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
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Excellent3
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Very Good23
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Good50
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Average15
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Poor4
Review Overview
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Eating Out
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Nightlife
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Beaches
19 years 6 months ago
Stayed in Funchal, the only place to stay in Madeira for me. Have been 7 or 8 timesand, obviously, I love it. Generally good weather, nice pools at hotels or use the public Lido which has been recently refurbished and is now very good [no beaches basically on madeira]. Funchal has all the facilities of a medium sized town and the levada walks provide a nice alternative to lying in the sun.
19 years 6 months ago
Maderia is a faboulous Island, I only hope it does not get to much high rise building.
19 years 6 months ago
Madeira itself seems very clean and pleasant. Funchal was no exception, and since we did not bother with a car this was where we spent most of our time, especially evenings.
The only entertainment we were interested in was our food and drink - all the restaurants that we ate in were excellent (recommendations provided by the hotel). One in particular Solar de Ajuda, just up the side of Monumental Lido was very good. Always busy, you had to book - and we did, twice.
We also visited a shopping centre, Madeira Shopping, which has over 20 restaurants including many fast food types that the kids love. It also has a bowling alley, arcade games and a six-screen cinema, with many films in English, except those for children which are dubbed. This was a good option on the day it rained. Oh, and there are some shops too.
We did a couple of trips on the island which were good and we did the almost compulsory cable card ride up to Monte - excellent on a clear day, and the toboggan ride back down which was the highlight for our 9 year old son. The only bad thing about this (after accepting the cost, 10 euros a head for the toboggan) was that you finish in the middle of nowhere and the only way other than walking to get back to the town centre is by taxi - and they know it. 10 euros for a 3 km ride when all other taxi rides cost about 4 or 5 euros for longer journeys.
Beach - there is no beach, just lots of rocks. But we knew that and we don't really bother about going to the beach so it didn't matter.
The only entertainment we were interested in was our food and drink - all the restaurants that we ate in were excellent (recommendations provided by the hotel). One in particular Solar de Ajuda, just up the side of Monumental Lido was very good. Always busy, you had to book - and we did, twice.
We also visited a shopping centre, Madeira Shopping, which has over 20 restaurants including many fast food types that the kids love. It also has a bowling alley, arcade games and a six-screen cinema, with many films in English, except those for children which are dubbed. This was a good option on the day it rained. Oh, and there are some shops too.
We did a couple of trips on the island which were good and we did the almost compulsory cable card ride up to Monte - excellent on a clear day, and the toboggan ride back down which was the highlight for our 9 year old son. The only bad thing about this (after accepting the cost, 10 euros a head for the toboggan) was that you finish in the middle of nowhere and the only way other than walking to get back to the town centre is by taxi - and they know it. 10 euros for a 3 km ride when all other taxi rides cost about 4 or 5 euros for longer journeys.
Beach - there is no beach, just lots of rocks. But we knew that and we don't really bother about going to the beach so it didn't matter.
19 years 6 months ago
We stayed at the Madeira Palacio Hotel on the outskirts of Funchal which takes an hour to walk into the main town.
The old town is quaint and I highly recommend the chinese behind Porto Santa Maria Hotel.
The gardens and harbour all very pretty.
The North & East Coast mountainous and picturesque.
Madeira wine superb.
Quite a few SAGA holidays going on whilst we were there but I think the weather and surroundings suit all ages. Especially good for walkers/hikers.
The old town is quaint and I highly recommend the chinese behind Porto Santa Maria Hotel.
The gardens and harbour all very pretty.
The North & East Coast mountainous and picturesque.
Madeira wine superb.
Quite a few SAGA holidays going on whilst we were there but I think the weather and surroundings suit all ages. Especially good for walkers/hikers.
19 years 6 months ago
Local restaurants in the back streets offer excellent food and value for money and the staff are all friendly. Not a singe British pub to be seen and no football in every bar.
I will definitely be returning
I will definitely be returning
19 years 7 months ago
Funchal is one of the cleanest and prettiest cities we have visited. All the pavements and pedestrian areas are carved in beautiful mosaic stones.
