We have travelled to Madeira on three occasions and although we have lots of family there we always stay at Pestana Miramar. We initially were introduced to the hotel when we traded our time share week. We did this twice and then rented once on our own.
When you compare Miramar to another highly popular hotel where we once stayed, we find there is no comparison. The ambience, the lush gardens, the well maintained apartments, the cleanliness, the staff and the views add up to a wonderful stay. Travelling with grown children and teenage grandchildren on this vacation, we got to sit by and use the pools for the first time. Lovely and immaculate, it is evident that this hotel takes pride in the care and maintenance of its facility and grounds.We ate breakfast several mornings in the hotel diningroom and found the quality and selection to be top notch. Several mornings, while the kids "slept in" I went off on my own for an early breakfast at the bakery around the corner from the hotel. After my second visit the server greeted me with my "usual" tea and pastry, handed me the local newspaper and we conversed in Portuguese. .It was wonderful to treated like a local!
The pool bar at Miramar was open every night and my grown children enjoyed watching the world cup soccer matches along with guests from several different countries. The Bartenders (both named Bruno) had the best sense of humor and kept the patrons laughing.There was entertainment by the pool a few nights while we were there but the hotel itself is quiet and tranquil. The bus to the center of Funchal stops right across the street. Shopping, restaurants, bakeries and markets are very close by. The bus service is the way to go,.Easy to understand, it makes several stops. A wonderful shopping mall in the center of Funchal called La Dolce Vita has lovely shops and even a full size market on the lower level. If you are a shopaholic or just want to buy souveniers to take home, you will have no trouble finding something you like. And finding a great restaurant is no problem , what is difficult is deciding which one to chose! Funchal is very Cosmopolitan but the people of Madeira make you feel welcome in their country. Shopkeepers, waitstaff, tour guides etc.are friendly and engaging. There are so many beautiful sights to see including the Aquival building for searching one's Madeiran heritage. The mountains, the sea, the flowers, the history and the quaint rural villages will captivate you while you are there. Madeira is amazing and as a Portuguese song says "No where on earth is there any equal". So True!

We have stayed in the garden resort and is very quiet and well laid out with lush gardens and plenty of places to sun bath with two pools and an in door one if you want to get out of the sun.
Very friendly staff front desk and pool side.
Expensive to eat and drink which we didn't take advantage of and chose to eat else where as Funchal town centre is a nice walk about 20+ mins but worth it.

We occupied a two bedroom/two bathroom apartment at the Pestana Miramar and were very pleased with our experience overall. The location is good, opposite Reids Hotel and close to an Aerobus (5 Euro per person transfer from the airport) and local bus stop. The hotel is also easily accessible to those who struggle with steps, via a lift from street level to all floors.

Our apartment was well equipped and decorated (though a little dated in style) and of a good size, but the kitchen area was only really large enough for one person to occupy at a time. The appartment was efficiently air conditioned throughout, which was a bonus; a safe is also available free of charge.

The main attraction of the Miramar is how quiet it is, set in leafy grounds and set back from the road. There are also outdoor and indoor freshwater pools, which were never over-busy.

The Miramar is co-located with the Pestana Village Hotel and the resulting mixture of buildings and floors is very confusing. The Pestana Village was a busier, less relaxed place, but seemed to have better facilities than the Miramar. For example, the restaurants and bars of the Village appear to cater for both hotels and the attractive bars and restaurants of the Miramar were frequently closed or found to be deserted.

If you hope for free wi-fi access, this is to be found in the Village Hotel, in a small apartment set aside for the purpose. This is far from convenient - why not add a wi-fi access point to the mostly empty guest lounge at the Miramar?

The staff of both hotels were helpful, although we experienced the usual sales pitch for the Pestana "Options" timeshare scheme and attempts to sell excursions etc. from the "owner relations" team (there was some useful local information passed on as well). We had little need of further help - Giro bus tickets can be purchased from the newsagent down the street and there is a booking office for tours, offering good value, a few minutes away. The Pestana discount card is worth getting however and gave us 10% off several local restaurant menus.

We stayed in an apartment with a twin bedroom and a sofa-bed in the living room. It was well equipped and had everything a family of 4 could need. The Miramar and the Village hotel share facilities, and together thay had 3 pools ( 1 indoor),a pool and games room, table tennis, library and beautiful grounds for walking or lazing in. The staff were wonderful, helpful and friendly. The breakfasts were fantastic. You could walk into Funchal in 20 minutes, but we tended to get the bus in. The buses were really easy to use, you get a swipe card and can add journeys on as you need them (€1.20). Also buses round the whole island were easy to use, cheap and punctual.
The only down sides were that our apartment was on a main road-not so lovely for sitting out on the balcony. Also, it was imposible to swim in the sea any where near the hotel, as all the hotels on the sea front had exclusive access. I had thought I could snorkel off the Lido swimming complex, but that is closed at the moment. I went to Praia Formosa in the end (15 min bus ride).
All in all, a really lovely hotel.