Pestana Grand Hotel

, Funchal, Portugal
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Pestana Grand Hotel

, Funchal
4 star

Rooms: 193

Ponta Da Cruz - Funchal - 9000 103 - Portugal | 291 239 593
396 Traveller

Reviews - Pestana Grand Hotel

Historical Traveller Reviews of Pestana Grand Hotel

maybe in a couple of years !!

from robNorfolk
Having been to Madeira previously and stayed at the Crown Plaza we thought we would try a new hotel this year. Big mistake !!
We arrived late afternoon/evening and having unpacked decided to dine in the restaurant..not as easy as it sounds..."have you booked?" no but...
Have a drink in the bar and we will see if we can fit you in.
The Italian meal was quite good but took an age to be served with much waiting time between courses. Several people were complaining about 2 hour meals and were being given free drinks or food by way of apology.
Oh well first night..must get better it claims to be 5 * anyway.
The rooms and public areas are really good and our only dissapointment was that if you can see the sea you are in a "front sea view room" ours was definitly a "side sea view" with views at adjacent apartments but if you look left you can see the sea.
8am the next morning we were awakened by the building site next door (nothing to do with the Hotel) Two very large cranes were in action from 8am to 6pm and the noise was awful.
We went down to breakfast and sat outside enjoying the early morning sunshine but were dissapointed to find that the pools and sun bed areas are too small for the size of the hotel and watching people slap on sun tan oil 20 feet from where we were enjoying our breakfast was not pleasent.
we could have eaten inside but part of the joy of Madeira is eating outside.

So to find a sun bed and have a relaxing day. as we are busy people we require relaxation and quiet when on holiday...this is not possible at the Pestana Grand. There is building works going on on both sides of the hotel and its pictures of it standing alone on a headland are misleading to say the least. It was impossible to find anywhere away from the building work (dumper trucks and work one side and tower cranes continually working on the other.
At the end of the day we sought out the Atlantic Holiday rep who agreed with us that this was not really a relaxing holiday and we checked out of the hotel and into the Crown Plaza and enjoyed a great remaining 6 days of our holiday without all the noise and intrusion and would recommend this hotel for its space and peace and quiet. Maybe its 5 years old but service and amenities are 1st class.
As we left the hotel the reception clerk who was very pleasent said "our work is all finished but we have no control over the sites either side and they could go on for 12 -18 months.
Very nice hotel but not one to stay in until the building work is finished ie 12-18 months.

Nearly perfect

from Emmos
Three of us women (two in their 50s, one in their 20s) spent a week at the Pestana Grand and had a lovely relaxing trip. The hotel is top quality - the staff was v friendly, the layout, the architecture, the gardens, the furniture. Everything was perfect. The pool and spa, including gym, sauna, turkish bath and jacuzzi was perfect for helping you unwind. We had a one bed apartment, which can sleep two extra on the sofa bed in the front room. We had maid service every day who left the room spick and span.

My one reservation was the building work next door. We couldn't really hear it by the pool, but our rooms was on the seventh floor and the noise travelled up a bit when we were having lunch on the balcony. But of course, this will be over at some point in the future.

I think it's actually a bonus that it's not right in the centre of town. The town has lots of traffic and noise, so the Pestana Grand is the right distance. You can walk into town in about 30 min on the seafront promenade, which had lovely views and lots of great restaurants. There's also a shopping centre just up the main road from the hotel which has lots of good shops - mango, Zara, a supermarket, etc which is open till v late at night.

Sorry, not 5 star!

from A TripAdvisor Member
This was our fourth visit to Madeira in as many years. Previously stayed at Madeira Regency Palace and Pestana Miramar which are both excellent.

The Pestana Grand consists of hotel rooms and timeshare apartments. I stayed with my wife and ten year old son in a one bedroomed apartment for two weeks. We asked to be moved on the second day because the original room allocated was too small (more suitable as a studio). In fairness, we were promptly moved with little hassle. The second room was excellent with a side seaview.

We attempted room service on the first night because of a relatively late arrival- took two calls and an hour wait because only one waiter on duty.
On another occasion we waited for over half an hour in the Moroccan restaurant for the menu having already been seated. This was particularly disappointing because we had enjoyed an excellent meal in the same restaurant only a few days earlier. Our experience in the Italian restuarant was also a little indifferent.

Other irritating experiences included the non-availability of both bath and pool towels on one occasion. One of the three main lifts was out of order for three or four consecutive days - not something you would expect with a five star hotel.

Generally staff are very pleasant and the reception is well managed and efficient. Overall the facilities are very good. The Grand has the potential to be an excellent hotel although being ultra modern in design, it is rather characterless.

