The high rating of this hotel is well deserved. As other reviewers have described, this is a smallish hotel based on an old hunting lodge high up above Funchal; a slight disadvantage for some perhaps because of the 15 minute taxi or shuttle bus journey time but an advantage for others because its height above sea level means it is cooler on hot days than down in the city. There are lovely views over the city and sea, especially from the golf club house. The hotel is furnished beautifully with antiques and has a generally traditional and comfortable feel about it. The Palheiro gardens alongside are lovely.

The food is of a very high standard indeed. My wife and I had booked on a half board basis but had intended to go outside the set menu both by trying the a la carte menu in the hotel and to venture further afield to other restaurants. However, the food in the hotel was such that we were more than happy to stay with the set menu for the two weeks we were there. (It is worth saying that one discouragement from trying other restaurants was the prospect of driving back on a very steep and twisting road after a few drinks).

The staff members could not have been more helpful or better trained (perhaps a touch of over-familiarity from one or two in the restaurant but on the whole excellent).

We were in the golf wing and the room was well furnished and of a very comfortable size with plenty of storage space.

Our only minor criticisms of the hotel were that the bathroom was just a jade tired (cracked floor tiles, shower soap tray a little wonky and the sink plug in need of some attention) and that the room could have been cleaned more thoroughly.

The island had suffered several months of drought, now thankfully over, but it meant that the golf course had suffered badly and was not in good condition. Hopefully that will correct itself very quickly.

We would love to return in the spring when even more flowers are out on the island.

Looking for a quiet holiday in the sun with a pool and a range of other amenities, we chose Casa Velha after shying away from hundreds of glitzy "resort" hotels in many different locations. We could not have made a better choice. This is a true "home from home", slightly old-fashioned (all the better!) and rather English (it is owned by the Blandy family) country house hotel with a good- sized and deep pool. There is also tennis, table tennis, badminton, a small but well-equipped exercise room, a state-of-the-art spa, and a half-sized snooker table. Guests have free access to the adjoining 200 year-old Palheiro Gardens, which are glorious and through which you can join one of the main levada walks. I know nothing about golf but the course is an amazing piece of landscaping in itself. (There is also a motor-yacht which is available, at a price, for game fishing or occasional whale-watching cruises).

The staff are unfailingly polite and professional as well as welcoming and friendly - during a 10-day stay they developed a real but always discreet rapport with us, anticipating our preferences and joking with our 14 year-old son.

The hotel offers breakfast and dinner, a room service menu and afternoon tea. Guests may also use the golf clubhouse - a ten minute walk across the course - which serves food throughout the day and is useful for lunch or an early dinner.

The daily-changing table d'hote dinners were oustandingly good. The standard of cooking is exceptionally high (virtually Michelin-star standard, as another review suggests) and the menus, while offering only two or three choices in each course, are so well designed as to be a constant delight. Some reviews seem rather chippy about the style and/or the price (40 euros for three courses) but we were happy just to submit to the experience - we were on holiday, for goodness' sake! - and, given the level of effort and achievement in the cooking, thought they offered good value. We ate in every night. (There is also an a la carte menu and a seven course "tasting" menu but hardly anyone seemed to choose these). The restaurant is, I suppose, "formal", but only in the sense of offering all the proper routines of service and, while there is no stated dress-code as such, setting a style that would make shorts and flip-flops look unmannerly (no need for a jacket, though). I hope they stick to the stye in the face of a few carping criticisms.

Casa Velha is a small hotel - only 34 rooms - and exceptionally quiet and peaceful, especially at night. The rooms, mostly in two modern wings built in traditional Madeiran materials and style, are comfortable (excellent pillows!) and well furnished in a homely rather than ostentatious manner. There are two comfortable and well-proportioned public rooms in the main house, which have free and easily accessed WiFi.

It is perhaps worth saying - because other reviewers seem not to have noticed this before they got there - that the hotel is not actually in Funchal, the centre of which is a 20 minute drive away. The hotel provides a return shuttle service twice a day and a taxi costs about 18 euros. So, if you really want to be in Funchal, why not stay in Funchal? We had lunch there twice; visited the Marcado des Lavradores and the Blandy wine lodge; took the cable car to the Jardim Botanico; and the hotel organised a taxi tour of the island for us - quite enough on a lazy holiday.

Once we arrived at Casa Velha we didn't really want to go anywhere else. It does what it sets out to do exceptionally well.

We were recently married at Casa Velha and had the most wonderful fairytale wedding imaginable, we were delighted to be able to use the chappel belonging to the Blandy Family set in the magnificent Palheiro Gardens. The managment and staff were fabulouse, incre
dably attentive to not only us but all of our forty three guests.
The hotel has a comfortable and timless feel and the food exceptional, with fine wines served from an excellent celler.
The golf course is always a delight to play and all of our guest enjoyed the challenge.
This was our sixth visit to Casa Velha. We run luxury golf trips worldwide, so we have lots to compare and we could not think of another place we would have got married in.
A huge thankyou to everyone their and we are looking forward to returning next year.
Gary and Marion Pike

House beautiful, gardens exquisite, food, (in the award-winning restaurant), simply delicious and way up there with the Michelin quality. Dress smartly for dinner - it just enhances the whole experience! Exceedingly comfortable bed in a large airy bedroom. Daily papers set out in the large airy library bedecked with beautifully upholstered sofas and chairs. Staff are friendly, attentive and always available. Absolutely nothing is too much trouble. A short walk through the adjacent golf-course brings you to the club-house where you can enjoy a drink and a lunch of the same quaity of the main house but somewhat cheaper! Daily transport provided by the hotel down to Funchal where you can experience an even wider variety of restuarants and attractions. This was our third visit to this friendly island and our fourth will most definitely be back to this hotel. It might almost be worth taking up golf for an even better experience!!