Hotel Pestana Grand Funchal

My wife and I spent a lovely holiday at this hotel last October. The room was first class with a lovely side sea view which overlooked a giant Chess Board. The hotel was beautifully laid out both inside and out.

The swimming pools were superb and the food in the hotel's four restaurants (when they were open) was of the standard you would expect from a five star hotel. The more adventurous will however get better value and more choice by making the ten minute bus trip into the town centre. We went half board but if we visit Madeira again we would probably go bed and breakfast. The one negative side of the pool area was that it could get rather windy though perhaps this was due to the fact that it was October.

As other people have mentioned there was a lot of building work going on in the property adjacent to the Grand. Fortunately the noise was negligible during the day and hardly noticeable by the poolside. I would check before you travel that you have been placed in a room on the opposite side to the building work. The cranes actually provide you with a useful landmark in terms of knowing which bus stop to get off at on the jourrney back to the hotel.

The one downside of the hotel is that it is quite far out, this isnt a big deal during the day if you dont mind busing it down to the town centre. A taxi (the better choice) was only about 5 euros one way.

At night though it was a problem and would be the main reason why I wouldn't want to spend more than a week at this hotel. For a five star hotel the entertainment at night was very uninspiring and apart from a couple of nice restaurants there is also very little to do in close proximity to the hotel.

One other disappointing feature of the hotel was the fact that although it had four restaurants not all of them were open every night.

We went with Atlantic Holidays but aside from the price of the holiday I can not recommend them. Their reps didn't seem that interested and the flight was a dreadful experience due to the very crampt conditions on board. Anyone with long legs like me should expect the worst. Also getting on the plane first is quite important as by the time our seat numbers were called there was very little space left for hand luggage. Given the length of the flight to Madeira I was expecting at least some sort of in flight entertainment but there was absolutely nothing on offer. I would not have been a happy chappy if I had gone to Madeira in July due to the excessive flight supplements charged.

Coming into land at Funchal though was an interesting experience!

This hotel is every bit a 5* should be. The staff were very friendly and helpful. the rooms very clean and spacious. Food excellent.

You will not be dissapointed if you choose this hotel for your holiday to Maderia. The only down side is that they are doing quite a lot of building work near to the hotel,which for some might be a problem.

Very good hotel, excellent food, staff and facilities.

Whilst we were there building works next door were in progress was a bit of a pain - but not overly distracting.

Hotel provided complimentary bottle of Champagne for my wife's birthday - must have got the date from the check in details - very nice gesture.

Trips were of a great standard and very much recommended.

Outside the hotel food and drink locally was very reasonable.

Overall a very good holiday and hotel

Excellent accommodation at the Pestana Grand Hotel.

We were there as 'Exchange' guests with R.C.I. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Grand and have been fortunate enough to return once again this year. The accommodation was excellent (as you will see in photographs). We had a one bedroom unit with small kitchen and dining area with a large balcony.

Staff at reception were very helpful and the shuttle bus very handy for going into Funchal, although it stops approx. 6.30 p.m.

We are looking forward to returning to the Grand in July and hope that we find the same high standard as last year.

Just returned from honeymoon at the Pestana Grand. We travelled with Atlantic. Flight out was pretty uncomfortable. We had been upgraded to a sea view room and should have been offered a suite due to our honeymoon status. I did ask about this and was told that although one was available it was overlooking the adjacent building works and we therefore opted for the sea view. Slightly disappointed we headed to our room and were delighted to discover that we had an enormous bed, a nice area with sofa and armchair, a decent terrace with comfortable chairs overlooking the ocean and a fabulous bathroom with separate bath and shower. Everything was immaculate and looked as though it had never been used. The as promised honeymoon flowers, fruit and sparkling wine were all waiting for us too and were very nicely presented. The adjacent building works as mentioned in previous reviews are present but are not particularly intrusive. Certainly in 6-12 months time the whole area will look fantastic as up the road there is a large shopping complex development going on as well as a multiscreen cinema. You get the impression that with the amount of new hotels being built that Madeira is gearing up for a wider age group. It is fair to say that at 35 I felt like I was one of the youngest tourists around! The current clientele are primarily late 40s to late 60s. This was fine with us as we hadn't come to party, merely to have a quiet relaxing time.