5 Star definately

from A TripAdvisor Member
We stayed at The Pestana Grand for a week from 22nd August 2005 and were very impressed, not only with the Hotel but also the quality of the service. In fact it will be difficult to stay in a Holiday Hotel with less than five stars as a result of having such a nice experience there. We took our 12 year old son and did not know what to expect. However luckily there was a good mix of ages. The building works were not intrusive and you will quickly forget their existence. The rooms were fabulous and were cleaned to spotless perfection everyday. The entertainment is a little tame at times but if a relaxing sun holiday is what you seek with safety for the children this is a good choice. The pools were clean and it was easy to find plenty of sunbeds. There is a fabulous fish restaurant where the staff are very welcoming further down on the front and I would recommend the Catamaran trip where we did have the option of refreshments. Madeira is very hilly and isnt easy to stroll in but the views from the hotel are lovely and the other guests at The Pestana Grand very pleasant. The flight out was fairly quick although we went with Atlantic Holidays and there is no entertainment on board. Generally Madeira is a good choice if you want pleasant weather and good company. The Pestana Grand lives up to its Five star reputation and I could see no difference between this and five star in the UK. If I had one small niggle it would be lunchtime at the pool bar where staff are a little overstretched to accomodate everyone quickly but stting out in the sunshine waiting for your lunch is no hardship at The Pestana Grand.

Please, 5stars?!!!

from A TripAdvisor Member
well, i lovely building but its just it... I use to go to Madeira, twice per year, and always stay at the Royal Savoy (a real 5 star). this time i saw some pictures at Pestanagrand and decided to book in the Grand for a change. First of all... why are those pictures so different than the reallity? nothing matches, the restaurants are different, the views (buildings everywere), its unbelievable. when i got there i thought i was at the wrong place.
rooms are nice and balcony. the rest is 1 star.
service is horrible. food (my god!!!). be careful with a waitress called Catia, in the Restaurant. i was shocked with her, arrogant, not nice at all, we ate once at the pool restaurant and she was serving, i just said to my wife, lets get out of here. then came the f&b manager, (how can she be a manager??!!!) se was also really unpleasent...
the only person that i thought diserving some respect was Sidonio from the restaurant. In the morning, he always helped us, was caring and polite. he's one of the best waiters i ever met. everyone liked him, funny and educated.
frequently i saw lots of room maids just walking around and always talking... why?
please, if you are planning to book in this hotel, be very careful, because you can get some surprise...

5 Star

from Tokkelosh
We stayed at this hotel for a week in July'05 as part of RCI timeshare.The hotel has a 5star rating and we thought it was worth it.It's brandnew and the decor is very modern.It has a spa-area,with heated saltwater pool,Jacuzzi,Sauna and a steamroom with all the therapies assosiated therewith,plus 3 big outside pools of which one is for children.There is a games room(snooker and card games),internet area(not free) and huge chess set outside.The hotel also has a small shop for things like camera film,souvenirs etc.The hotel sits on a cliff,so one has a beautiful view over the ocean.(unfortunately also over the adjacent building- in- progress!!)Our apartment had a huge balcony,2bedrooms,2bathrooms,lounge/diningroom and partial kitchen.The cleaning staff were excellent as were the frontdesk.The 3 restaurants were not all open on the same night,but took turns to be open.We can recommend the barbeque evening-very nice allthough mostly a British meal!Avoid the "steak on a stone",its expensive @ 28Euros and not worth it.We did not chose the "dine-around" option that other Tripadvisor members recommended as we thought 110Euros for 3 meals(less with the hotel Goldcard) was a bit expensive,seeing that there are so many other restaurants in the area!Nearby(within walking distance) there is a shopping centre were one can buy everything needed for self- catering.We bought and prepared our own prawns and shrimps and ate untill we keeled overl!!The hotel also offer transport right through the day and evening into Funchal running about every 30 minutes,I think, as we had our own car and did not make use of it.By the way,there is a safe, on site parking garage.The Hotel Owners Relations office are able to arrange all types of outings in Madeira-walks,daytrips,boattrips etc.
Now to the things that bothered us:The building work nextdoor!!While I know the hotel cannot be held responsible for that,it is really a problem as its noisy,starts early and keeps on untill late.Secondly,the hotel photo's are misleading-the hotel does not sit by itself on a buff!!It is surrounded by other hotels and buildings and the area is very built up.Lastly we found that the entertainment was a bit lacking,with not much to do for kids and teens.
All in all,still definately worth going there!

Wonderful holiday and hotel

from A TripAdvisor Member
Madeira is a great holiday destination. The Pestana Grand Hotel was excellent. Facilities/staff/restaurants/location - everything.
The 'building site' wasn't obtrusive or noisy during our stay. Our sea view room was just that - sea view and it was perfect. I can recommend a glass of wine & sitting on your balcony watching the boats sail past. Will hopefully return next year.

