Pestana Grand Premium Ocean Resort

We stayed in the hotel for 2 weeks. The location was amazing but the hotel was about 45 min. walking distance from the city centre. We chose this hotel because of the advertised " magic spa" facilities, wich turned out to be very disappointing. For us, the sauna is an essential part of a relaxing holiday. The spa had a Finnish sauna which was operated at 60 Celsius. When we asked for the temperature to be increased, we were told, that it was the policy of the hotel chain to operate the sauna at this low temperature. Well, Finnish sauna is expected to be operated at 90- 95 Celsius , or it shall not be called and advertised as a Finnish , sauna. Later when we complained, the temperature was increased to 75 Celsius " as a good will" for the remaining days of our holiday. The steam room was great though. The food was medium, so we ended up eating out frequently. The reception staff was unfriendly and behaved as if they did us a favour when we asked for help. The staff members in the restaurant worked incredibly hard and they were kind and helpful. All in all we left the hotel with bitterness. We felt cheated and disappointed. If spa, sauna is important for you, I would not recommend this hotel. We shouldn't have to beg for something that we paid for. Moreover the hotel shouldn't advertise something they don't have or can't properly operate.

A good few days away on the beautiful island of Madeira. The staff work so hard keeping the hotel lovely and clean. Bar staff are always so friendly and welcoming. Food was good in the restaurants so do book it is well worth it. Entertainment was varied

Just arrived back from another holiday at the Pestana Grand, this being our 3rd stay. This year we had a full sea view in room 1346, as opposed to last year which although a sea view looked over to Cabo Girou. Room service as last year was excellent, nothing too much trouble. The location of the Grand, although at the far end of the Lido suits us fine as it's a very quiet area but only a 20 min walk to the centre of the nighlife restaurant areas & bars. It's also well placed for a walk along the new front to Camara de Lobos a nice fishing village famed for some of Churchill's paintings, In fact the new hotel there now is the Pestana Churchill. Reception staff were great, nothing too much trouble & always so polite. This year you can use your Half board to visit any off the 3 restaurants, those being the Mediterranean, the Moroccan & the Italian if you want to give the main restaurant a miss. In addition you can book an evening meal at the Pestana Miramar on the same basis. My only "but" this year is the breakfast arrangements. The Maitre 'd' is amazing always there to help, but on some days essentials like cereal bowls were missing, cereal dispensers empty & waiting around for milk. There's also a very unusual morning egg service this year. Despite most of the extra breakfast "musts" being inside the restaurant , the lady in charge of eggs is now placed outside, for many you have to walk through the smoking area to get there. Also they only have a frying pan to cook a m maximum of 4 eggs at a time, In addition to those waiting for an omelette, it can result in a lengthy queue in busy times. The above should not in any way detract from this hotel being an excellent choice, we've enjoyed every minute there (as last year) & will be booking for the same weeks next year - please pass on thanks to all the staff>>

I booked this hotel through Jet2 as “4-star plus” accommodation on a half-board basis at a cost of £2,000 for seven nights including flights. Although the hotel markets itself as 5-star and was advertised as being in Funchal, it is not—it’s actually located in São Martinho, which is about a one-hour walk from the outskirts of Funchal. The room was adequate and offered a lovely sea view. However, we encountered several issues: the mini fridge was broken, the bed was extremely hard, the pillows were unusually large, and no towels were provided for the pool. On a positive note, the cleanliness of the hotel was exceptional—credit to the housekeeping staff. In contrast, the reception staff we dealt with were unfriendly and rude. For example, when we asked about pool towels, we were made to feel as though we had either taken them or were too foolish to notice them in our room. When we reported the broken fridge, the response was similarly dismissive. At checkout, no one asked whether we had enjoyed our stay or wished us a safe journey. The food is the main reason this review is reduced to one star. It was entirely inadequate for a hotel with this star rating. The buffet lacked variety, the organisation was poor, and the overall quality was very disappointing. The on-site restaurants were acceptable, but if you must stay here, I would strongly recommend eating elsewhere. Finally, the pool was unbearably cold—like taking an ice bath.

We had a good stay, the reception staff are very welcoming and friendly. Room was clean and there was plenty of spare towels, pillows etc. We went on half board basis. Although there was plenty of food, it lacked taste. Buffet menu needs to improve, especially the hot food for vegetarians. Very insipid. Also we felt cheated because we asked for tap water at dinner and got charged for it! The head waiter takes the order for drinks and we felt it was his duty to inform customers that they charge even for tap water! It is ironical that they give free prosecco and at breakfast, but charge for water at dinner!! Customers can make an informed decision about ordering water if the hotel can make them aware of their charges. Overall, the staff are hard working and try very hard to do their best. Not a bad place to stay but be prepared to pay for your water at dinner!

Amazing views and staff. The room was very spacious and had an incredible view. Top location too. Lovely hotel :) 5/5 ⭐️⭐️

Amazing staff and view. The food is great and the bedroom is nice. The location is near the center of Funchal and has lots of transfers all day.

We are only half way through a one week stay and so far everything has been perfect now wish we were here for two weeks . What a great system for booking meals in there many speciality restaurants in pestana grand and sister hotel Miramar where we had an excellent meal last evening . All the staff here are so helpful and happy to help always with a warm smile ,the entertainment in the evening around the bar has been first class from great singers to guitar player. Breakfast in or outside is a real treat with lovely omelettes made to order also so many tempting and delicious pastries not good for my waistline but why not so I will diet when back home . Thank you all for making our stay so special. Regards Robert Bruce .

A very comfortable hotel. Staff very friendly and helpful. Room had a great sea view and the flora and fauna were wonderful.

We stayed just over a week in an ocean view superior room. Difficult to give 5 for everything as in our opinion there were a few issues however breaking it down goes as follows; Staff 5 . Kind efficient and very friendly and helpful. Every single person in service in the hotel was excellent. It's a real credit to the Pestana groups ethos. Pool 5. Never an issue getting a sunbed with a shade. The pools are lovely and well maintained. The pool staff again were so friendly helpfully moving sunbeds and parasols where you preferred them. Gardens and public areas 5. Immaculate. Room and bedding 4. The room was clean and well maintained. Although the beds were OK the pillows were awful. Lumpy and uncomfortable. The air conditioning was very noisy, so much so we switched it off when in the room. There seems to be no way to control the fan speed. It's either off or full blast. We also found some of the towels worn. Food 4. We had half board. Breakfast was OK. Typical buffet style as usual in Portugal and Spain. Dinner varied between excellent and mediocre. The Moroccan restaurant in our experience was the best of all. As someone previously posted we also objected to paying 4.5 € for some tepid filtered water. If it was a new unopened bottle of mineral water I would have no objection, but reusing bottles with ' Filtered water' is not acceptable if you are going to charge. Whilst it was lovely that the weather allowed a couple of meals to be served outside flies were an issue in some areas where the food was presented. Pigeons are a major issue when the Falcon is not there at lunch and dinner. The tables are laid early and the birds are on and off them if there are scraps of food around. This is really not helped by some guests thinking it's fun to feed them at the table. Smoking; We don't smoke and the hotel is no smoking. However we were surprised to see ashtrays on the balcony. It appears the hotel allows guests to smoke on the balcony. Not sure if this is a national or hotel policy however we had one instance where the guests either side of us lit up and of course smoke drifts and for a few hours made our balcony inaccessible to us. We understand people have a choice and accept this, but it was something we've not encountered before in a non smoking hotel. Dinning areas and outside do have smoking areas which you can use or avoid. Finally this is a lovely hotel in a beautiful location. Would we stay here again. Absolutely.