Pestana Grand Premium Ocean Resort

“Lovely hotel, but evening food could be better”

We stayed at this hotel in Madeira to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The hotel itself is very attractive, with beautifully maintained gardens, lovely seating areas throughout, and a spacious bedroom with a stunning sea view. On arrival we were greeted with a bottle of bubbly, chocolates, and a … more

We stayed at this hotel in Madeira to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The hotel itself is very attractive, with beautifully maintained gardens, lovely seating areas throughout, and a spacious bedroom with a stunning sea view. On arrival we were greeted with a bottle of bubbly, chocolates, and a balloon, which was a really thoughtful and much‑appreciated touch. The staff overall were very good, friendly, and welcoming. That said, while the hotel has many positive aspects, we did feel somewhat “cocooned” during our stay, and unfortunately the food offering let the experience down. The hotel has a buffet restaurant and three speciality restaurants, but these were not all open at the same time, limiting choice. We tried two of them: the Moroccan‑style restaurant was very good and enjoyable, but the Italian restaurant was below par. The steak was so poor that I couldn’t eat it, which was disappointing for a hotel that advertises itself as five‑star. The evening buffet was very inconsistent and, overall, below average. So much so that we chose to eat out on several nights, which was a shame because breakfast was actually very good, with plenty of variety and well presented. Improving the quality and consistency of the evening buffet would, in our opinion, make a significant difference to the hotel and help it live up to its five‑star rating. As it stands, we would rate it closer to a three‑star experience overall. One additional area for improvement would be the bar service. The waiting staff in the bar area could be more active with walkrounds. It felt like a missed opportunity, as more attentive service would almost certainly lead to increased drink sales and a better guest experience. In summary, this is a lovely hotel with great views, well‑kept grounds, comfortable rooms, and attentive staff, but some relatively small tweaks—particularly around food quality and bar service—could greatly improve the overall experience and bring it more in line with its advertised rating.

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“Average”

Hotel needs updating rooms are very basic defo wouldn’t rate it 5 * but 4* staff are good but breakfast restaurant can’t great not very good choice on food but the other restaurants were nice good location but need better rooms and 5* service in rooms with water change of bedsheets etc