Porto Mare Hotel

I had heard about the Porto Mare and had researched it on Trip Advisor. We were glad that we listened to all the great remarks and went ahead and booked it for our stay in Madeira. The staff were helpful with all of our request. One of our group had booked this hotel 2 months before departure and when we got there they upgraded them to a suite so that we could all be on the same floor. The hotel is real close to the tour company we used on our stay. Strawberry Tours do great tours and will pick you up at the Porto Mare. There breakfast at the hotel is the best you will ever find and it included champagne. The pools were great and the grounds were beautiful and the rooms were a great size. You will never go wrong if you stay at the Porto Mare. If you would like more information about this hotel please contact me at plazaed@sbcglobal.net

Stayed at the Porto Mare hotel last week, 1 week stay. Nice hotel, fairly quiet location (the construction work didn`t bother us much in our room), just a few meters from the main road, but without much of the traffic noise. Our room (nr.2226) must have had the biggest terrace ever: 2 chairs, 2 sunbeds, afternoon sun, view of garden, sea, and pool. Great. Restaurants at the hotel: The Med: OK food, good servive. The Italian restaurant: OK food, clumsy and inexperienced staff.(Ordered coffee and tea, didn`t get it even though we reminded them of the order, tried to put it on the bill anyway). With a crash course in customer handling and waitressing, they`d be OK. Restaurants outside the hotel: For excellent food prepared by an attentive and experienced staff; go to restaurant TOKOS at Estrada Monumental (the main road above the hotel, walk in direction of Funchal). The chef is a bit of an original, but served "killer" dinner: Both the fish and meat/duck main courses (and everything else) was great. Long-legged guests beware; the tables are placed very intimately, the restaurant is small; but as long as you get along with the other guests, it`s fine. It`s a part of the charme ! (The restaurant is supposed to be one of the best on the island...) For budget dinner, try the Chinese retaurants; OK food (though a bit slow service on the one at the hotel complex). All in all, a nice weeks stay. Only thing we never managed to wrap our heads around was the weather. It was unpredictable, and the forecast didn`t help much. But, go with the flow, and catch the sun when you can ( and join the chase for the best sunbeds in the morning, a peculiar habit that`s hard to avoid: Everybody does it eventually). And do go on a Levada walk, however short or long, it`s interesting, but the guides sometimes walk very fast, so for those keen on photography or the curious: Don`t worry, the guide have to wait for you, you paid for it, so don`t rush ! (It spoils the fun). One more thing: Don`t bother to see the Botanical garden if trees and flowers don`t turn you on. And: The round trip ticket with the cable car does NOT apply to the cable car ride down from Monte to the Botanical garden !(You have to buy a separate ticket).

All what the previous reviews mention is definitely true but... what you need to know is that they're building now a new hotel next to the Porto Mare hotel. so our room had a perfect view on the works and also the perfect sounds going with it! And it was defined as a sea view (well, 1/3 of the view!). We didn't bother so much for the view as we were away most of the day but noise can be a REAL problem to relax and sleep. rooms to be avoided are: Level 1 (level of the Atlandida Restaurant): rooms 2171 to 2178 Level 2 (reception/street level): rooms 2271 to 2278 Level 3: rooms 2371 to 2383 Level 4: rooms 2472 to 2479 Level 5: apparently no room on the 'wrong' side The hotel is in U shape (top of the U in front of the sea/base of the U next to the road) and the bad side is on the right outer side of the U i.e. when you enter the hotel, on your right ,the windows which are not giving on the inner gardens/pools. in these rooms, you also got the direct sun only in the evening. I think that's definitely a thing to know. I think the rooms just opposite ours in the hall were great as they had the sun all day and view on the gardens/pools of the hotel. (right side of the U but inner side). I don't know if requesting a garden view (i.e. inner garden) prevents guests to go on the wrong noisy side. The works were beginning the 2nd floor of the new hotel so I think it may last a bit to finish the building. As regards cars, they've got an underground car parking at the disposal of the guests. The 3 pools are just great . The restaurant Atlantida is the only one to be with a buffet style. the Med is a la carte, the Italian is also à la carte. usually, if you're half board you're entitled to a menu at the Med (changing each evening), full buffet at the Atlandida and a food credit of 15 EUR at the italian and other restaurant I can't remember the name. Food is fine but don't expect an enormous variety, it's quite ok , you can eat a lot and different things, but it's not a part of your stay that will astonish you. room space is well sufficient and rooms were perfectly clean. There's free WIFI at the reception and a computer at free disposal. There's a supermarket Pingo Doce round the hotel 300m. In conclusion, the hotel is really great and we enjoyed it ...except the works next road! ;-)

