Pestana Grand Hotel

What a superb holiday - this was our 2nd time to the Grand in 3 years and is was impressive to see how the Hotel has matured since it first opened.
Rooms were excellent - good sized, modern and regularaly maintained by the courteous and customer focused staff.
Lounges, bar, restaurants etc fantastic and ideal for evening relaxation enjoying the nightly entertainment.
No screaming kids (or ignorant parents) around the pool splashing and screaming with total dispresect to other sun bathers or swimmers.
No yob culture when it comes to sun beds and space around the pool.
Unbelievable location to just unwind and enjoy!!!

We own a timeshare in the grand, it is a beautiful place to stay, but eating in is very expensive.
The entertainment on some night`s is superb, other nights are quite boring with someone just playing music. Would be a brilliant place to stay if they held party nights or something a bit more lively.
The view from our apartment is beautiful looking out over the sea.

Excellent Hotel. Probably 4 rather than 5 star, but a great hotel non-the-less.
Large comfortable rooms which are cleaned well each day. Fridge and safe in room.
Pools good and health facilities good. Bar and restaurant overpriced, but if you are on B&B - eat out and your will find some excellent food - esp fish at local restaurants.
Would highly recommend restaurant opposite hotel entrance - El Canoe. Good value and great food. Would recommend this hotel and would return if going back to Funchal.

3 readers found this review helpful

Having read the other reviews, I wonder if we were staying at the same Hotel? It's true that the Hotel is in a superb location. The promenade is easily accessed from the Hotels' pretty gardens and pool area and the walks in both directions are very pleasant.
The fabulous Madeira Forum shopping complex is a short walk away and there are lots of great restaurants nearby. We booked a suite as we were celebrating a special occasion, this had a side and front sea view as it was on the west side corner of the hotel. It was spacious with nice furnishings and two balconies. But we encountered a lot of problems.
There was noise from maintenance work in the Hotel and around the pool for at least 4 or 5 days. The room itself had a very smelly rug which eventually we asked to be removed and the shower cubicle leaked on the floor.
The Hotel boasts having 5 restaurants, but most of them were closed and when they were open it was difficult to get a table, I think this is due to parties coming in from the other Pestana Hotels. The staff seem to think they are working in a 3 or 4 star Hotel and need training to 5 star standard. We were very disappointed with the Pestana Grand.

My husband and I stayed at the Grand for the first time three years ago. We instantly fell in love with both the hotel and Maderia.
We loved it so much we actually purchased a timeshare whilst we were there. We had a room on the third floor with a side sea view which was very spacious with a wonderful bathroom.
The three restaurants in the hotel serve excellent food and are very reasonably priced. I would advise going on a bed and breakfast basis, wonderful selection of food and you can eat as much as you want.
We have been back three times now in our timeshare and love it as much as we did on our first visit.

Excellent 5 star hotel very quiet, excellent facilities and good food, sea views are very good with walks along the frontal promenade, which appears to have close circuit camera coverage.
Local shops within easy reach also restaurants which are very good with prices to suit all your requirements from just snacks through to five course dinners.
There is not a lot to do other than organised trips, a must is the cable car ride which takes about 15 mins each way, the hotel as I said is quiet and will suit many older people who do not wish to venture to far due to the very steep walking conditions, but again the hotel runs several courtesy bus trips to Funchal each day which solves the hilly problems.
The hotel has a piano bar this is the only form of entertainment which again is targeted at the more elderly guests and owners, yes this is like quite a number of other hotels a time share ownership facility, although you would not realise unless you were told.
Weather at this time of year was changeable with sudden squalls which last about 10-15min wind was very strong during this week’s stay, the conditions led to a humid climate which does tend to make you feel quite drained and aching.
Overall the Pestana Grand is probably one of the best hotels to stay at in Madeira.

The hotel is lovely if you want to get away from it all and relax. There is absolutely nothing to do but lay by the pool and chill out. The setting is delightful and even though there are children there is no noise at all. Very peaceful and very relaxing. The food in the hotel is excellent and you can even have champagne for breakfast everyday. The spa was fun and a nice way to round off the day. The hotel rooms were 5* and lovely views. Would recommend eating in Funchal each night at a different restaurant - the fish is wonderful. A totally relaxing holiday.

Had two weeks in this hotel which is also a timeshare complex but to be honest you would never know unless speaking to other residents. My wife and I had a wonderful time at the hotel which was staffed by first class employees from the maid up to the manager.
A large hotel, it has a number of pools and sufficient loungers/parasols to serve everyone. An indoor pool and gym area is equipped with full keep fit facilities, pool (which covers both indoors and an outdoor patch), sauna, steam room and jacuzzi.
One pool is restricted to adults only with the other available to kids which makes this an ideal location for those who don't want kids 'in your face' when sunbathing.
Breakfast choice is extensive with the only 'complaint' being the time it takes the chef to rustle up omelettes, inevitably leading to a queue build up in busy times but this is really me finding fault rather than anything else.
Staff were multi lingual (shown by the flags on the badges they wear) and conversations were never a problem. Impressed with the bar staff who remembered what I was drinking making me feel just like a 'regular' but perhaps this was more to the fact that I was drinking a malt whisky (from a good selection) which may have made me stand out from the rest.
Prices in the bar, particularly in the evening, were a bit higher than I would have liked but the ambience and service justified it. Would heartily recommend this hotel to anyone who wants a more classy type of holiday - does earn its 5 star rating.

This was a superb hotel. It was recommended to me by a work colleague and it certainly did not disappoint.
The rooms were beautifully appointed and well-maintained. The sea views from the large balcony are fantastic. Although we booked on a bed & breakfast basis, there is an offer to purchase vouchers which entitle dinner in any of the Pestana hotels on the island. We never made it to any of the other hotels as the choice and quality in the 4 restaurants here was excellent. This also proved to be an efficient way to pay for dinner.
I was holidaying with my mother who is in her 70s and we both found that there was plenty to entertain all ages. I would definitely recommend one of the spa treatments, which are reasonably priced, but very relaxing. I also had a fabulous haircut in the small salon. My mother was very impressed with the indoor/outdoor spa pool with the water jets. It was very beneficial to arthritic joints.
I can not think of a way this hotel could be improved. We are returning in October for another week.

Set on a headland on the outskirts of Funchal, this modern hotel offers beautiful views over ocean waters. The health club provides superb spa and beauty treatments and the complex has a selection of restaurants serving mouth watering cuisine.
There are two outdoor swimming pools and one indoor pool with a sun terrace (complete with sun beds) and a poolside Jacuzzi. There are numerous amounts of restaurants including: Italian, Continental, Portuguese, Moroccan and a poolside café with barbecue.
Nearby this stunning hotel there is Funchal resort centre which is 3.5km away and the sea cliff is 25m away. There is a public bus service that runs 100m from the hotel.
To top this wonderful hotel off there is evening entertainment occasionally and live music which includes a pianist.
This is a spectacular hotel that deserves the high ratings that it has been awarded. An excellent stay!