I agree with all the previous reviewers positive comments about the situation of the hotel and gardens and the breakfast. We had lunch there the first day which was good but the food wasn't as hot as it should of been. We also ate in the restaurant on the first evening, once we had found out how to get in, signage would be helpful from the hotel as the entrance is just off the street, also on the door into the dining room.We didn't try the afternoon tea which is served daily, nor the 'happy hour' when drinks were half price. We were celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary, unsure as to whether our tour rep had told or staff had seen our cards but we were presented with a welcomed bottle of champagne. I did try the swimming pool and had it all to myself for approx 1 hour, but left once a family took over the pool, it was a bit cool but warm enough to swim in despite being the end of January. I didn't try the spa but would if we stay in this hotel again. Whilst wi-fi was free in the room it wasn't brilliant and only available for one computer/tablet.
As stated by other reviewers there are a number of places to eat and drink within walking distance. For a special meal try the Old Fort in the old town in Funchal or Motzarts (both owned by the same company) where you can have a 3 course meal plus wine, water and coffee for either 39/35 euros respectively.
We would definitely stay at this hotel again.

Great small hotel in luxurious gardens with spa and heated swimming pool. The hotel is architect designed and all rooms aopen out onto the garden with terrace and loungers to catch the sun.

The town of Funchal is about 15minutes walk away and there are many buses to get back as the climb up to the hotel is steep from the coastal road.

The restaurant is good but fromal but the breakfast buffet is great with many choices of fresh fruit, cakes and freshly cooked foods from the breakfast menu, but you can also ask for your own combinations.

On first impression it is hard to see where the rooms are in this boutique hotel. You can definitely see why it has won design awards. We stayed in room 103 - but would recommend to try not to stay at this end of the hotel if possible as you will find as we did that the reception area overhead can be noisy early in the morning. The rooms were clean but I would not say that they were particularly spacious.
The staff were courteous but not overly welcoming in the hotel itself - however the breakfast staff were friendly and helpful. The breakfast was a mixture of a la carte and buffet - the orange juice (freshly squeezed) was very tasty, suggest choosing from the a la carte menu rather than the hot buffet as the beans and sausages were lukewarm on more than one occasion of our stay.
The gardens are fantastic and are very well cared for and the pool area is secluded from the main garden area.
Would agree with other comments that taking a travel kettle would have been useful to make a hot drink. Also suggest wearing flat shoes if you intend to walk into Funchal - it is not too bad walking down the hill but quite an uphill trek on the return.

This hotel is unusual in that most of the rooms are at ground level and lead onto the wonderful gardens. We felt very relaxed here as it feels very homely compared to the larger hotels in the area. The breakfast bar offered a good selection and I would recommend that you take the option of ordering your eggs freshly cooked. The room was comfortable and spacious, the spa excellent as we had it to ourselves (maybe this would not be the case high season), The pool area was also lovely although we did not feel inclined to swim in February (even though it would have been warm enough for some people). Thanks to other reviews here we packed a small kettle and teabags since there are no tea making facilities in the standard rooms. There are lovely bars and restaurants within walking distance (we loved the Hole in One Irish pub) but be prepared for an uphill walk back - only a few minutes but quite steep. Take sensible shoes for walking around as a lot of the streets are cobbled.