A hotel dining room with stunning scenery - a panorama of the bay. If we had been couples, instead of a group of 35 spread across three or four large ten-seater round tables, I would have had breakfast and dinner on the patio outside enjoying that view. I twice changed tables in order to enjoy the view.
Several hotels along the front have equally stunning views. So do the Funchal restaurants along the front. So do the hilltop hotels and restaurants. When you think about it, most of the hotel or restaurants are either on the flatter lower coast road, or the top of the central mountain ranges. A few small former farming cottages are perched on ledges the hillside.
Wonderful buffet. Fresh fruit salad. Fresh salads. Nuts at breakfast. Olives at dinner time.
Little round Portuguese custard tarts and similar circular-shaped pastries, almost flaky outside, with shredded coconut filling and a glace cherry or two on top, or treacle filling with crunchy nut knibs on top.
Problems
Minus 1 The outdoor pool is too cold.
Minus 2 No tea and coffee making facilities in bedrooms. (As several people on Tripadvisor noted, many one and two star motels and hotels offer free tea and coffee making facilities and free refills.)
Minus minus 3 No free jugs nor glasses of tap water with dinner.
Minus 4 High prices for bar drinks and coffee and tea.
Minus minus 5 Car hire booked through the hotel was much higher than through other bookings at airport and online.
Minus minus 6 Our group had booked half board. We were told no refunds if we decided to take the meal elsewhere. Two of our members ran their own 'hotels', with accommodation and food for guests, one in Portugal and one in Indonesia. They were not prepared to let this go without argument.
Answers
1 The first day I climbed straight out, then thought, now I'm cold, I might find it less cold. I did a few feeble splashes and got out and went downstairs.
2 I drink too much coffee at home. I didn't miss it.
3 This caused a major upset, a constant distraction and debate. One of our group got out his own bottle of water to make a point. He then had a confontation with a waiter who came to whisper that the manager had said we were not allowed to bring in water from outside.
Afterwards, another guest said to our member, 'Don't blame the poor waiter for keeping his job by passing on the manager's message. Ask to see the manager.'
On the last night, our fourth evening meal, I had a drink outside the restaurant. During dinner in the hotel I did not order another drink because I felt too much alcohol and no water was not a good idea. I would be either sleepy or sick.
Water
At breakfast the buffet had a water urn but beside it was a big notice telling you not to refill your bottle or cup and take it onto the terrace.
The buffet
I loved the meats, fish, nuts, salads, and above the wonderful pastries. I was not overly thrilled by the Madeira cake, a heavy fruit cake with the island's so-called honey. I don't know how this 'honey' gets past trade description as everybody admits that Madeira 'honey' is cane sugar.
Bedrooms
Only one chair for two people and not enough room to the right of the TV for two laptops. Impossible for two people in a room for two to sit at laptops. (A common problem. In some hotels you can ask for another chair, or another high side table. The low side table does for a drink but you cannot read or look at any text such as an email nor the news nor booking local events and restaurants.
Minus Corridoors were very dark but I had a room by the lift so this did not affect me.
Minus /Plus VIEW
I was not pleased to have a room with a partial sea view but two cranes, one either side. Slightly to the right of centre was the Savoy hotel building site. I would have preferred the port view overlooking little boats coming and going. This will change after this autumn and next spring if the Savoy is finished on the time the outside hoarding claims is the aim.
By day two I had discovered that the upstairs Jacuzzi and that the downstairs pool had Jacuzzi jets. Great fun for children.
Plus
Beside the tennis court was a hidden children's play area with slides and so on but nobody seemed to be using it. The kids were all shouting and splashing in the pool.
Other adult swimmers complained that the indoor pool was a curved shape and full of children jumping in so you could not swim in a straight line nor without fear of being bumped or hit.
Building is badly designed. You cannot get to the downstairs pool except by a long staircase, not ideal when you are in wet shoes from the outdoor pool - which you have left because it is too cold.
The outdoor lighting by the poolside upper deck changes colours which is amusing, but it gets distracting and annoying to see your friends' faces going green, purple, blue, grey, every thirty seconds.
Receptionists do not smile hello or goodbye, only notice when you are right next to them. I think you either need a bowing doorman or a pretty girl or handsome man at the end nearest the door to wave goodbye and smile hello every time you walk into and out of a four or five-star hotel - in fact any hotel.
By the end of the week, the staff were smiling at me, and I was approaching them, deliberately smiling, and giving my room number, and they smiled back and said, 'Enjoy'.
The casino is outside in a separate building, much better than Las Vegas hotels where you walk through a lobby of slot machines to get anywhere. One of our members went to the caino and said it was smoky so she came back. Another member went on another day and said their was a meal cheaper than at our hotel.
Thinking about it later, yes, casinos often have low priced food, either to lure you in, or keep you on site.
On balance, a wonderful hotel. Poeple at the nearby Pestana hotel, the other side of the Savoy site, seemed even happier than our group.
One of our group went to visit the famous Reid's hotel. She liked it. She prefers traditional hotels to modern hotels. Having looked at the photos, I think our modern hotel was better, and nearer to the city shops, walking distance.
If I think of the hotel, I think of that panoramic dining room sea view, through a wall of glass which you enjoy descending a circular ramp every morning and every evening.
Useful Websites
pestana.com/hotels
visitmadeira.com
Author
Angela Lansbury
