The Regency Cliff exceeded our expectations. The room was very clean with fresh new carpet, flat-screen (didn't ever turn it on!) a nice bathroom, an in-room safe and very comfortable beds but my husband and I were truly amazed by the best feature:a large terrace with a direct ocean view. The temperature was so pleasant we never needed the AC and kept our doors open so that we could hear the ocean at night: so relaxing! Free internet service is available in the lobby and there's a nice exercise facility on the first level, which is downstairs (you enter on the 6th floor). Our room was on the third floor and was extremely quiet but I would definitely not want to stay on the first floor rooms in high season because they're adjacent to the pool. We did not eat dinner in the restaurant but it, as well as the outside terrace,has absolutely gorgeous sunset views. Because it is not directly on the busy thoroughfare, the hotel is quieter than many others we saw but is still very convenient to everything you need. There are steps from the first floor pool area leading to a path that takes you to the seaside promenade. The walk to the main area of Funchal takes around 25 minutes or so, depending on how frequently you stop to admire all the beautiful flowers, and you will probably stop a lot! Don't miss the beautiful pink mansion you'll pass on the right before you get to downtown Funchal: it's the President's house and the grounds are lovely. We enjoyed walking through the central market as well as Old Town Funchal area, with dozens of handpainted doors: very fun! About a block west of the hotel is the Forum shopping center, which offers several nice stores, ATMs and a few restaurants. It also includes the chain supermarket, Pingo Doce, which has a great little cafeteria-style dining area. Fish, roasted chicken, fruits, salads, veggies and desserts are offered, and my husband and I were both able to eat a very nice meal for around 8 to 9 euros total. This market has several locations in town, one very close to the Post Office, and is very convenient if you are hungry and don't want to spend a fortune. Diagonally across the street from the Regency Cliff is the Monumental Grill (you can see it from the hotel) and the food is really delicious, not terribly expensive. The servers were extremely friendly and we had a great time chatting with them. Breakfast at the hotel and was included in our rate: it was not the best breakfast I've ever had but was not the worst either. The breakfast meats offered were too greasy for me and the eggs were not great but there were several yummyfruits and breads that made it work just fine. The one area where the hotel could definitely improve would be the helpfulness of the front desk employees. They were not rude but could offer more explanation in future and be much friendlier. For instance, no one explained to us before we went to our room, that using the in-room safe required a daily payment (or weekly depending on the length of your stay) plus a refundable deposit at checkout so we had to go back up to inquire about using the safe. They also did not explain that it was necessary to bring the remote back to the front desk. But mainly, when we checked out, after our 5-night stay, it would have been lovely to hear someone say, we were so glad to have you.....was everything okay? We hope you return.....Instead we received a nod of the head and that was it. This hotel has a whole lot going for it and I would certainly stay here again but a smile and a thank you goes a long way!