Porto Mare Hotel

9 readers found this review helpful

The hotel came up to expectations. It is rated 4 star plus and the initial impressions were very good. Reception was efficient and courteous. Our room was excellent, well furnished with plenty of space. Beds were large 2 x doubles pushed together and the room contained easy chairs, desk table etc. and a fridge, which was stocked with tea coffee etc but no milk! Odd! All furnishing were of a good standard and the room was fully carpeted. The bathroom was well equipped and beautifully tiled out, with all facilities.
Everything was spotless and worked well. The room was fully air conditioned with selectable levels. The system was quiet and efficient. The large balcony terrace was accessed through patio doors and had table and chairs of good quality. There was a drying rack for costumes etc. discretely set to one side. Ours accessed directly onto the gardens, adjacent to the main pool. The bathroom was provided with towels for the pool which were changed daily, also provided, were bathrobes for use to and from the pools if required.
The hotel is situated to the west of Funchal, the centre of which is about 10 minutes in a taxi (4-6 Euros). There is an hourly bus service provided by the hotel, to and from Funchal during the day. The hotel overlooks the lido area and bay and has the best gardens of any hotel in Funchal. It holds an award for best hotel garden in Madeira and they are being continually manicured by the hotel's gardeners. The views from around the main pool areas are excellent.
There are four pools in total to choose from, two of which are indoor. All pools are fully heated and a pleasure to swim in. The indoor complex which also house a fully modern equipped gym, saunas, massage rooms etc are excellent. There is an activity program daily should you wish to use it. The hotel has table tennis, squash and tennis courts, golf practice net, crazy golf course and a bespoke petanque area, all of which are well maintained and equipped.
We like to participate but found other guests preferring to chill out around the pools. All aspects of the hotel are well maintained both in cleanliness and appearance. There are four restaurants to chose from, three with waiter service and the main restaurant being a buffet type, with waiter service for drinks. The food quality is excellent with a good variety available. The seafood salad buffet on a Friday evening was one of the best I've experienced. The other restaurants specialise in Italian food, Mediterranean and local Madeiran dishes. You have to reserve a booking in these restaurants. We had no complaints in any of the restaurants.
There was never an issue in selecting your sun beds, there is so much space to choose from, and the hotel has a rule prohibiting pre-selection of your beds. If you wish to eat out, there are several restaurants within a ten minutes walk of the hotel. Car hire also can be booked from several outlets close to the hotel at quite favourable rates. We hired a diesel engined Mitsubishi Colt which proved superb for the islands mountainous roads. Fuel is cheap at around 1 Euro per litre.
The hotel has a nightly entertainment program to suit most tastes and these take place in varying locations throughout the hotel, providing activity throughout the evening. It is also well appointed with areas for just relaxing, chatting etc if preffered. Considerable efforts have been made throughout the hotel, in its design, to cater for disabled people, with many sloped areas. Even aspects of the pools have been designed to aid in access for the less mobile.
All in all we had an excellent vacation and would have no qualms at all in re-patronising this hotel.