We stayed at the hotel Porto Mare in February of this year - and had a thouroughly good time. The room was of a very nice standard with a balcony looking out over the gardens towards the sea. The room was kept clean & tidy by the maid at all times. The hotel has excellent outdoor & indoor pools both of a good size. The main bar is well worth a visit especially for happy hour every evening prior to your evening meal. The main restaurant offered a different variety of buffet every nice which was of a good quality. The only downside was some morning's if you went at the wrong time the hot breakfast's were lukewarm. As well as the main restaurant there are a couple of others within the hotel well worth a visit although a lit bit more expensive, but there are a number of restaurants within walking distance of the hotel, all offering similar fresh food offerings. As the hotel is a couple of miles from Funchal town centre they offer a free bus service into town every day at various times (outward booking required). You can either get the bus back or do as we did & get one of the many taxis (inexpensive). Overall a very good hotel to be recommended & well worth a 2nd visit.

The Porto Mare is a good hotel as far as it goes, the island is beautiful, ( a hire car is essential to get the most out of it ). I have to say though we enjoyed the island the hotel & restaurant staff, ( in the resort and around the island ) seem to be just doing their jobs with no enthusiam or warmth that you get elsewhere. Secondly the food on the island is well below par, I think we had about two good meals all week, the worst by far being the "beatles Boat" in the harbour in Funchal....DON'T go there ! The pool bar food in the resort was some of the nicest we ate, really ! and although that's a plus you would expect better in the restaurants of which we tried many. In conclusion, Island itself 8, Hotel, 7, hospitality, 6, food in general 4.

My husband and i have just returned from a fantastic weeks stay at this superb hotel. We booked this stay for our honeymoon after reading other reports and can agree 100% with these. The room was large and very clean, overlooking the spa pool. The hotel is part of a complex of three hotels and you have the use of all facilities. The breakfasts are to die for, so much choice,on our first morning we had this delivered to our room. Nothing is too much trouble for the staff, they are all well presented and extremly polite. We ate nearly all our meals in the hotel restaraunts or nearby. One tip, the indian and chinese down by the Eden Mar were superb, lots to eat at very reasonable prices. The pools were fantastic, the only problem we had was attaining a sun bed, even though it is classed as low season the hotel was in fact full, a few towels strategically placed before breakfast and not an occupant till after lunch!! Overall a brilliant first holiday without the kids, we will be going back next year.

Got back from the Porto Mare feeling really relaxed after our week. Hotel was fabulous, a bit of a maze but ok when you get to know your way round. I would recommend a Spa treatement, I was treated like royalty, Rooms lovely and clean same with the bathrooms, a power shower over the bath, what more could we want, Beach towels and bathrobes are supplied, which stops bodies walking around in the public areas. Breakfast fantastic, but ate out in the evening. Lido View Cafe is close to the hotel and fantastic value for money. Sounds corny but the hamburger is to die for. The chinese by the Eden Mar was great value also. Lots of pizzeria's. Dont worry about taking on extra calories, you will soon walk them off with all the hills and steps. Went with Thomson, and went on their trips. Worth the extra money. Had Carla as our tour guide on all trips, and she became one of the family. LOVED IT !

This hotel is new, spacious and clean and is set around beautiful gardens and pools. The staff are efficient, courteous, helpful and smile the whole time. The food quality and choice is good, amenities are good and the pools are most inviting. The most significant thing about the hotel to me though was how peaceful it is. Day or night I could sit inside or out and only hear people talking or jumping into the pool - HEAVEN. Although it's a good half-hour walk to the town it was worth it. The walk there is pretty and interesting although the hotel does run a free bus shuttle service to and from the town. There are also an abundance of restaurants, cafes and bars in the area so you don't have to go more than a five minute walk to find something good to eat. I used 11 different restaurants in 14 days, that were all within around 500 yards of the hotel, and every one was reasonably priced with good to very good food. Overall a fantastic hotel on a stunning island - I would have no hesitation in going back to both!!! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

