I read all the reviews and it is amazing how some people can get such different experiences from the sames place. Its a good thing we are all different. Almost all the reviews were good to glowing so using holidays direct .com we booked a last minute break with two friends. It is a very good hotel. I accept some reviewers comment it is more 4 star than 5 star but it is very good value at this time of year.
Plus side. Good location lots of 5 minute 'walk to' good restaurants/bars shops. Only 6 Euros to centre of Funchal or 50 minute walk along beach promenade. Worth paying £100 for a week extra to guarantee a sea view. Try to get the floors above 3 for best views.
Staff were in general very friendly helpful found a few a bit stressed but the helpful ones were excellent. Rooms were very clean modern large with lounge suite and good sitting area. Excellent breakfast but smoke salmon and delecacies go early and not replaced. Still loads of normal breakfast items.
Would definitely stay there again and would recommend it to friends.
Down side. morning smell in corridors from the time share owners cooking breakfast. You have to pay for top ups of tea and coffee sachets and soft drinks when your free samples are gone. Not what you expect in 5 star. A few staff not helpful but only at breakfast when they are really busy.
This is really being a bit picky and only because it is a 5 star.
Dont choose the Gala night to eat in. Entertainment poor and had to share large 10 person tables.
If you are staying B & B not half board then the three night meal offer at 99 euros each is great. If you choose the 20 euro upgrade to include the house wine its terrible. But choose it and choose better wine and pay the difference.

i stayed at this hotel in sept this year. first the good points the staff are excellent the rooms okay.the food is moderate and from what i could say overpriced i was on half board so was not effected.;you have to pay nine euros for internet access and tea and coffee are supplied a few sachets no milk and if you want more it costs five euros.the place seems empty at times it has no atmosphere they seem to be more interested in selling timeshare. this hotel is more three star than five unlike my usual hotel the cliff bay wgich is five star, however i had a lovely holiday in madeira my favourite holiday place and will return next year all going well not to this hotel but to the cliff bay.

Just returned from 2nd visit to this hotel. Check in very speedy...only had to wait 30 mins for room to be made available and given free drink whilst waiting. Others who had longer to wait were given voucher for drink and snack. excellent PR!! Lovely room with partial sea view overlooking pool area. Good accomodation. Room clean and comfortable. Excellent breakfast taken most days on outdoor terrace. No delays in table clearing as noted by others. Staff all very friendly and helpful. Only downside was a couple of little extras noted last year now missing. Pool towels now available from bedroom service which sometimes had not taken place when going down to pool. Also last year fresh fruit kebabs were brought around pool after breakfast and lunch. Sadly now missing..? an indication of credit crunch affecting business? this is a shame as it's little touches like this that make an outstanding impression. However all in all a lovely hotel which I would recommend.

We have just returned from a lovely week in Madeira. Our room was on the 4th floor, nice & quiet, cleaned by midday and towels changed daily. On arrival, we were left 4 sachets of coffee & 2 of tea, with a carton of milk in the fridge, however this was never topped up in the whole week. Luckily there were two very good supermarkets close by to buy our own coffee/milk etc for the early morning cuppa!
Now for for bad bit - Breakfast - each morning we would have to wait ages for coffee, when it eventually came it could be hot or sometimes lukewarm, by the last morning we had worked out that if you were unfortunate enough to arrive after several people had left, you just got their half filled coffee pots! On two mornings we needed an early breakfast and as this was from 7.30am - 10.30am we went down around 7.40am, the bar you walk through and much of the breakfast room was in darkness ( barely daylight at that time of day). The Chef ,it seemed, doesn't start till 8am (and then obviously didn't want to be there), so the scrambled egg, mushrooms, tomatoes, bacon, sausages and anything else in the 'hot containers' were anything but hot. Food wastage is something we hate but those mornings the amount people had left on their plates was bad. We had the feeling these were cooked the evening before and the containers switched on next morning.
Because of this experience we never ate in the hotel but Real Canoa just along the road and Summertime a short walk along the main road were our favourites.
Beware of buying a Giro bus pass from the Celditor Press Centre in Forum Madeira, the guy sold us just one and said swipe it twice for two people, but the bus driver insisted we had to have one each, which we would have been quite happy to have bought, we then had to pay extra for a ticket on the bus.(85c for the pre bought ticket against 2 euro bought on the bus)
Make sure you take a cable car trip and visit the Monte Palace gardens and a trip to Port Moniz is a must with wonderful scenery.
We will return to the Island at some point but will make sure it is to a hotel worthy of calling itself 5*, we have stayed in many 5* hotels around the world, but this one was very doubtful.