Ocean Gardens

Some very friendly staff, some less so. Grumpy old man. Probably had a bad day. The rest was very nice. Nice little sauna. Nice pool. Clean room. Crappy WiFi. Great breakfast. Very quiet. Amazing view. A bit of a mixed bag.

Das Zimmer war super. Sehr sauber und ein toller Blick über Funchal. Leider entsprach das Frühstück nicht einem 4-Sterne Hotel. Die Auswahl war dürftig und der Kaffee ging gar nicht.

Fabulous hotel with views to die for! We stayed in the newly renovated rooms and they were just stunning and again had amazing views. The hotel was super clean, the pool area was lovely. It is out of the centre so you do need to taxi which costs €10-15 or get the bus ( which didn't turn up when we tried so we found taxi better) we didn't mind being out of the centre because the hotel was worth it! The staff were great and the restaurant was beautiful with great food. The only thing I can fault the hotel on is that the water in our room was not replenished. Otherwise it was perfect. I would absolutely stay here again!

There are several things that really let this hotel down. The rooms have no tea or coffee making facilities, which means that drinks must be purchased from the hotel bar located in the restaurant. A pot of weak Tetley's cost us €8. For comparison, a pot of tea at the Ritz in downtown Funchal costs €4. The restaurant is shockingly overpriced, and has a serious ant problem. Consequently it is mostly deserted. Breakfast buffet is below average with a limited choice of food that runs out quickly. You can either go without, fill up on bread rolls or put it on your table and risk the ants getting it before you do. By 0830 the fried eggs were so dry they were inedible. Aside from the ant problem the hotel is spotlessly clean. We were situated in the accessible bedroom in the new wing. This offers stairs-free access via a number of elevators and long, gently sloping corridors. The bedroom has an ant problem. We were given bug spray by the receptionist. While in reception we saw a mouse running out; maybe it had seen the restaurant prices. The bathroom is spacious and clean, but has that 'drains smell'. The aircon was faulty, resulting in the capacitor discharging in the ceiling, making a loud buzzing noise every couple of minutes even with the power turned off. As this is a fire risk we reported this with the help of Google translate and a maintenance person turned up promptly. Hopefully it will be repaired because sleeping with the windows open is noisy and the mosquitos come in! The rooftop swimming pool is excellent, though unheated. Large enough for a decent swim. The poolside snack bar is sometimes open, sometimes not. When open, the lady plays very loud music, making relaxing a distant dream. Ocean Gardens is perched, vulture-like, on the hillside, with no pedestrian access except for the main road. If you have no transport you must rely on the free shuttle into town (weekdays only) or the local, hair-raising bus that stops outside the hotel (but only if you ring the bell to alert the driver when you want to get off). Fare into town is €2.20 one way. The views from the hotel and gardens are outstanding, but otherwise we felt this is a 2-star hotel masquerading under 4 stars.

4th time we have stayed. Always a pleasure, very relaxed atmosphere, nice food, lovely rooms, panoramic tower, and very attentive staff.

Wonderful hotel perched on a cliff high above Funchal Town. With 88 rooms it is not too big and is the secret behind the top quality service. It is big enough to support a first class restaurant with the highest quality cooking. Do not miss the traditional fillet beef kebabs or the best garlic prawns I have ever had. The portions are generous so most dishes are ample for two to share. Visits to Funchal are easy either with the hotels complementary bus service or the local bus,39, that stops outside the hotel. The views are great. The only thing that is a bit of an issue is the very noisy, busy road at the front of the hotel. This means closed balcony doors at night. There is air conditioning.

Chambre avec vue sur mer et Funchal, lit king size, chambre spacieuse, service irréprochable, navette régulière pour Funchal aller ou retour. Belle piscine avec vue. Petit déjeuner compris, buffet diversifié. Petit point négatif le bruit de la route en journée mais difficile sur l’île d’avoir un hôtel avec vue sans route à proximité et c’est à mettre en rapport avec le prix très compétitif. J’y retournerai sans hésiter.

This is a Gem of a hotel, I almost don't want to review it in case it becomes over run. It is perched high above Funchal Bay with a stunning panoramic view and some spectacular sunsets. The hotel is pristine clean and nicely furnished. We were in room 215 which had a lovely view of the bay. The bed was a large king size and very comfortable, there was ample storage space with a large wardrobe , dressing table and drawers. The bathroom had a nice vanity unit, bath with shower (might be difficult for people with mobility issues) and a separate toilet and bidet. The rooftop terrace will take your breath away, the swimming pool sits amidst beautiful gardens with the most fantastic brightly coloured trees and shrubs. From here you can have your lunch and sip a cold beer while watching the catamarans leaving the port on their whale and dolphin trips. I have left the best for last THE STAFF. The brilliant hard working well educated waiters made our stay. Nothing was too much for them. They have to be the most attentive staff I have ever met. Three Cheers to Estefano. Romaldo, Luiz (the Boss) Emanuel and Gomcalves. Service was prompt and nothing was too much trouble. These men should all get a pay increase, their attention to detail was incredible. We will definitely be back.

This beautiful hotel has been at the centre of an unforgettable holiday. The views from the restaurant, pool, bar and balcony really have to be seen to be believed and the whole hotel is kept perfectly clean. The staff are all very friendly and can’t do enough to help you. This included finding us playing cards late one night, answering our questions about the hotel and surrounding area and letting us back into the room when we’d forgotten our transfer ticket! Although it is a 10 minute drive into Funchal, the public transport into the city is very regular and easy to navigate. Overall, couldn’t have asked for a more wonderful stay.

Schönes Hotel mit toller Meersicht, saubere, komfortable Zimmer. Frühstücksbufett leider simpel und eintönig, sonst alles fein.