Pestana Vila Lido Madeira Ocean Hotel

My wife and I spotted the unique Pestana Vila Lido Hotel when we were on a Dolphin trip on a previous Pestana holiday in Madeira Nov/Dec 2023, both my wife and myself thought this is a hotel where we would like to stay and more or less booked it straight away for a 2 week winter break when we arrived home in the United Kingdom, the Hotel has a Pay on Arrival Policy which gave us some time to save up for a holiday in February/March 2024 The holiday itself, we flew from Leeds and Bradford Airport and arrived in Funchal Madeira Airport, from the Airport we chose the Aerobus (6 Euros per person)which you find outside the arrivals area and this takes you into Funchal and Hotels at various stops, it is to be noted that this service doesn't take you directly to the hotel but at various stops along the route which are close to the hotels, we found out that our stop was stop 15 the Lido area and which is just at the top of Rua Gorgulho where the Vila Lido is situated at the bottom of the hill towards the sea. The Pestana Vila Lido Hotel is even more impressive close up with it's unique shape and the traditional part of the hotel is equally striking and with the check-in procedure a breeze we paid the amount and were shown to our room. Our room one of the Classic Sea View rooms was light and airy with the best views ever of the Atlantic from the room and balcony and dependent which side of the hotel you are on you either have the sunrise or sunset. There were a couple of minor issues with the room and these were pointed out via an online review of our stay so far. To our surprise, the following day we were offered by the Hotel Manager an upgrade to a superior room which was out of this world and had the best views of the Atlantic we had ever encountered, with a view to the West of the Island for the amazing Sunsets. It has to be said that we once again had some minor issue's with the Superior Room and we addressed these at a later internal management review of the hotel. My wife and I like swimming and there is ample opportunity for this with the hotel pool which was awesome and also an option if the sea state is ok to enter the sea safely with ladder access and egress, the area is fenced off and appropriate warning flags raised when the weather is too bad to swim safely. The breakfast facilities at the hotel are perfect with the staff being very friendly and accommodating to our needs which are not extravagant just some tea and a poached egg sometimes, there are coffee machines and an excellent choice of hot and cold food available, you can even sit outside to view the ocean whilst you have breakfast should you so wish. In the traditional part of the hotel is a bar and A La Carte Restaurant where the menu has a variety of options As well as the Hotel Bar and Restaurant where we dined on 2 occasions there are a number of nice restaurants in close vicinity and further to the West is the Public lido which has adjacent bars and restaurants, something for ever

We stayed 14-days half-board in a very spacious Suite Superior Seaview with a sizeable balcony equipped with coffee table set and sunbeds. The bottle of ice-cooled Sparkling Wine along with delicious Hors d’oeuvres in welcoming us is a fine gesture & very much appreciated. The friendliness of every Staff member we met are remarkable, genuine, giving to service whole-heartedly and always with Smiles. The Vila Lido Restautant is excellent, dishes prepared with passion, great, attentive service throughout the Dinner. We got to mention, they spared no effort to do everything in dealing with our concerns so that we can just be eased, satisfied and glad. Particular in our case, as 14-day guests, when craving for a change in the food array is anticipated, we’re given the option for the days that follow just to say what we wished to eat - off the menu & dishes were prepared with the same passion and excellence. Huge appreciation to the Chef… to Luis, Joao & the whole team, Hamza, MD, Leonardo just to mention a few along with those at Flor do Mar Restaurant … specially to Veronica for preparing my favorite Omelett always with her Smile. Many thanks as well to the housekeeping, clean room, fresh, extra towels, the little surprises with fruits, cakes and other sweets … when we got back in late afternoon after a tiring day out is just a nice touch. Pestana Vila Lido is A Home away from Home for us. We have been taken care of, made Our Stay Relaxed & Unforgettable

Very friendly and helpful staff. The room was spacious with a big balcony overlooking the ocean. On request could park at the hotel. Room service was sometimes very late but friendly and helpful on requests. Breakfast buffet is very complete.

The hotel environment is lovely and relaxed. The staff make this place amazing. There a such a good and chilled vibe from all the staff which is difficult to find in most places. Stayed in a seaview room which is a must to enjoy the calming sound of the waves. Couldn’t have asked for more . Perfect stay and looking forward to return. Thank you all for welcoming us to your beautiful island.