We were offered and accepted the 3 nights 3 course dinner and wine deal for 105 euros per person which turned out to be excellent value. Not all of the restaurants are open at the same time so you need to do a small bit of planning. Food was delicious every night.

Buffet breakfast was fabulous and plentiful. Everything you could wish for is available. All staff were very helpful and extremely courteous. We helped a lady up to her room who had twisted her ankle although at the time it was a suspected break. We heard later that two of the staff accompanied her and her husband to the hospital to ensure she had the best treatment.

Health facilities were great with two outside pools and one lovely inside one along with a great jacuzzi, sauna and huge turkish steam room. We treated ourselves to a massage and were not disappointed. The health staff were extremely professional.

We also went on a few excursions arranged by Atlantic. These included two authentic local meals, botanical gardens, cable car, nuns valley with optional toboggan ride, jeep safari and catamaran cruise. The toboggan ride is a must and the jeep safari was our highlight, going off road through forests of wild lillies at around 3500 feet above sea level. It was all the more enjoyable being able to stand up through the tour on the back of a Land Rover. Tony our guide was hilarious and made us feel very at ease.

This could not be said with the catamaran which consisted of sailing around aimlessly for 3 hours in overcast and slightly rough conditions without being offered any hospitality from the bar on board! Needless to say we left freezing cold and wet and needed a longer spell in the jacuzzi and steam room to recover!

Tea at Reids was also a magical experience even if it cost 23 euros each! The sandwiches and cakes supplied were perfectly presented and tasted just as you would expect them. The view was stunning and the hotel surroundings were first class.

The only other two meals we had were a "Candlelight" 4 course set meal at the Mirimar (part of Pestana Village) which was fabulous and a restaurant close to the Grand that was right down by the rocks. We opted for the seafood with rice that was full of huge prawns, mussels, octopus etc and was more than a match for both of us. A lovely authentic dish and very reasonably priced too.

To sum up Madeira gave us as a 30 something couple on honeymoon a very relaxed and special time with plenty of culture and cullinary delights. With regards to the Grand Hotel we could not fault their service and courtesy in any way. If we could find fault with anything it would be the bar prices (2 large Martells at 27 euros raised an eyebrow!) and the cabaret was a bit uninspiring. We would love to return very soon and would not hesitate to recommend the hotel to anyone.

We booked our holiday along with friends through Atlantic Holidays and stayed at the Pestana Grand for one week in early February 2005. This hotel is well worthy of its five star rating and is well run with good facilities and polite and friendly staff.

Preferring to eat out mostly and mix with the locals, we booked on a bed & breakfast basis and had only one evening meal in one of the three hotel restaurants. The breakfast was excellent on all days, catered for all tastes, food was plentiful, fresh and was replenished regularly, altogether an awesome start to the day. The evening meal was also very good and not too expensive being served and presented in spotless conditions with a very polite and efficient staff once again.

We were allocated room 1322 on the third floor with a sea view. The room was reasonably spacious but had a disappointingly small balcony and access to the wardrobe was awkward due to the enormous bed being so close to it. A rather silly arrangement as they could have easily moved the bed a further metre away allowing easier access. Obviously the designer's eye preferred the aesthetic look and has given little regard for practicality and comfort. What we did like about the room was that our accompanying friends had been thoughtfully given the room next door, the two rooms were connected by doors either side which could be locked individually which enabled us to communicate easier. We understand this is not available on all rooms so you would have to ask should you want this arrangement.

Unfortunately, our one disappointment with the hotel was its location, not so much that it is on the Ponta Da Cruz peninsula with its nice sea and cliff views and very, very good walk from Funchal, but its present surroundings. On our arrival, as we were driven down to the peninsula towards the hotel there was heavy building works on all sides of the road with the accompanying vehicles, towering cranes (I counted 8 cranes within close proximity) and the multitude of workmen and the resulting noise they created. Fortunately the week we were stopping the weather was not good and resulted in the patio doors being firmly shut keeping the weather and the noise out. Had the weather been good I think we would have been asking for a transfer.

