The hotel ticks so many boxes, but egos and attitudes let it down in parts.
Upon arriving, we noticed how well presented and clean the lobby and reception area was. We were checked in promptly and given a free drink to welcome us, which was a nice touch. We took it to the terrace and admired at the amazing view. It should be noted how clean and well presented the terrace was.
So the room:
Pros: The bed was comfortable and spacious. The room was clean, looked nice, and had a good-sized balcony. The bathroom was nice, with a decent shower. There was plenty of space to store luggage and to stretch out. The room was always well cleaned, and the staff were awesome and funny. We had two soft toys that travelled with us, and they were moving them around the room and putting them in hilarious positions.
The cons: We were meant to be a mountain view room. We weren't. We were facing the main road and even with the doors closed to the balcony we could hear a lot of noise. The air con didn't work. There is a safe, but you need to pay for it. There isn't any coffee in the room, and the teas don't get replenished.
Food: We didn't fancy the menus for dinner but breakfast was nice. A huge selection of stuff is available, and it was changed daily. The kitchen knows how to cook good food. The only downside was the sausages were awful and the juice wasn't very nice, but that aside we were very happy. The staff here were also really good and kept everything clean and tidy throughout.
The bar: This were the hotel is let down. We spent quite a bit in the bar early on, but service was very slow at times. One evening, we waited over half an hour before calling it a night. The next, my wife was served alcohol which could have made her very ill. We pointed and repeated numerous times what drinks we wanted, and still, it got messed up. My wife hasn't had alcohol since 2011. In that time, we've been all over the world, and not once has someone messed up and given it to her.
I went to sort the issue out, but the team behind the bar couldn't grasp what the issue was and thought it was a joke and found it funny, saying no problem repeatedly. I'm sorry, it could have been a very serious problem.
I addressed this issue with reception and they were great and understanding. The barman that made the drink did come out to apologise but he still couldn't grasp the issue.
From that point, we didn't spend any money in the bar again and instead brought our own drink in. Much to the annoyance of another staff member, but one of the team from the incident spoke to him, and that was sorted, so credit given there.
Amenities: From what we used. The gym was tiny, but I have seen worse. Two is company and three is a crowd in that space. Indoor pool was lovely and quiet whilst the outdoor pool was also nice, but very busy with other guests reserving deckchairs when they wasn't meant to. The bus into Funchal was handy for one day, though the drop off was outside the CR7 museum. It would have been better being more towards the bus station.
Location: Sure it's a little walk to the middle of Funchal, but it's a nice walk with plenty of nice restaurants along the way. Close by there are some great restaurants and a shopping centre very close as well which was fantastic.
Overall, the bar let's the hotel down, but take that away, and it was a perfect stay. A sea view room would probably make a huge difference, but the imperfections in the room can be ignored as we weren't spending much time in there anyway.
