Pestana Carlton Madeira Ocean Resort Hotel

The animation team of Lisandra and Michellia have been fantastic during our stay at the Pestana Hotel in Funchal, Portugal. They are an excellent team who are extremely friendly and fantastic with the children. They perform face painting for free and help the children with many creative arts and craft activities. I highly recommend the animation team as a great place for kids of all ages. Terry

Arriving at the Pestana Carlton Madeira Hotel we were allocated a large, comfortable room on the seventh floor with stunning views of the gardens, pool and ocean. The island is beautiful with tropical plants, banana trees, flowers and lizards in abundance - hotel’s gardens are very special and well kept by the grounds staff. We usually travel to the Italian or Austrian mountains, so to see these things was a first for us.

Most of the hotel staff are friendly - particularly around the pool, housekeeping, bar and reception. The location couldn't have been better, with a short walk down to shops, restaurants, parks, harbour and old town area. The let down for us was the buffet restaurant in the evenings, the main course choices were unseasoned and bland. The fish lacked flavour, the potatoes were hard and I think most of the vegetables were tinned. The salad bar and desserts were mainly ok and the bread rolls were nice. Unfortunately we didn’t look forward to dinner. Breakfast was better, lots to choose from but pick your time, the breakfast room could get very busy so not very relaxing.

Loved the bar in the evening, staff were great and there was a good atmosphere for the World Cup football screenings. The outside terrace area with views of the ocean after dark with the moon shining on the water and palm trees lit up was idyllic.

We booked through Jet2 Holidays and all the arrangements went smoothly. The Jet2 transfer coach waited when everyone got held up at the airport border control ees machines and the return transfer got us back to the airport in time to queue and do it all again for the return flight!

We had a pleasant stay overall, with the biggest positive being the fantastic location. The views are lovely, and the pool area is excellent, with plenty of sunbeds available. The pool staff were always friendly and helpful, and the reception team were equally welcoming and efficient whenever we needed assistance.

The hotel itself is a little dated and could benefit from some refurbishment. It’s built into the side of a cliff and spread across three sections, each with its own lift. Unfortunately, the lifts seemed to have problems every day during our stay. If you’re fit and mobile, it’s manageable, but anyone with mobility issues may find it challenging.

Housekeeping was the biggest disappointment. On several occasions, fresh towels weren’t provided, and one day the beds weren’t made at all. While these issues didn’t ruin our holiday, they did let the overall experience down.