Stayed for one week, end of Januay, beginning of February, half board. Food was fab and plentiful and the evening meal was based on a different theme each night e.g. Italian, Chinese, Madeiran, but with a wide range of other basics which were on offer every day. Even the fussiest eater would have found it very, very hard to complain about choice given the wide variety of food available. Gluten free etc. options were available and clearly labelled. Al a carte was also an option in an adjoining part of the restaraunt. Wine was reasonalby priced, with special offers each night on particular labels.

Original artwork lines the walls in all public areas, inlcuding the stairwells, which creates a pleasant and interesting backdrop to all other activities.

The resident band, a duo called Obsession, were exceptionally cheesy (Sorry guys but you were) and people voted with their feet a bit when they played. It was very difficult to work out where they started and where the excessive and overproduced backing track of instrumental and backing vocals ended. It felt a bit like, do we really need you there, why not just put a CD on and we will sing along ourselves?

The other aspects of the entertainment were fine. Gail, one member of the entertainment staff had a really good voice, which you could actually differentiate from the backing track which she used.

The hotel is about 2km from the centre of Funchal, so within easy walking distance and a short distance from the sea. However, you need to know that the hotel, as they almost all are, is built on the side of a hill and so most trips on foot will end with a walk up quite a steep hill back to the hotel. We noticed that a lot of people walked into Funchal or down to the sea and got the bus back (very frequent service) or a taxi. The taxis all seem to be Mercedes and riduculously clean (they must wash them hourly). Anyone who has been, will know what I mean. There are ranks and ranks of the, all identical, and all immaculate.

West Island tour is brilliant and very good value for money, including a three course meal in an idyllic fishing village. One of the best tours we have been on, and we've done squillions over the years. Lavada walking trips are also highly recommended and graded so that you can choose on which suits you. They follow some of the thousands of kilometres of lavadas (water channels, which distribute water from the mountains to all parts of the island. Guides accompany parties and point out things of interest. Not to be missed if you are a walker.

Rooms in the hotel are brilliant, but don't be fooled by the term "Mountain View". Found it very difficult to understand how the air conditioning worked and couldn't find any instructions anywhere. Great to have FM in the bathroom. People everywhere were very, very friendly and helpful.

Had a brilliant time and would recommend.

Overall a fantastic stay full of great views, great trips, great food and excellent customer service. Well done Thomsons .. you really put Thomas Cook etc to shame. The entertainment was OK with Chris and Gayle really pleasant and trying hard to energise some pretty old guests. We got the average age of the guests down to 75 and we are in our 40's!!

My only gripe? The bar prices were high i.e. 14 euros a bottle of wine and the same as you could get for 4 euros down the road tut tut Savoy.

Sort this out and its a cracker of a place .... hills are very very steep so beware if walking is difficult. I could hammer nails with my calfs by the end of the stay.

Again Thomson have come up trumps with this couples hotel. We really enjoyed this hotel; it had a pleasant atmosphere and was nicely decorated and had original art work everywhere. The rooms were spacious and pleasant for the most part.The food was varied and well cooked and presented. The entertainment in the evenings was mainly produced by two young musicians called The Undercovers who had an extentive repertoire and were very talented. A young man called Johnnie Becks who I think was the events coordinator (or something similar) was extremely talented- not only could he sings brilliantly but he was also very funny - and Thomson should be grabbing him for their cruise ships before he goes on to greater heights. Zoe the rep was also a a talented young lady who could sing and play the guitar as well as being very helpful.
The Spa was excellent and the neck and back massage is highly recomended. One of the other guests was a trained masseuse and she said it was the best masage she ever had experienced.

The only negative points: 1) our room was really cold for the first couple of days when the temperature outside was lower than usual and getting the air conditioning switched off did not really help although the extra blankets for night time kept us warm then. In a 4 star hotel some form of heating should be available even if it is not needed the majority of the time - even a portable heater would have been welcome but this was unavailable. 2) It says quite clearly in the 'blurb' about the hotel that the room had complimentary tea and coffee making facilities what it did not say was that this was only for the first day and a charge was then set. This is totally unnecessary and in a 4 star hotel should come as standard. 3) The 'mountain view' rooms was not a 'mountain vew' unless you went out on the balcony and leaned over. Rather is was the view of the adjacent buildings. Pay the extra and get a sea view it would be worth it.
So apart from these few minor niggles a truly great holiday and a good hotel.

We visited in October 2011 & had contacted the hotel directly to book a room with a sea view balcony, not only was this done but the young lady on reception welcomed us & thanked us for oue e mail! The room was superb, the view from the balcony was everything we had hoped for and when we did have a small leak in the bathroom it was fixed within minutes. The food in the restaurant was very good, the staff helpful, and the advice on local wines exceeded our expectations. the Portugese wines on offer were well priced and very good. The entertainment team were superb both during the day & at night, the evening shows were high quality and the drinks (brought to you by lovely waiting staff) were not overpriced. We took a number of excursions through Thomson's and although not cheap they were good value for money with great guides (Maria). Finally the reps, Kaye & Vicki were friendly, helpful, and went out of their way to help and advise us, they really were the best we have encountered over many years of package holidays, and they had the patience of angels when dealing with some of the more demanding(or awkward) customers. It was a pleasure to visit this hotel & the lovely island of Maderia. The hotel is on a hill, but has a bus stop right outside, and the walk down to Funchal was pleasant, the bus or a taxi back were always available if you did not fancy the uphill walk back. There are a number of bars & restaurants within easy walking distance if you feel the need to "get away" from the hotel in the evening, all of these seemed to be competitively priced, altthough we only ate out one night (the hotel restaurant really was that good). We will visit Maderia again it is an ideal place for couples who are looking for a "grown up" holiday destination.