Hotels in Funchal, Portugal
25 of 25 hotels in Funchal
Wait until the building work has finished before booking a holiday at this hotel
3 Reviews
95 Reviews
Traveller Rating
-
Excellent3
-
Very Good23
-
Good50
-
Average15
-
Poor4
Review Overview
-
Eating Out
-
Nightlife
-
Beaches
18 years 6 months ago
I wouldn't call Madeira a resort, but it is the perfect place for a relaxing, chilled out holiday. The only thing to be aware of are the hills! Your calf muscles will know that you have done too much walking there!
18 years 8 months ago
Stay near the town centre if you want a real choice of restaurants, and try walking a bit further into the old town, beyond the market, where there are smaller 'local' restaurants.
The marina restaurants are not expensive unlike those in other countries. As anywhere, check your restaurant bills. We felt mistakes were carelessness, but did arise more than once, as did incorrect food orders. The resort is surprisingly quiet in August and it was always easy to get a table for dinner.
For Brits used to eating in smoke-free restaurants, the number of people smoking was overwhelming at times, so it's best to sit outside if you don't like it.
This is not a resort for younger families as there's more or less no beach, but brochure research should have revealed that anyway. We attributed the row from heavily amplified music coming from a trailer on the promenade to a forthcoming youth festival. It seemed quite out of keeping with the general ambience.
Traffic is quite heavy in the day, but it isn't particularly noisy in the evenings. Pavements are pleasantly free of dog-dirt.
The locals and the British people working there
were friendly and not pushy, which made a pleasant change from the Med.
The marina restaurants are not expensive unlike those in other countries. As anywhere, check your restaurant bills. We felt mistakes were carelessness, but did arise more than once, as did incorrect food orders. The resort is surprisingly quiet in August and it was always easy to get a table for dinner.
For Brits used to eating in smoke-free restaurants, the number of people smoking was overwhelming at times, so it's best to sit outside if you don't like it.
This is not a resort for younger families as there's more or less no beach, but brochure research should have revealed that anyway. We attributed the row from heavily amplified music coming from a trailer on the promenade to a forthcoming youth festival. It seemed quite out of keeping with the general ambience.
Traffic is quite heavy in the day, but it isn't particularly noisy in the evenings. Pavements are pleasantly free of dog-dirt.
The locals and the British people working there
were friendly and not pushy, which made a pleasant change from the Med.
18 years 8 months ago
MAdiera is a lovely place to visit and there is so much to do.
some must dos are:
1) the cable car into monte and the monte tropical gardens 22 E each for both but a really good day.
2) boat trip to go dolphin watching. you go out for about 3 hours and although it isnt garunteed to see anything most of the people i spoke to did. we saw loads of dolphins and a seas turtle.
3) mini bus tour of the west or east, arranged by one of the excursion centers. we did the west coast trip. it was 80 Euros for both of us for the full day with a lovely 3 course lunch with wine included. it was a really enjoyable day.
4) the casino show on satuday night was also great - although there is quite a bit of flesh on show so be warned!!! this also includes a 4 course meal which was of a really high standard considering the number of people they were catering for so many people.
5) spend the day in the city centre, its not that big so you can see a lot of it in a short time, there's some lovley buildings and gardens to see as well as plenty of shops to browse in.
we ate out every night and only had one bad meal which i will mention here - the Dragonia on the Rue da casa branca. on the same street however is the solar da ajuda restaurant which served delicious food - there was such a lot of variety and it was amazingly cheap considering how lovely the food was.
all in all we had a fantastic holiday, there was so much to see and do that you couldnt possibly be bored even if you are not a sunbather. we are definitly going to return in the future.
some must dos are:
1) the cable car into monte and the monte tropical gardens 22 E each for both but a really good day.
2) boat trip to go dolphin watching. you go out for about 3 hours and although it isnt garunteed to see anything most of the people i spoke to did. we saw loads of dolphins and a seas turtle.
3) mini bus tour of the west or east, arranged by one of the excursion centers. we did the west coast trip. it was 80 Euros for both of us for the full day with a lovely 3 course lunch with wine included. it was a really enjoyable day.
4) the casino show on satuday night was also great - although there is quite a bit of flesh on show so be warned!!! this also includes a 4 course meal which was of a really high standard considering the number of people they were catering for so many people.
5) spend the day in the city centre, its not that big so you can see a lot of it in a short time, there's some lovley buildings and gardens to see as well as plenty of shops to browse in.
we ate out every night and only had one bad meal which i will mention here - the Dragonia on the Rue da casa branca. on the same street however is the solar da ajuda restaurant which served delicious food - there was such a lot of variety and it was amazingly cheap considering how lovely the food was.
all in all we had a fantastic holiday, there was so much to see and do that you couldnt possibly be bored even if you are not a sunbather. we are definitly going to return in the future.
18 years 10 months ago
Lovely prom, which was just about the only flat walk on the island. The market is a must on Fridays or Saturday as is the cable car.Funchal had little to offer on the entertainment front, but some nice little watering holes by the harbour. We were lucky enough to see the Portugese firework display, fantastic.
18 years 10 months ago
The main area of Funchal is very busy and cosmopolitan. We stayed on the outskirts where we found it to be a bit more peaceful but with plenty of amenities close to hand.
Plenty of bars and restaurants at reasonable prices. i would visit again.
Plenty of bars and restaurants at reasonable prices. i would visit again.
18 years 10 months ago
Resort
Attractive once past docks, especially the Old Town. Expensive
Beach
Pebbly in town, lido area better
Transport
Try to find out info before leaving UK, I think that there are carnets and specially priced tickets, but drivers/ticket offices were not helpful. But do use buses.
Attractive once past docks, especially the Old Town. Expensive
Beach
Pebbly in town, lido area better
Transport
Try to find out info before leaving UK, I think that there are carnets and specially priced tickets, but drivers/ticket offices were not helpful. But do use buses.
18 years 10 months ago
We were above the town of Funchal but within walking distance. The town is clean and attractive and has a good selection of shops. Everywhere is a delight because of the beautiful trees and flowers. A Levada walk is a must to appreciate this beautiful island. Apart from eating out we did not go to any other entertainment in the resort. There is no beach to rate at Funchal, it is a working port
18 years 11 months ago
What can you say about Madeira that has not already been said. It is a beautiful place and the scenery is breathtaking. If you are looking for a sand sea sangria holiday go somewhere else - please.
18 years 11 months ago
The whole place was beautifully clean at all times and although Madeira does not have any sandy beaches, the beachside pool area is superb. While the main entertainment was a little staid (folk dances, tea-dance music etc) the music in the bar was excellent.
19 years ago
Funchal is a clean, pavement cafe type resort. Busy enough to be interesting but not too commercialised and touristy. There is no beach but a really good promanade along the sea where you can just sit and people watch. Good shops. There is a cable car to Monte where there is a superb garden open to the public. There are other gardens around Funchal and a good market. Madeira itself is a beautiful island, very scenic.
Location
Recent reviews
Melia Madeira Mare Resort & Spa
Funchal, Portugal
Good for families of all ages, regular entertainment,
Map
Other popular destinations
Albufeira
Algarve
Alvor
Algarve
Praia Da Rocha
Algarve
Vilamoura
Algarve
Lagos
Portugal
Carvoiero
Algarve
Monte Gordo
Algarve
Portimao
Algarve
Olhos de Agua
Portugal
Praia da Oura
Algarve