Pestana Royal All Inclusive Ocean & Spa Hotel

“MY stay in May 2026”

I loved Madeira This hotel was located a few miles from Funchal but the bus stop was near and a shuttle ran once a day The hotel was very friendly I particularly liked the receptionist lady ,dining room staff (Florentina was superb) and the entertainment crew worked very hard The beach was a disapp… more

I loved Madeira This hotel was located a few miles from Funchal but the bus stop was near and a shuttle ran once a day The hotel was very friendly I particularly liked the receptionist lady ,dining room staff (Florentina was superb) and the entertainment crew worked very hard The beach was a disappointment with pebbles and volcanic rock so I could not swim in the sea but the hotel had an outside (cold water) and indoor pool with a sauna and gym.The food was good with daily variations My one concern was my room which did not have a separate bathroom but was cornered off with glass and roller shutters but did not have a door and I did complain about the smell from the drains which the hotel did try to fix. In my opinion this is a good 4 star hotel (not 5 star) and I would recommend a stay her!

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“Great hotel - please can these 2 points be looked at?”

Having a great time at this hotel. Staff and facilities are amazing. Just 2 complaints. The themed restaurant last night for local Medeira food was not at all great! Tuna starters were just tinned tuna on bread and the pork dish was pork cubes next to a huge plate of chips! We spoke to others leavi… more

Having a great time at this hotel. Staff and facilities are amazing. Just 2 complaints. The themed restaurant last night for local Medeira food was not at all great! Tuna starters were just tinned tuna on bread and the pork dish was pork cubes next to a huge plate of chips! We spoke to others leaving the restaurant and whilst they had different dishes; they were equally not happy! Also, whilst offering a picnic for excursions is an amazing service; the contents of the brown bag are not! Both times for us the ham/cheese sandwiches are so warm, we suspect they haven't been near a fridge for hours! A suggestion - either keep a fridge at reception for just the sandwiches or replace them with pastries/croissantscrisps/nuts which do not need refrigeration.

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“Try elsewhere!”

Our experience was very similar to Martin T, of Bolton. We also paid for a deluxe double room (via Jet2) and got a very tired outdated room on dark and dingy 2nd floor with a view of the wall around the pool. We asked to be changed and were allocated a 4th floor room with pool view the next day, bu… more

Our experience was very similar to Martin T, of Bolton. We also paid for a deluxe double room (via Jet2) and got a very tired outdated room on dark and dingy 2nd floor with a view of the wall around the pool. We asked to be changed and were allocated a 4th floor room with pool view the next day, but still outdated and with no sun. We had very little sleep as the beds were so hard. We ended up folding the duvet over and sleeping on that. The sun loungers in the lower pool were in terrible condition and so uncomfortable. It was impossible to find a lounger in the upper pool unless you bagged it very early. Usual story with towels left and no one using loungers, sometimes for hours at a time. Entertainment was dire, team seemed mostly interested in the French guests. On the plus side, we found the food in the main buffet to be ok, there was something for everyone. We also enjoyed the Italian restaurant. We found the restaurant staff to be very pleasant. Based on this experience, we will never stay in a Pestana hotel again. Certainly this was not 5* and is very down market compared to where we normally stay (4* Porto Mare) which unfortunately was fully booked.

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“Only 3 star”

So waited a week before writing this review this hotel is probably a 3 star no more, paid for a deluxe double sea view got a very tired outdated room which got very little sun should have really insisted on something better.Pool areas run down terrible sun lounges especially the adult pool on a pl… more

So waited a week before writing this review this hotel is probably a 3 star no more, paid for a deluxe double sea view got a very tired outdated room which got very little sun should have really insisted on something better.Pool areas run down terrible sun lounges especially the adult pool on a plus side the pool bar staff are great polite and always quick service , food really let it down maderian restaurant awful didn't bother with the Italian.Dont get me wrong the main restaurant is tidy with good service but wine terrible the food is repeated each day cheap meats like turkey and pork desserts not good lots of mousse again cost cutting . Entertainment not my thing only 1 bar at night but lots of rude French loud and always trying to push in im sure it was once a good hotel but now it's tired and run cheaply I've stayed in 10 different hotels in madeira this was sadly at the bottom.

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“Good holiday but not 5 star”

Last day today so will write a detailed review before leaving. Pools- pools have plenty of sunbeds and areas to sit the bottom sunbeds are due to be replaced soon I heard which they are uncomfortable, people we have spoke to have gone to buy yoga matts to lay on. Staff round the pools are not tra… more

Last day today so will write a detailed review before leaving. Pools- pools have plenty of sunbeds and areas to sit the bottom sunbeds are due to be replaced soon I heard which they are uncomfortable, people we have spoke to have gone to buy yoga matts to lay on. Staff round the pools are not trained in first aid one guest collapsed and instead of getting help they dragged her back to her sunbed untill another guest rushed in to get her some actual help for her. Food - food here is not great, im not a fussy eater one bit but its enough to choose from, but if your here for 2 weeks it will be a push , luckily there are restaurants close by to pop into, food finishes around half 9 so once outside there's nothing to get , we ordered McDonald's when we got back late from a trip. Snack bar Is hit and miss if the foods been left in the heaters its cold and not great , the main restaurant is quite same food each night , breakfast is good just need a new toaster as one dosent work well. They cook large batches which is fine but for.things like burgers and meats why not wait untill somone needs it then its hot and tasty , I dont mind waiting if its hot and tasty. We visited both restaurants on site the botanical one was horrific I would not recommend one bit bland and cold food , the Italian restaurant tho was amazing best food 😋 fresh pizza and the starters and pudding brilliant , if they could match that all over it would be back into the 5 stars. Entertainment- if youve ever watched benidorm tv program at the solana then this is the Entertainment dodgy singers except a guy on piano and girl singing was very good , the rest it was the same songs each night, very poor and if you like carryoky then twice a week , the venue is outdated and tacky , would love to have seen it outside where more people sat. Staff - staff here 25% are brilliant the rest are miserable and unfriendly and rude, we asked 3x for towels and no one done anything. We.asked.for weaker drinks as they fill them up with rum or whatever and they still made them like petrol so those drinks where wasted then got funny when I asked for more straight after. The customer isn't right here with some staff it seems Location is close to funchal, taxi cost 6 euros into town on the bolt app , plenty to see and shops , just opposite hotel is a shop which is massive full of everything you could need and more, a shopping mall just down aswell with loads of brands and good prices. Beach close by its pebbles and can be choppy if looking for a swim in the sea. Rooms - they are spacious and bed is comfortable, air conditioning is brilliant just ours leaked when on to the floor , the rooms are outdated and could do with a major revamp, no english telly but I bought my forestick for evenings. SSpeaking to other guests they all felt the same as what im writing , I havent found 1 person who enjoyed the food yet. Over all a good holiday just alot needs to change in my opinion to become a 5star , iv been to many 5star and 5star platinum and this in my opinion falls way under what is required. It has everything to be amazing just requires investment and better training in staff

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