Reid's Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Madeira

We adored in the following order: Manon at reception (sadly gone by now), the fabulous pool, the breakfast and its staff, the cocktails.

Staff were either amazing or felt passive aggressive. Rooms are small (even some suites), dated (a huge refurb is kicking off soon) and very loud and exposed. No privacy whatsoever. Our request for this and silence were ignored, even though we ask from the point of reservation. Room service food quality was poor.

We booked an afternoon tea at Reid’s during our stay nearby. Fantastic treat, great selection of teas to choose & the sandwiches and cakes were great. Expensive but worth pushing the boat out. The view from the balcony was the best of Funchal. Top tip, make sure you have a walk through the gardens afterwards. They are stunning.

My husband and I stayed at Reid’s Palace Hotel to celebrate his birthday. We partly chose the hotel because of our positive experience of other Belmond hotels we have previously stayed in and found Reid’s standards to be at the level we had hoped for. We had a wonderful week in this iconic hotel which is situated in a fabulous location. The bedrooms and public areas in the hotel are relaxing, comfortable and maintained to a very high standard. We stayed in the Garden Wing, which was easily accessed from the main part of the hotel via the lifts. Our room was kept exceptionally clean by a very friendly and helpful maid. We chose the hotel’s Villa Cipriani restaurant for my husband’s evening birthday meal and liked it so much that we ate there on another two occasions during our stay. The food was excellent, with fresh ingredients expertly cooked and the atmosphere was nice and relaxed. The restaurant manager, Renato, and also our waiter, Capelo, were very professional, friendly and accommodating. We had food (the octopus, potato and black garlic was particularly delicious) and drinks on numerous occasions in the very tastefully decorated 1891 Bar whilst enjoying the incredible views out to Funchal (particularly special at night). We really enjoyed the live music in the bar, too. We also had several relaxed lunches at the Pool Terrace where the service was extremely warm and efficient. The hotel offers a range of tours and activities that take place across the week. We found the (separate) tours of the gardens and hotel really interesting and definitely recommend them – you just need to book your place in advance via reception. The Hotel’s General Manager, Eduardo, was always extremely helpful and a pleasure to talk to. Thank you to Eduardo and all the staff at the hotel, Villa Cipriani restaurant, 1891 Bar and the Pool Terrace for making our stay so relaxing and enjoyable. We plan to return. Mr and Mrs Brantingham

In terms of service, luxury, location, view everywhere, and value, I don't think this property can be topped. Would definitely consider returning to Madeira if only to stay at Reids again.

Location- central enough to the city to wander into town Breakfast - superb easily in a par with Beverly Hills hotel and bel air hotel with the added bonus of a Buffett after a la carte

I would prefer a walk in shower especially as I had messaged the hotel days before asking for a room near the pool as I had fractured my ankle since making the reservation. 2&2 were not put together and I had to contend with a shower bath. Afternoon tea was sold out and as we were only on a 2 night stay we did not get the option of booking. A mention at time of check in to maybe reserve a table ahead of time would be a good idea

service, food, guest experience team etc all fanatastic

our room and bathroom plumbing was a bit old fashioned but it is an old hotel so that was fine. Bed was very comfortable and that is the most important thing.