by other reviewers) the beds were comfortable, towels are changed on request and everything is clean. The communal areas appear to have been modernised more recently and are also clean and tidy. The location of the hotel could not be better. Even though it is on a main road, the noise in the rooms is non-existent and you benefit from the flat walk to the bus stop for a short ride into Funchal Old Town (buses 1, 2, 4 and 105 are the ones to take - all terminate near the cable car station). The Lido is very near and walkable as the multitude of bars and restaurants near the hotel. There are also a couple of shopping centres (small tourist shops for mementoes) and a main supermarket (Pingo Doce) nearby as well as lots of ATM's. As for Madeira and Funchal, this was our first visit and we found the island to be very picturesque and friendly. The cable car to Monte is a must, as is the toboggan back down the hill (just don't get caught out be the ticket touts which will accost you on the way to the lower cable car station). The Monte Palace gardens and the whale watching boat trips are also highly recommended."