Pestana Carlton Madeira Hotel

Very clean hotel with really friendly staff. With a choice of two pools finding free loungers any time was easy. Pool staff are great and organise parasols for you which I've never experienced before. Drinks prices are a bit high in the hotel but great just a across the road at pub number 2. Breakfast great but not many had the evening meals

We have just got back from 2 weeks at Pestana. First time there. Recent review by Karen sums up a lot of my thoughts - spot on feedback. Some reviews say getting sun beds is difficult. This is not true. In 2 weeks there we had no problems at all and they were available throughout the day. The pool attendants are great if spoken to in a civil manner - I saw some people not doing this and they wonder why they don???t get a smile! All staff I found very helpful in particular Lisbeth from guest relations and Carla from the restaurant. Nothing was too much trouble for either of these ladies. Thank you to both of you, We were half board - breakfast has something for everyone. Saw a review saying no healthy options and no porridge. I had fruit and porridge every day so guess they must have missed the several platters of fruit and big cauldron of porridge. There genuinely is a wide choice and we ate outside most days which is really nice. Again the staff are very pleasant. We ate out some nights ( I have added some reviews for local restaurants of which Hemingway was the stand out one). The hotel did a buffet each evening and again lots to choose from and in my opinion a good standard. We went as a group to celebrate my parents 80th birthdays and we booked them afternoon tea at Reid???s the famous hotel , which is 5/ 10 mins walk round the corner. They said this was very nice. The hotel has a pool on ground level and another at ocean level which can be reached by a lift , there is also a games room at ocean level where you can play pool or table tennis. We had a sea facing room on the 3rd floor. A big room and balcony. There were some roadworks outside but once inside the hotel these were no issue and will be completed now I guess. We had drinks each night pre dinner overlooking the sea and the position of this hotel is fantastic both for views and also for getting out and about ie 15 mins into Funchal. Bars and restaurants very near by also. We were told evening meal required men to wear long trousers. This is in the Al la carte restaurant which opens Fri - Sun. The buffet restaurant does not require long trousers. This wasn???t made very clear before we went so thought I would mention for clarity. As were half board , on the evenings we ate out at local restaurants the hotel gave us a slip to use at lunch time any day in lieu of missing our evening meal. This was not advertised so be aware of this as the lunches are nice and can be eaten at pool,side overlooking the sea. You just need to go to reception and let them know before the evening you miss. All in all when you look at what you pay to stay here I can???t see how anyone can fault it for value. There are some people on reading some reviews who would like to stay at Reid???s but only want to pay Pestana prices it seems to me. Genuinely this hotel is in a great position , staff are really nice I found , it has quite a relaxing vibe to it and we will definitely return.

I decided to go back to this hotel after over 30 years. I had spent my summer holidays here as a teenager and loved it so much I was curious to see how much it had changed. The hotel is large, so I was worried about queues for breakfast and crowded and noisy pool areas, but this was not the case. The hotel staff are trained and experienced. The breakfast area is huge, so no queueing. Things are quickly cleared away at breakfast and the buffet is constantly replenished. The food is good quality with plenty of variety. We love Madeira and one requirement when we choose a hotel is direct access to the ocean. The hotel has two saltwater outdoor pools and two indoor pools. The top pool has a disadvantage, the smell of grilled meat from the pool bar. The rooms are large and comfortable, with bathrobes and slippers and a kettle. Water is also provided for free in the room mini bar. We had a mountain facing room. The rooms have small balconies and the view is magnificent, especially at night. We stayed on the 16th floor which was great, since there was some roadwork outside the hotel and it got quite noisy during the day. We rented a car and parked it in the hotel car park. The daily fee is 15???, which turns out to be more expensive than if you pay as you go, since they give you two hours for free evey time you park. The hotel has a spa, a hairdresser, a shop, several restaurants and live music in the evenings, usually at the pool bar. Really relaxed atmosphere overall.