Porto Mare

Great hotel in a good area . Out of the city which is a bit busy as expected. Bus / taxi easy to find and use and not expensive. Plenty of small restaurants and shops . Good supermarket. Ice creams plenty and cheap. Trips of locals business are well organised and decent cost .

We got a well presented spacious room looking from the side towards over the pool. The atmosphere or feel of the place was at ease and always wanting to help. Value wise- we booked there because it was good value, although a little negative was the drink and food prices (good quality though) were a little over priced compared to the local bars and eateries. The entertainment on some of the nights were excellent and some others a little less good. Entertainment all 7 nights of the week. There was a lido close by you could walk on a night for excercise and drink choice or just an ice cream 😋 Additionally you could walk into Funchal, took about 50 mins. Bus just outside. Or just up from the hotel a taxi rank to get you around. We used all options 😎

We had chosen this hotel because we had stayed there more than 20 years ago (at that moment the hotel was brand new – we were there when it had been open for 6 months).

The quality of the hotel is still just as good as it was in 2004.

I booked directly through the hotel reception, which went just as smoothly as booking through potential intermediaries or tour operators. All questions via email were answered immediately and thoroughly.

The rooms are very spacious and the beds are fine (and very wide).

We had booked half-board, and both the breakfast and evening buffets were of more than excellent quality. There was a huge selection and everything was perfectly prepared by staff who have mastered the art of cooking. The gigantic swimming pool is nice and warm, and the surrounding garden is beautiful. There are more than enough sun loungers available, although some egocentric guests still feel the need to extensively reserve their preferred loungers at exactly 8:00 a.m. despite of a prohibition issued by the hotel. If you have a rental car, I do recommend reserving a parking space in the garages, as parking in the surrounding area can be a frustrating experience during peak season.

Generally speaking, the hotel is perfection itself, with one minor flaw: 3-4 times a week (plus extra times if there is a wedding or something similar) there is 'entertainment' at the pool bar, where the music is so indecently loud that it is impossible (even with the windows closed) to have a normal conversation in the room, let alone go to sleep early after a day of strenuous hiking. The noise level of this entertainment is unacceptable.

But don't let this spoil the fun: otherwise, the hotel is truly perfect and highly recommended!