Quinta Perestrello

On arrival at the hotel we were greeted by Jasmyn on reception, a wonderfully helpful and chirpy Irish girl, who told us all about the hotel, it's amenities and Madeira itself. This instantly made us feel really at home, as friendly smiling staff made this trip so special. From the friendly, super efficient cleaner to the reception staff, they were in general a complete joy to deal with. The short distance to the room itself (on the 2nd floor) reflected a minor and major fault in the hotel itself; no lift and the fact the hotel itself is in absolutely dire need of a refurbishment. For anyone with any major mobility issues therefore neither the hotel itself nor its location are really suitable, more of which to be explained. The room itself was spotlessly clean, with a reasonably sized bathroom and air conditioning - of a sort! This wasn't very efficient, but it did slightly cool the room. This was otherwise quite comfortable, with the caveat that the furnishings were basically either antique or ready for the skip, depending on point of view! As pointed out by a previous reviewer, the beds are also rock hard, but I curiously found them to be comfortable. The balcony had a terrific view, but is terribly noisy, as the hotel sits adjacent to a very busy road. Breakfast was usually served by the lovely little Paula, unfailingly polite and with a huge and genuine smile every morning. The hot breakfast was lacking in choice, but always had scrambled eggs, together with a continental choice of meats, cheese, fruits, etc. This was always adequate and I found the coffee to be quite good too. The pool area was always quiet and no wonder; every sunbed was just completely worn out! The minute you sat on the sagging fabric you felt the frame below; excruciatingly uncomfortable after an hour or so unless you're prepared to persevere. The area of the pool itself loses the sun before 3pm, so don't plan on sunbathing all day and not just because you'll need a chiropractic before you return home! Madeira itself and Funchal in particular are wonderful, one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen! Would I stay here again though? Yes, particularly if the place were given a lick of paint, some new carpets and pictures (all faded to colourless!) and generally a bit of tlc. The 4 star I've awarded is more for the total experience rather than the building, as the staff made the stay and create a warm, inviting environment. I personally have a knee injury and struggled a bit with the hill outside the hotel and the stairs. On returning to the hotel every night Raquel would very thoughtfully give me a bag of ice for my painful knee; that's wonderful customer service. All of this must also be taken in the context that this is a budget hotel, so it's hugely unfair to savage it as one reviewer has. Yes there's many faults as I've pointed out, but we weren't expecting The Savoy for what we paid and the fabulous staff helped create a very special holiday; thank you!

We were not told that this hotel is on a busy roundabout. The beds are as hard as rocks, the sun beds are broken, the air conditioning doesn’t work, the carpets are threadbare. It’s quite honestly difficult to find anything positive to say! The staff were lovely and that is the only saving grace....you have been warned. It is shabby and uncomfortable, I can’t imagine how it was awarded 4 stars, 1 would be generous.