First, what Mirasol is not. It's not a modern luxury hotel with all mod cons. Frankly, it's a bit dowdy. So why would I gladly go back there and recommend it without hesitation to friends? Well, there's the location. It's right on the edge of the Old Town, five minutes walk from the sea and three minutes from Funchal's last remaining fado bar. (The only disadvantage is that the street it's on is something of a traffic artery, yet has no pavements.) Second, the price: at only a little over £30 a night for a double room with en-suite facilities in February, this is a bargain by Madeiran standards. Most of all, though, for the hotel manager, the excellent Mr. Horta, a genuinely kindly man who takes a real interest in his guests' welfare. Thanks, Mr. Horta, for an excellent stay, to which you made a real contribution.

We booked this family-run guesthouse after reading the reviews on Tripadvisor, and we weren't misled. The house was originally owned by a local dignitary, and has a lot of charm, with solid wooden banisters, tall ceilings and a well-proportioned dining-room. The family are all very pleasant, and speak several languages between them. This was handy, because we were with my son, his German girlfriend, and her Polish mother, who spoke no English!
Mrs. Horta does the beautiful fresh flower arrangements, and the room towels were changed frequently. We had asked for a quiet room, which we had, but it was up 2 flights of stairs, and was very small for 2 people with cases! However, there was a little balcony with good views of the mountains, and to the side we could see the bay, and visiting cruise-liners.
There was no hairdryer in the room, or tea/coffee facilities, but considering the price (£35 euros per night for two people) we didn't expect them.
Breakfast was very good: eggs cooked however you want them, cereal, yoghurt, rolls or toast, cheese and jam, and as much tea or coffee as you want.
The rooms across the street where my son etc. stayed were newer and larger, but there is a rather excitable dog next door, which barked whenever anyone went in or out, so as we wanted peace & quiet, I think we were better off in the main building.
The only improvement I can think of would be some heating in the rooms. We were there at the end of Jan/early Feb so it was quite chilly at night, and although there was extra bedding, it was was very heavy! The bathroom was small, but had a loo, bidet & quite a good shower, all very clean.
The house is within easy walking distance of many small restaurants and the interesting cobbled streets of the old town (avoid high heels!). We found a great little bar in the Rua Santa Maria where you could buy vegetables, then sit down & have a Poncha (local drink) or beer & snack very cheaply. For an evening meal, we loved Le Jardin, where they specialise in flambée, or "O Velhinho", where they do the local speciality of scabbard fish with banana, among many other reasonably-oriced dishes.
The Fado restaurants (where they have traditional musicians & singers) are more expensive: we got stung for the wine in one place, so ask the price beforehand if you're on a budget. On the other hand, it's nice to have some entertainment, & the meals were still good value.
We were glad to be staying in the old town, rather than the hotel zone on the other side of the bay, which looked like blocks of flats, with no local features or atmosphere. We could walk to the main promenade, cable car, market & bus stops within 10 minutes so it was very handy.
Mr. Horta's son Umberto even gave our son's party a lift to the airport, and Mr. Horta kindly drove us to the bus stop to catch the Express bus to the airport, as we had heavy luggage.
I would certainly stay there again, but maybe take a hot water bottle if you go in winter!

Pensão Mirasol is good if you are looking for a cheap place to sleep and visit the center. The owner is very friendly and caring for his clients. The breakfast is ok and included in the price.
The rooms are ok, although old fashion in the furniture. It had a very nice balcony with a great view! One bad point: the bathroom had no water pressure.

If you are a young traveller solo or with your boyfriend/girlfriend I would not recommend this place. It is very oriented for families or older travellers and I personally enjoy more independence in my travels (for example you have to leave the keys at the reception each time you leave, after 7 pm you have to ring the door to come in, etc). Also there is no parking place so if you rent a car you will have some difficulty with that.

Nevertheless if you looking for a familiar place, cheap, clean and next to the center this is certainly a very good option!

This small family hotel is an ideal base for hikers as it's close to different bus stops and the funicular, plus there's a car rental just two houses away. The hotel doesn't have any of the big resort amenities for beach vacation (i.e pool, sea access), but provides a home like feeling due to its smallness and super friendly service. You'll also get advice on hiking trails and transportation or basically anything at all on the island.
The rooms are clean and bright, most of them also have balconies. Our room was on street side and there was some traffic noise, but it wasn't disturbing enough to change the sea view for the more quieter mountain view. Though the latter was spectacular at night!
Breakfast is simple (might get boring after a week), but the bread is always fresh and for dinner the best restaurants in town are just around the corner.

Thank you for a lovely stay!