Pestana Royal All Inclusive Ocean and Spa Resort

We enjoyed our stay in this hotel but there are positives and negatives. First of all it is definitely not a 5* hotel. I wasn’t expecting it to be as price wise you get quite a lot for your money in comparison to other all inclusive resorts. Positives- the hotel has a nice, relaxed atmosphere. There were no sunbed wars so you could eat breakfast later knowing you would get a spot by the pool. The food was always good, although the choice is quite limited. Me and my husband were fine but my teen son struggled on some days. The rooms were quite large and the sea view room was worth paying slightly more for. The bus into Funchal was useful. Negatives- The beds are very hard. The pool sun beds need upgrading, particularly at the lower pool. One of the images shows sun beds with padding- this is not the case, they are hard and quite uncomfortable. There is one quite ancient pool table that you need to book slots for at reception. As there isn’t a lot to do in the resort they should upgrade this and have more than one table. It was always popular and we asked several times but it was booked out yet no one playing.

We had a lovely time during our stay here. The hotel is traditional in decor and spotlessly clean. We arrived before check-in, so couldn't go to our room. We left our luggage with reception and spent the afternoon by the pool, returning to collect it later (after 3pm). Our rooms were cleaned daily. The staff were helpful and answered all our questions.

We chose to stay here as we didn't want to stay in central Funchal, which I am glad we did. When we went into the city, it was very busy and it wasn't like that where the hotel is situated. There is a supermarket down the road if you need and a bus stop outside the hotel. The hotel runs a shuttle bus into the city, but we didn't use it. If you want to get down to the promenade along the seafront, then there is a lift that you can take down (you will need your room card to access it). From here, you can walk into Funchal or west to Camara de Lobos

We were very satisfied with the food selection. I am a fussy eater and always found something to eat. We'd recommend booking the two a la carte restaurants as they were both amazing. The Madeiran restaurant only opens on the weekend. There is a booking screen near the lifts at reception. I would recommend booking as soon as you arrive to avoid disappoint. If you are going out for the day, reception will give you a pack lunch - just order it before 9pm the previous night

The pools were clean and we favoured the lower pool, which was mostly adults only (it is meant to be adults only, but this isn't reinforced, so sometimes children end up in the pool). However, most of the time we had a peaceful time relaxing by the pool. There was no sunbed wars, which meant that we weren't all packed like sardines around the pool!

As I said, we had a great time here, so would recommend it to anyone considering staying here

Agree with other reviewers that this is not a 5* Hotel but then you don’t really pay 5* prices so you get what you pay for. Positives - very large room for 3, dressing gowns and slippers, good AC, comfy if a bit firm beds, fluffy white towels. Great food and drinks, help yourself bottles of wine in the “wine corner” was great. Cocktails, spirits good, coffee from the machines good which was always available. Good variety and quality of food. Staff were professional, friendly and helpful. Always got sunbeds and shade whatever time of day which was a real bonus in the middle of August! The 2 à la carte restaurants were lovely. Negatives - peeling paint around the pool, sunbeds extremely uncomfortable. Juices at breakfast were squash and not actual juice. Could have had more variety of food at the snack bar for lunch as it was just burgers and sausages, it was a lovely setting away from the noise of the buffet. Shower was over bath and not walk in and difficult to get temp right. Balcony had only 2 wooden chairs for 3 people and table, no cushions, nowhere to dry clothes, railings were rusted and overlooked an apartment block. I was under the impression we could walk into Funchal - the first day we walked for 30 mins along the coast, involved lots of steps and a cave full of puddles and still only half way so my fault for not doing more research. Bolt was very easy to use and cheap to get around. In summary we had a lovely 10 days but probably wouldn’t go back. Madeira and it’s food and people were great and perfect weather in August 26-28 degrees of mostly sunshine and very low humidity which made it very pleasant.