Having checked out the reviews on trip advisor we were not disapointed with our stay in the Casa Branca. Hidden away from the hustle and bustle and set within the most beautiful walled garden, he hotel offers a haven of peace and tranquility. It was really lovely siting out in the early morning having our breakfast watching the sun rise over the mountains The staff could not have been more helpful and friendly nothing was too much trouble for them. The bedrooms were a good size with everything you would require for your stay and the added bonus of direct access to the gardens. The restaurant was very good and obviously very popular.The swimming pool was tucked away at the bottom of the garden and was well equiped with sun beds, umbrellas, chairs, towels, showers etc. Walking from the hotel to the centre of Funchal took about 35mins and a very pleasant walk but remember if walking back it's uphill all the way!! but good for burning off all the calories. The majority of the levada walks are accessible by local bus which is great others you can reach by car or organised groups the choice is yours. If you decide to holiday in Funchal then check out the Quinta Da Casa Branca and enjoy.

Have just returned from a week at this lovely hotel staying in a superior room. We were looking for a quiet break and the location of this hotel is just perfect for this. A little away from the main business of Funchal with beautiful gardens. 5 gardeners are working full time there and it shows.
It is a shame the hotel has not given the same staffing ratio in some of the guest services. There was an excellent barman (Bruno) but he is also called upon to deliver room service and do other tasks. Guest often have evening room service and this impacts on the Deck Bar service with waits of 10 minutes to be offered a drink being quite common which we do not think a 5 star hotel should have. Bruno covered this well but sadly when he is on his days off, the lad put in charge is struggling and we saw guests give up and leave to have dinner without having a drink.
The Garden Restaurant is very good, it is true the breakfast is repetitive but very fresh and well served by the staff who are very friendly. We had pleasant lunches there and thought the prices were very comparable with prices in town.
The main restaurant is variable - we opted for 3 nights flexi dine and were surprised as others have noted to experience a different level of service to those eating a la carte. On the final night it all fell apart - Delia the head lady was not on - we asked for details of our a la carte allowance as we wanted to do something more special but were advised we had to eat table d hote even though the menu said ask for your allowance!! The set menu is strange as although there are 3 choices, one item is always repeated twice but cooked in two ways so we had a choice of veal stew, veal steak or fish one night; grilled tuna; baked tuna or lamb chop on the second and grilled swordfish; browned swordfish or pork on the third. The food was good and fresh and certainly those eating a la carte seemed to be very happy.
Reception was helpful and the restaurant recommendations were all very good. We also made our own decisions to go to Villa Cipriani and Sal Da Ajuder based on recommendations on these board and were very happy with these as well.
Poolside is lovely and there were never problems getting a chair but we did wonder if the hotel was full or maybe everyone was relaxing elsewhere as the garden has lots of nice corners for this.
Superior rooms are lovely but watch who you have booked it through as we were advised as we were booked through First Choice we were not entitled to free soft drinks as others were which was disappointing as we had seen this as a valuable perk. Not sure I would pay the extra next time, would depend - I also could not work out why, given the balconies are the same size as the terraces we were only given chairs, but ordinary rooms get loungers - however because the rooms were south facing we did not have the issue of having to pull the chairs around the gardens to chase the sun as ordinary rooms had - we had the lovely shutters as well so could pull shade over whenever we wanted.
Would we go here again - yes, but will recognise without changes this is a nice 4-5 star hotel and not, unless there are changes in the staffing numbers, a 5 star.

Booked this hotel for a three-night stay based on TA reviews. The grounds truly are lovely. Really great flowers, types I'd never seen before.

Building itself is interesting. The lobby is a big glass box and you really can't see the hotel itself when you approach. Rooms are arranged in an L...one very long hallway, then a turn into the next wing.

I was upgraded to a superior room, which came with a little sitting area. And apparently, the superior rooms are the only rooms that come with Internet access. (Bring your own network cable or borrow one from the front desk.) Bummer that there's no wireless access. There is a PC in the library with Internet access.

The gym is very small. That being said, it's a large room, but there are only four machines in it...one treadmill, one bike, one rowing machine, and one of those multi-weight machines.

I had two spa treatments and they were really good. Facial and a massage.

I thought the breakfast was a bit boring, personally. They seemed to be catering to the mostly English clientele. There were beans and tomatoes and mushrooms and eggs and sausages. There's lots of fruit and bread, but besides for some queso fresca, there was very little Portugese food in evidence.

Lunch on the terrace was lovely, although food was a bit hit and miss. My steak sandwich the first day was great, but the trio of crostini the next day was pretty bad. (I did really like the roasted veg salad I had.)

Staff were wonderful in setting up tours for me and my family.

All in all, this is a classy, high-end hotel with lovely gardens.

Quiet hotel with beautiful gardens and friendly, attentive staff. Rooms rather tired and dated - need refurbishing.
Food OK but breakfast overpriced with cold croissants and orange juice thin and rather tasteless - surely any five star should get these basics right?