Very enjoyable experience at Pestana Grand

from A TripAdvisor Member
I have recently returned from Madeira with my wife and child, aged 6.
I was a little concerned after having read some negative comments left by other visitors but thankfully, my gut instinct to go ahead and book proved to be the correct thing to do.
Firstly, the hotel is in a marvelous location. It's close enough to Funchal city centre if that's where you want to visit (10 mins taxi/bus) and just far enough away to feel as though you're not on top of everything touristy, if you get my drift.
The building being constructed next to the Pestana Grand is in fact part of the hotel. It was not as bad as I was lead to believe. There was very little, if no noise at all. It didn't impair our wonderful views out to the ocean or affect our holiday in any way. We spent many afternoons beside the pool enjoying the wonderful facilities. The restaurants in the hotel were delightful. An excellent choice of menu together with friendly staff. Our child was well catered for. We ate a few nights in local restaurants. All of which were a 5 or 10 min stroll away. With the new shopping centre that has just opened (about 5 mins walk) it meant we had all the amenities we needed on our doorstep. Immediately in front of the hotel is a very picturesque prominade walk which is ideal to use with children or simply for a stroll yourself.
As a family we are already planning to return to this hotel and I would have no hesitation in recommending it.
Together with the superb weather, we've had a great experience all round.

Ruined view

from A TripAdvisor Member
Unfortuanately Pestana group have ruined the beautiful views from the hotel by building an additional building (shaped like a boat and quite high) which are going to be exclusive time-share and private apartments. The building is on the piece of land in front of their hotel, and which last year was gardens! It ruins the previous wonderful vista.

Anyone going this year be warned of the noise and dust - and the fact that what you thought you had paid for is not as it was!.
Management Response from A TripAdvisor Member
In response to the comment from a Tripadvisor member (anonomous!) who claims a building has been erected in front of Pestana Grand blocking the view to the sea.
I am surprised to have such inaccurate and misleading information posted on the Tripadvisor web-site. I can confirm that the new building erected to the north side of the hotel has absolutely no impact on the panoramic seaview from the hotel rooms.
Thank you
Morten Ebbesen
General Manager
Pestana Grand Hotel

Great Stay

from BBrowning
I have been meaning to write this review ever since I got back from our vacation in Madeira so here it goes. The other reviews stated that the picture in all the ads were deceiving and they were right. Some of the guests complained and they got a free meal out of it. From reading the reviews here I knew what to expect and did not complain. I have noticed they have changed the picture in some of their ads. The construction was not as bad as I expected. We wrote the Pestena and asked them to put us on the opposite side of the construction and once we got there we requested to be moved to the ocean side. They were happy to do so and it ended up being a good move. I have attached pictures that show you our view. We were lucky enough to see dolphin's a couple of days..it was great. The Pool was excellent but that was the only time the noise from the cranes was disturbing. I like to just lay in peace and quiet but hearing the cranes was irritating at first but I got over it. The crowd is older and at 47 I was a youngster. If you are looking for a hotel that is wild and crazy this is certainly not for you. I really wecomed the peace and quiet. The entertainment was pretty good. It was more geared toward the older crowd and they need to find someone else to sing their country music but other than that it was worth going down and listening to. I only ate breakfast at the hotel. I bought the package deal that the hotel offered and it was just okay. There were lots of great places to eat around the area and I don't usually go to the hotel restaurants. I recommend Grandma's and there is a fish place and pizza place near the hotel that was very good and the cost was very reasonable. I also recommend that you take a day trip with a taxi. The cost was 100 euros and I tipped 30 euros and I honestly felt like I ripped the fellow off because it was a long day but very well worth it. His name was Henry email www.henry taxi@hotmail.com. Henry Garcia is his name and he really was a great guide. BUT...if you use him and he gives you his cell phone number...DO NOT CALL FROM THE HOTEL ROOM!!! I think for 1 minute it was close to 10 euros. Special rates for cell phones for some reason. Sorry to be long winded but this was my opinion. I am not sure if I will ever go back to Madeira but if I did I would certainly use this hotel again.

Top Local Tips for Funchal

Easy dining The terrace restaurant in the old town....much better than the jardin We would not recommend arsenios....even though they trade on a visit of Michael Winner many years ago CFasa Portuguesa in the old town is a good choise of venue for easy dining in lovely surroundings

See the Island Try one of the guided tours. Madeira is an amazing island with loads to see. It's home to many types of vegetation, beautiful flowers and plants, incredible agriculture and beautiful scenery. There are mountains, caves, waterfalls, lovely coastline and the wonderful Levada walks.

Little bit of adventure Try a company called Terras de Aventura in Funchal ( you can details off the internet) if you want to try something a bit different. We went mountain biking after being recommended this company by someone we met on a walk who had been biking and had also done a couple of their walks and canyoning too. You go right up to Pico Arerio which is 1800 meters up in the van and then its all down hill - starting off with some technical bits over mountain terrain then through some woods and then half way down you hit the tarmac and its then as fast as you can get down to the bottom, quite exhausting but great fun if a lttle scary too. Great guide called Pedro too. If you want something different then try this company. I called them in Madeira and they picked us up the next day on time.

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Other names for Pestana Grand Hotel

  • pestana grand madeira
  • pestana grand hotel
  • pestana grand funchal
  • pestana grand
  • hotel pestana grand
  • Address: Ponta Da Cruz - Funchal - 9000 103 - Portugal
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