Pestana Royal All Inclusive Ocean and Spa Resort

Clean yes 👍🏻 Staff great and friendly We had a sea view balcony room View was great, room average, 1 bedside cabinet , not enough draws or hangers for clothes Dressing gowns and slippers a nice touch Restaurant lunch and dinner food practically the same average nice but a bit boring Breakfast good Room service ok, but silly things like leaving 2 little milks and not tucking bed sheets in properly and having twin beds and not a double made up. It’s an ok hotel average.

We stayed at this hotel in sept 26 as a couple and adult Son. We were given a superior room which was just above the restaurant. I think the room title was misspelt as it was most certainly not superios...more like inferior. The room has very little space to put your belonings and the bathroom is sadly lacking any cupboard space at all. The carpet in our room was absolutely disgusting. I wouldn't even want a homeless person to sleep on it...eeewww!!! Our Son's room was better but did overlook the very gloomy carpark next door. We had seen metion of the sunbeds being worn out but while we were there new ones arrived. A word of warning.If you are a non smoker (like us) then realistically this is not for you. The hotel is popular with eastern europeans who will chain smoke the whole day and evening.Lovely to be on your sunbed relaxing to be engulfed in smoke for someone clanging another fag off. Also the hotel takes in people from cruise ships for overnight stays...on our two weeks it was hoards of French people who seem to take over the whole hotel. However it will mention the bar staff including the Nepalise who work very hard. Also the two animation girls who are very enthusiastic in their activities. We are well seasoned travellers and for what we paid i would have expected better from this hotel. It has a plaque outside reception saying its a five star....it is definitely NOT and I this its as good as a Three star.

LG

There’s much to like about this place but it will depend on your circumstances. Let’s start with the basics- it’s a 4 star not 5 and definitely in the middle range of that star rating which fits with what we paid for an October week (1900 inc flights). Some people seem to be cross because the hotel is not 5 star as promised but should probably keep in mind 5 star service comes with 5 star prices. The hotel is kind of like a horseshoe shape and so, although all rooms are described as sea view, most are side sea view. We were disappointed by this and made the point and got moved to a more sea facing one. The deluxe rooms are not really deluxe. The room we were initially allocated had a weird bathroom layout- no door? The new one had a more traditional design. I’m not shy about pooping in front of my wife but smell wise- yuk. In the first and second room we were given the balcony was a half balcony with a Perspex panel dividing it and so it was cramped and you could hear everything said next door.I think the deluxe rooms are ‘normal’ by usual standards and super deluxe or suite would be better and with a bigger balcony. Some people think the beds are hard. I loved the bed and slept really well. My wife less so, and found the bed hard. The hotels is 2.5-3 miles from funchal. If you like walking ( we do) it’s an interesting 1hr 10 minutes walk with some uphill- but the hotel has a free shuttle or you can get the no1 or no2 bus. I read people complaining the food is “samey” but I think that’s unfair. If you have fish one day, steak the next then pasta .. your diet and meals can be varied. If you have the whole lot every night then yes “it’s samey”. Out of season it was easy to get sunbeds and very peaceful by the pool. Wine and beer and cocktails are Freely available. The staff vary (of course) but only from “formally courteous” to friendly. No-one was rude which was a nice surprise given some of the reviews I’d read before coming. Room service was daily and good. The nighttime entertainment was so/so. More lounge bands than ‘entertainers’ so the guest karaoke night in My opinion was best! Otherwise expect a lot of ‘low key’ lounge type music which some people still dance to (good on them). But most do not. The pools (3 of them) are good, tennis, mini golf all ok. there is some pool side animation but I didn’t partake so can only comment that if that’s your thing the staff and those partaking seemed enthusiastic. Plenty of parking spaces. Our Room was quiet (no noise next door etc) despite having an adjoining door. air con worked. Lifts are a bit slow but you shouldn’t be in a hurry in this kind of relaxing resort. Yes the decor is a bit tired but the the hotel has a 70s Portuguese vibe about it so you shouldn’t over worry about that- it’s part of the experience. I thought overall the place was well maintained (plates removed/ rooms cleaned, floors tidy etc).

So…Overall “Out of season” (early October) it was a good relaxing option. We’re happy for the price we paid. Shout out to Masum Ahmed in the restaurant who was a real pleasure to be around, and the guys by the pool bar