Monte Carlo Hotel

I have just returned from this hotel which I went to on my own for a short break. I took the advice of the comments on this web site that give it a rating of 4 or 5 - quite unbelievable!! Are we talking about the same hotel? I have travelled widely and tried many different types of hotels on all continents. This hotel expensive for what it is and offers. For example the pool is really a paddling pool and squeezed into a small inappropriate space. When I was there I thought I must be having a bad dream, but the walk back up the hill each... more

We stayed here for Easter 2007. We had looked for somewhere "interesting" and this definitely was! It is a lovely place to stay where you can feel comfortable. The view from the terrace is amazing. It looks over the rooftops and down to the harbour. Cruise ships can be seen coming and going. I booked with Booking.com and paid for a Sea View room ( a whole £50 per night including breakfast!). The room was amazing, with an enormous bay window that looked over the terrace. We stayed in Room 5. The only minus point was the very... more

The Hotel Monte Carlo is certainly a unique travel experience. We were looking for something a bit different, a bit less "packaged" than a straight-from-the-catalogue international hotel, and we certainly got it. The building appears to be in the style of an old Portuguese quinta, which has been added to with varying degrees of sympathy to turn it into the hotel it is today. I couldn't get a proper history, except for the photographs hanging on the walls which refer to it as having been given over to house Gibraltarian refugees during... more

Early June 2006.- retired couple from UK. This hotel is in an elevated, stunning location in a mainly residential area with wonderful views across Funchal and out to the sea. The main part of the hotel is a large, 3 storey, old period house with an interesting history and converted to hotel use about 1965. All rooms are therefore different in layout, size, and decor. A little ‘tired’ decoration wise, but clean. Immediately behind the main hotel are a number of ‘annexes’ built about 40 years ago in the ‘pueblo’ style.... more

We spent 10 days in this hotel, as a late-planned break for the two of us (middle-aged; a bit asthmatic). Location is inland and therefore uphill from the Funchal seafront - the walk is quite steep - 10 minutes into town but about 15-20mins outwards. There are no nearby buses - even the nearest "bus stop" is about 10mins away and still has a bit of a hill-climb. Taxi is an option but we never felt the need to use it except from the airport with luggage. Building dates from 1940 or before; it has been extended and modernised a few... more

Hotel Monte Carlo is a friendly, old style hotel, just a few hundred metres from the centre of Funchal, but be warned, the road are steep in places, which is true of much of the town. It is a fine old building with spectacular views across the town to the ocean and the desert islands. The view from the terrace of the moon reflected on the water is great. Our room was at the back, advertised as "land view" rather than "sea", but in fact we overlooked the pool and could see both the town and the ocean from our balcony. I don't think... more

Me and my wife took a last-minute travel deal to Madeira and did not knew this hotel beforehand. The hotel surprised us with a very convenient location - only 800m to city center - which I consider important, especially when you are in a city where temperatures are high and streets can be very steep. Taken together this makes even a short walk quite strenous even for younger people. Driving with taxi is also not a good choice in Funchal city center for short trips. The streets are very crowded and the taxi price starts from the time of the... more

I have stayed at the Monte Carlo for the last 15 years- coming back every year for our main holiday. The hotel is small, friendly, and just the place to escape from the English weather and English tourists. Our room (suite) has the most spectacular views of Funchal and Monte and every evening we are fascinated by the myriad of lights that can be seen from our room. I have already booked the same room for next April (2006)!

Good service, nice atmosphere and very good location with pleasant views.

Stayed Jan 00. The hotel had lots of charm and character. Our room had parquet floors, the room inc. bathroom was immaculate. The view from the room was not large but was pleasant. Hotel was VERY well located for cdentral Funchal: only 10 mins down quite a steep hill. Breakfast could have been better.