All the promotional literature we have ever seen clearly shows the hotel standing on the peninsula more or less on its own. This is certainly not the case as the photographs are either pretty old, touched up or conveniently altered to give a sanitised impression of the hotels surroundings. At the rear of the hotel (Cabo Girao side) there are multi-storey blocks of flats/apartments, shops restaurants and a supermarket amongst other things. Looking from the front of the hotel towards Funchal (with the main outdoor pool on your right) to the left is the indoor/outdoor pool and all the building work. First (I believe) there is a butterfly garden being created then the road leading down to the hotel and then all the major construction work. Anyone being allocated a room at the front of this hotel (especially near the road) will not only have a sea view but also a panoramic view of all the current construction work and at 8:00am every day except Sundays and public holidays, they will also be entertained by their own morning chorus which goes on some days until early evening.

However, in say, 18 months to two years when all the building work is completed this will in all probability be a very good place to stay but surely by then you will have to pay much more to do so.

There are many excellent places locally to eat out within five minutes walk away, including The Monumental Grill, O Barquerio Marisqueria, and a little fish Restaurant (which I have forgotten the name of) down a small cliff path (opposite the O Barquerio Marisqueria) towards Formosa overlooking the sea, which was our favourite and well worth a visit even if you don't stop at the Grand. So if you can stand the building work this hotel is still a good place to enjoy the beautiful island of Maderia ------- if you are over 50.

We have recently returned back from the fantastic Pestana Grand Hotel. We booked this holiday as a late deal and took our 16 month old son with us. We couldn't have been made more welcome! The hotel staff were fantastic as was the food. The breakfast was excellant with more choice than I have ever seen in a hotel before.

The grounds and swimming pool were brilliant with an ideal sized children's paddling pool. There were ample sunbeds and I was amazed at how clean the pool and terraces were.

We ate in the hotel twice and found the food far superior to any of the local restaurants and our only regret was not booking the 3 night meal deal.

We found the hotel courtesy bus extremely useful and we did actually walk into Funchal one evening which did take a little time but was a lovely walk.

I have absolutely no doubt in recommending this hotel to anyone. It was our first time in Madeira and I only wish I was still there. We will definitely be returning!

We wanted a relaxing week away and we certainly got it at the Pestana Grand. Fabulous room, fabulous pools, fabulous views, etc., etc., etc. We could fault nothing here. They offered a particularly good "Dine Around" meal deal for eating at the hotel which at €95 each was excellent value for three, 3 course meals at their restaurants. We only had to pay for the drinks. Restaurants close to the hotel also offered very good value for money meals.

Could not fault the pleasant and helpful staff. The service in the hotel was excellent. They also ran a shuttle bus in to Funchal but it was full up on one occasion.

We had a great time and we would both heartily recommend this hotel to anyone. It's a little bit out of the centre of Funchal but we walked home one night, stopping for a drink on the way, so it wasn't excessive.

Our first time to Madeira and we'd both love to go back, especially to the Pestana Grand.

We stayed at the Pestana Grand this August. We have stayed in Madeira for several years now and absolutely love it for its beautiful flowers and absence of any wasps! Normally we stay at the cheaper Pestana Bay Hotel, which we have always loved, but this year we thought we would splash out and stay at the Grand. The facilities are fabulous, especially the indoor pool with all its different types of massage jets, the lovely warm jacuzzi and the 2 outdoor pools. We also much enjoyed the Turkish bath and the Sauna.

We felt that the food in the evening was over priced and nothing special. Although it claims to have 4 different restaurants there were never more than 2 open on any given night and the Portuguese Fish restaurant, which we had been looking forward to, was never open during our stay. Breakfast, however, is a generous buffet which will fill you up for the day!

There are plenty of good value restaurants nearby, though, and we would use those more another time.

The courtesy bus into Funchal is a really useful service.

The staff on Recpetion are extremely friendly and the rooms are immaculately clean. The balconies from each room are large with beautiful views.

We would definitely recommend the hotel for its wonderful facilities, but they do need to improve their evening meals. We had a wonderful holiday and would certainly like to return.

Just arrived back from the fabulous 5* Pestana Grand Hotel early this morning. Delighted with our stay - our first visit to Madeira and probably one of many! Hotel views were spectacular. Our studio apartment (which was a timeshare exchange although Atlantic Holidays also do packages here) overlooked the ocean and the gardens. Had been informed of work going on behind the hotel and adjacent but noise not as fierce as we had feared; apparently an independant cinema, shopping and restaurent complex is being built plus a butterfly dome and gardens belonging to the hotel. The food and service was first class. The gorgeous outdoor pool with sea views was 'infinity' style and the indoor pool area had an out of this world steam room!! Highly recommended. We want to go back already!