This old hotel is in a five star location. It has been extensively refurbished and externally has been done to a high standard, breakfast is good and the staff are very welcoming, but the basic rooms are 3 star!! Beautiful view from balcony but although rooms have been refurbished and are very clean, there are only two accessible electrical sockets, the toilet cistern often kept running, the telephone did not work, the door did not always lock, the bed settee if open would be across the balcony doors and faced the back wall of the room if you were just sitting on it so impossible to watch the TV. There is a dressing table/desk in the window with no mirror so you have to stand up at the long mirror to dry your hair. A maintenance man came to look at the door and the telephone, but they still were not working properly when we left. Reception is in another building so its a long way to walk if the phone does not work!! It was disappointing, the position is ideal and the staff are lovely but they need to look again at the rooms it was hard to get comfortable in this room.

This hotel was calm and quiet - exactly what was needed for our Christmas and New Years' break. From the moment we booked with this hotel, they could not have been more accommodating. We had a couple of questions, to which, Duarte Jesus always promptly replied via email and was always happy to assist. He made an effort on arrival to come say hello with a smile on his face and was very welcoming. His should be commended for his time and energy he puts into making the guests feel at ease on their holiday. Once we arrived, the service and smiles did not stop. The front of house, pool, maintenance and housekeeping staff were expectational, well-informed and assisted any time we needed. The hotel itself is new renovated, clean and very warranted of its high star level. It has excellent views, safe access to the sea and also an outdoor pool area. Currently, the indoor spa area was under renovation, but I am looking forward to using these facilities on a future visit. The food across the hotel was simple and delicious. We booked B&B, which included a buffet breakfast to suit most tastes. We only took pictures of the cold foods, but they have breads, cakes, dairy products, freshly cooked hot foods etc also. The staff made our stay one to remember and we would highly recommend this location if you are looking for a relaxing break in a great location, which has a supermarket across the street and great connections to the rest of the island. Oh and if you have the privilege to stay in this hotel on New Years Eve, we would recommend it as it has great views of the marina where the fireworks are held in Funchal.

We have just returned from a 12 night stay at Pestana Lido, this was our 10th holiday to Funchal, having previously stayed once at Pestana ******, a few times at a family members apartment and 5 times at Hotel Santa Maria, which is the hotel I would compare it with. We found the hotel last year when using the lido and thought we would give it a try. We had a very warm welcome on arrival from reception and were taken to our room with our luggage. We were in room 311 on the 3rd floor which faces the lido so we had full sun on our balcony from lunchtime so it was perfect for enjoying a glass of wine in the evening. First impressions were that the room was spacious, bright and modern looking. The hotel is separated into 2 parts, the modern part houses the rooms, the Flor do Mar Restaurant which has the most breath taking views and is without question the best part of the hotel, our daily breakfasts were an absolute joy, and the food selection was fantastic. Despite being advertised as serving dinner it was not open for the duration of our stay. The gym is also in this building, as is the sauna & turkish bath, these were also not open, and the lifts take you down to the pool and pool bar. The older part of the hotel is where you will find reception, the library, a games room, Vila Lido Restaurant & bar. This building is stunning, spotlessly clean with fantastic views. Sadly this was the only place you could have an evening meal during our stay and we were told that there was only seating for around 30 guests, additionally it was a requirement for men to wear trousers, my husband only wears smart shorts and a shirt so we were unable to eat there. We sensed a bit of a cliquey atmosphere in the bar area and the tables outside so we did not stay for pre or post dinner drinks, additionally we only heard some music on 2 occasions. We have always enjoyed pre & post dinner drinks plus nightly entertainment at the Santa Maria and we missed this very much. Despite this being a lovely building it feels very disjointed from the rest of the hotel and you don't get the feeling you are actually staying in a hotel, it was more like going into a serviced apartment. The good points - good location, fantastic sea views, nice staff, lovely pool area, large supermarket across the road, bus stop at top of the hill, lots of eateries close by, amazing breakfast. The bad points - the bed. Terrible! While beds are a very individual thing, by the 2nd night my back was in so much pain, staff put a large duvet cover folded into 4 as a mattress topper, which was also needed on my husbands side, but it made no difference just a very very hot night. I barely slept for my whole holiday, the staff said it was because the beds were new! While the hotel was spotlessly clean throughout, our room was not. On arrival the windows and patio doors were very dirty and not cleaned at all. The first day I dropped an earring in the bathroom and was shocked to see a large amount of dust un