Porto Mare

I have to admit that I did not know much about Madeira, Portugal before visiting the island, and by that, I mean I knew nothing. I was very, very surprised at how unbelievable this place is. The hotel was extremely clean, the hotel staff was extremely nice and couldn’t be more helpful with recommendations for things to do, places to eat, how to get around, etc. I went with two friends, and we shared a 3-​person suite overlooking the water, which included a king sized bed, two bathrooms, a small kitchen area, a desk, a pull out single bed, and a patio with a table and four chairs. The views were fantastic, and I honestly feel like we did not pay enough for all of the amenities, the service and the views at this hotel. Breakfast buffet was included within our price, which were excellent, and there were happy hours with live music every day at the hotel bar.
I also was very impressed at the wide range of people staying at this hotel. As I mentioned, I visited with two friends (all in our late 20s), and the population of those staying at the hotel ran the gamut. There were multiple families with young children, old couples, middle-​aged couples, young couples… you name it, they were staying there.
The only downside with this hotel is that wifi is not included in the price. However, the hotel offers an internet café which patrons at the hotel can use for free.
I would definitely recommend this hotel to anyone traveling to the island.

Stayed here in June 2015 we are in our 30s so not the usual target market for The Residence.
However one receptionist, Marisela Pinto seemed to look down her nose at us when we arrived. Granted we were in holiday clothes of casual shorts/​t-​shirts. At no time during our stay did Marisela seem to enjoy being on reception-​everything seemed to be a bother for her (how dare us customers stop her from chatting with colleagues or reading the newspaper)
Pedro on the other hand was exceptional both emailing prior to our arrival and once checked in.
Also Cindy was fab at organising trips for us. (Do go on the bakery/​cheese tour)
We were delighted when we arrived in our room as we were greeted with fresh fruit, champagne and rose petals-​beautiful!
We were in room 3016 which is a 1-​bed apartment with two beds, a jack and jill bathroom, kitchen with coffee machine, dishwasher, fridge, toaster, oven, microwave. There was also a lounge dining area. We had a balcony which got the evening sun.
We used the inside pool as the outdoor one was too cool during our stay.
We paid 9 euros daily each for buffet breakfast– assorted breads, pastries, meats, fresh local cheese, waffles, omelettes, full english, juices, fruit, cereal and asti/​champagne.
The hotel and gardens were very well kept and all staff always saying hello.
Our room was tidied every day– with new towels, bathrobes, and the kitchen tidied and dishwasher put on. Toiletries were also refreshed
Our room had free wi-​fi which was fab as it meant we could keep in touch with those back home and also read English newspapers.
Our room had a tv (and a Dvd player) and we found about 5 – 8 English channels which were good to watch to wind down after a days sight seeing.
During our stay we also did the free 90-​minute Portuguese wine tasting which was brillant.
I had a 30 minute back massage in the spa and unfortunately it made me feel like I was on a conveyor belt of clients, it seemed too quick to be relaxing and the therapist at no time asked if I wanted firmer/​lighter pressure. The silent relaxing room was quite serene. We also visited the sauna/​steam room however one guest, despite the signs decided to go «au naturel» in there which put us off some what.
We did not try the hotel restaurants as we preferred to find others close by… the hotel has a few wonderful places on the doorstep to
*Scat (a Jazz bar) who serve amazing cocktails,
* to another just beyond the giant circle where kids play basket ball is a small bar/​café with really superb prices and it appears just a local crowd.
*Gyoa is up the hill slightly from the residence entrace and does an amazing 5 course fine dining meal with matching wine for just 39euros per person.
The hotel puts on a courtesy bus once an hour from the residence to funchal town centre-​which is helpful as the walk takes about 30 minutes and it helps you avoid the timeshare touts. (if you are a certain age or book trips outside of the hotel you may well meet a few)
Funchal is a beautiful city to visit and despite this being our 3^rd visit we’ve only just started exploring the rest of the island which is as beautiful as it is diverse-​from the Paul de Serra plains, to Camara des Lobos fishing village to Porto Santo golden sands and peaceful beach.

Super. Sehr schön gemacht, viel Grün, sehr sauber, alle top freundlich und top bemüht.

Rundum super.
Tolle, sehr gepflegte, geschmackvoll gestaltete Hotelanlage. Viel Grün, sehr ansprechender Spa Bereich mit gutem Angebot, verschiedene Pools innen und außen, Bars, Restaurants, Lounges mit gemütlichen Sitzecken.
Freundliches und aufmerksames Personal, was durchweg englisch und zum Teil sogar deutsch spricht.
Sehr gutes, umfangreiches abwechslungsreiches und schmackhaftes Abendbuffet. Ebenso gut auch das Frühstücksbuffet. Auch im Restaurant flinkes und aufmerksames Personal.
Sehr geräumige Zimmer mit Flachbildschirm, DVD-​Player und Kingsize-​Doppelbett sehr gut ausgestattetes und gepflegtes Zimmer.
Hier würden wir immer wieder Urlaub machen.