There is a cable car which takes you to the wonderful tropical gardens and also up to the top of the mountains.
Good quality restaurants are plentiful and there is a fantastic casino which puts on cabaret and serves lovely meals.
There are a few night clubs but not many.
Although there is no real beach there is a great lido.
There is a cable car which takes you to the wonderful tropical gardens and also up to the top of the mountains.
Good quality restaurants are plentiful and there is a fantastic casino which puts on cabaret and serves lovely meals.
There are a few night clubs but not many.
Although there is no real beach there is a great lido.
19 years 7 months ago
We stayed in Funchal which is often described as having a pretty harbour. The harbour is infact a working container dock which, in the future is being moved to the other side of the island to tidy up the appearance. There is usually a cruise liner that docks in the harbour as well.
Unfortunately, Funchal is over developed with houses all the way up the hills but if you venture further afield, particulary to the mountains there is some lovely scenery.
We went on a jeep safari which we would highly recommend (go for an open top safari). We took our 16 month old daughter so it's tame enough for all age groups with some excellent nature tracks in the mountains that we were driven through.
The resort is quite hilly but taxis are plentiful and relatively cheap from the hotel to the harbour area. Be careful visiting the 'old market', they try and charge silly amounts for fruit. i.e £9 for 2 mangoes. It's actually a tourist stop on the organised tour so the fruit sellers are tuned into this. Fruit is very cheap in the supermarkets.
Unfortunately, Funchal is over developed with houses all the way up the hills but if you venture further afield, particulary to the mountains there is some lovely scenery.
We went on a jeep safari which we would highly recommend (go for an open top safari). We took our 16 month old daughter so it's tame enough for all age groups with some excellent nature tracks in the mountains that we were driven through.
The resort is quite hilly but taxis are plentiful and relatively cheap from the hotel to the harbour area. Be careful visiting the 'old market', they try and charge silly amounts for fruit. i.e £9 for 2 mangoes. It's actually a tourist stop on the organised tour so the fruit sellers are tuned into this. Fruit is very cheap in the supermarkets.
19 years 8 months ago
No night time entertainment, at this area of the resort. One Irish Bar that was very expensive. Therefore spent most of the night sitting on the balcony with bottle of wine.
19 years 8 months ago
It was our first trip to Madeira and although the island is picturesque it is ceratinly the most expensive place we have been to for eating out, and drinks. The locals were complaining about the prices since the introduction of the euro and the fact that it has become too expensive for the Portugese. It was certainly quiet for the time of year. A lot of the island is like a building site as new roads and hotel blocks are under construction, so I would guess that in about 5 years it would be OK. If you're going taxi's around Funchal are cheap but be careful to ensure the driver puts the meter on,, we got caught once. Funchal itself is extremely busy. The best area to eat is in the old town as prices are much cheaper. The Lido tourist area is much more tacky and expensive.
19 years 8 months ago
Madeira is a rock - it's bound to be hilly! Reasonably easy walks along the splendid promenade and to the Lido area.
Shops are nearby and lots of good eating places are within safe strolling distance. We enjoyed Funchal on a couple of visits, but liked the more relaxed lido resort area where the Raga and Momumental hotels are. It's quieter but by no means "dead"!
If you like super views, good food and drink, friendly people and that bit more "laid-back" holiday then Madeira's for you. If you prefer sunbed - disco - sunbed, then my advice would be to give it a miss.
Shops are nearby and lots of good eating places are within safe strolling distance. We enjoyed Funchal on a couple of visits, but liked the more relaxed lido resort area where the Raga and Momumental hotels are. It's quieter but by no means "dead"!
If you like super views, good food and drink, friendly people and that bit more "laid-back" holiday then Madeira's for you. If you prefer sunbed - disco - sunbed, then my advice would be to give it a miss.
Location
Recent reviews
Melia Madeira Mare Resort & Spa
Funchal, Portugal
Good for families of all ages, regular entertainment,
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