A warning to anyone booking for one night only. We booked a room at the Porto Mar hotel as we had taken a ship from the U.S.A. to Maderia and our connecting flight was scheduled for the following day. On our arrival at the hotel the receptionist told us that we would have to go to the other reception area. She could not get a porter to help with the cases as only one was on duty and he was busy with other guests. She wheeled two of our smaller cases and we took the others down a very long connecting corridor. We finally arrived at the other desk and were given the key to our room. The room was ok but was still being prepared and cleaned. The balcony and outlook was fine. We went down to the pool area which was very pleasant although we were a little surprised at being charged for the use of an umbrella. Before going to bed I went to take a bath and was horrified to find that it had not been cleaned after the previous occupant. It was really dirty and I could not bring myself to use it. It transpired that we had been allocated a room in the Eden Mar hotel which is part of the same complex but older than the Porto Mar as that hotel was overbooked. No-one had bothered to explain this to us although when we spoke to the manager she was very apologetic and offered us free dinner. However, we would not book again with the Porto Mar for fear of a similar experience.

We loved Madeira, we will we be going back and it will definitely be to the Porto Mare. We booked a junior suite and were more than happy with it. Sliding doors split the living area off from the bedroom area - the rooms are spacious, the furnishing is good quality in tasteful neutral tones. There's a TV in each room with a choice of programmes in most languages. We loved having 2 full bathrooms - one each! The view over the pool and gardens to the sea was wonderful. But, most importantly, it was spotlessly clean. As was the entire hotel, inside and out. We couldn't fault it. We only used the indoor pool. We went for a peaceful swim before breakfast most days. It's a very nice pool. Robes and pool towels are in your rooms. The reception staff was excellent, to a man/woman. Friendly, very helpful and approachable. The restaurant staff were very efficient and cheerful, the maids quite shy. A big thankyou to the young man on reception, (I wish I'd got his name), who taught me a few basic Portuguese words. Madeirans speak excellent English but they really appreciated our bad Portuguese. Especially the maids. Breakfast was just spectacular, the best selection we've ever seen. Something for everyone, or even a little of everything and just roll out the door! Please don't miss the little flaky pastry custard tarts. They alone are worth going back for. We booked half board and didn't regret it but dinner wasn't as good as breakfast. The starter salad selection was very good, especially if you like fish. The many desserts were delicious. They let themselves down with the main courses, which are very limited. And the veggies never varied -a bowl of the same old mixed frozen veg every time. Each evening has a different themed buffet, the Portuguese one was the best with delicious sweet potatoes, wish they'd been on offer every night. We won't use Strawberry World again. The reality repeatedly didn't live up to the blurb - written or verbal. The worst point was the `guides´ -untrained minibus drivers spouting lots of plant names and a little local gossip when they're not too busy negotiating the mountainous roads. The stops were badly planned and both tours were shorter than advertised. The 3-hour Nun's Valley tour included a pick-up/drop-off that took up over 30 minutes and we were still back 15 mins early. Lunch on the East Tour was a highlight for us but... `Snack lunches are available in a variety of cafes between 3 to 6 euros´. When booking, the woman volunteered the same info. Our lunch stop had just one restaurant and the prices were higher. Some of the others walked out. But we loved the Casa de Chá do Faial. The busloads went in the front door but our driver took us round the back and up 2 flights of stairs to a lovely room with fantastic views. The food was as good as the views, as was the lovely waitress. The main meals were about € 8 - 15, comparable to Funchal. There are 2 supermarkets near the Porto Mare - one in the Eden Mar Shopping Centre and another on the road above the hotel, next to the post office. Same company but slightly different things on offer. The cashiers at both are obsessed with being given the correct change and can be very aggressive about it. The top supermarket has food to take away, including sandwiches. And custard tarts! Don't be fooled by the `free´ shuttle bus to the botanical gardens. They're part of the cable car company and you have to have a ticket for the cable car from Monte to the botanical gardens in order to board the bus. It's much cheaper and very easy to get the hotel shuttle bus into town and then a local bus to the gardens. A tip for the timeshare touts - they asked if we were English, we said no and they left us alone. Shame it didn't work on the restaurant touts.