Hotel Quinta Da Penha De França

“Favorite Portugal hotel”

Of all the places we stayed during our 2 week vacation in Portugal, this place was the best. A hidden gem with old world charm — clean, comfortable, great breakfast, convenient location and first rate service. Highly recommend … you won’t be disappointed.

“An enjoyable stay in a charming hotel”

Had a great week at Quinta Da Penha De Franca. It is set in lovely gardens and is quite old-fashioned in some respects, and a little "higglydy-piggldy" with several different buildings within the site. This was part of the charm and one of the things that attracted us to it. Staff were friendly … more

Had a great week at Quinta Da Penha De Franca. It is set in lovely gardens and is quite old-fashioned in some respects, and a little "higglydy-piggldy" with several different buildings within the site. This was part of the charm and one of the things that attracted us to it. Staff were friendly and helpful (if shocked that I let my wife pay for dinner as she is the one with the FairFX card), breakfast was good (slicing our own cured ham was a particular highlight) though don't leave your food unattended if sitting outside or the pigeons will go for it! We were B&B only but ate in the restaurant on two occasions. The food was well cooked and tasty, and included local specialties such as black scabbard fish with bananas. Even though the table d'hote is apparently for DBB guests, it's worth asking for it too as it was excellent value. There are plenty of bars and restaurants in the vicinity if not on DBB or you want an explore. As it was October the hotel was reasonably quiet and we had no problem getting a sun lounger at the pool here or in the sister hotel, Franca Mar, which is just over the road. The lack of parasols at Quinta Da Penha De Franca put us off using this pool unless it was overcast as we burn easily. There were plenty of parasols at Franca Mar plus access to sea swimming (and scuba diving lessons) for those interested on days when the sea was not too wild. The lack of a lift in some of the buildings and lots of steps will put some visitors off but if you are located in the main building there are lifts. We knew about this in advance, with the "olde-worlde" nature one of the things that attracted us here. Having said that, the hot water in the shower in the old building takes some time to run through. On our first day it was still cold after 20 minutes of trying and, after raising this with staff, it worked from then on (after running for a couple of minutes) though we were assured that nothing was wrong when it was checked, it just takes some time at peak times because of the nature of the building. A minor inconvenience on the scale of things, but perhaps a sign in the room saying "run for a long time to get hot water" would be helpful. It is on the side of a hill - isn't everything in Funchal? - so even walking up the path to the road could be challenging for anyone with an infirmity. If you forget to bring a book, or finish yours quickly, there are lots sitting around on tables and bookcases in various parts of the hotel and in various languages, A nice touch. The location is very good for exploring both the city centre and the area near the Lido, with bus stops only a short (if reasonably steep) walk away. We bought a 3 day Horarios Funchal (local bus operator) ticket for unlimited travel within their network. Only €11:50 each and we used it extensively - Monte, Jardim Botanical, Camera de Lobos, Lido... (we got ours from Herculano Cunha on Av. do Infante about 10 minutes walk from the hotel). We found using the local bus a great way to explore the city and its environs, and particularly enjoyed seeing the "real" Funchal rather than the attractions on the tourist bus routes. The hotel website mentioned some noise from nearby building works. I wasn't aware of too much of this to be fair. The proximity of the cruise-liner terminal probably provided more noise with the regular rumbling of motors ticking over and the blowing of horns as boats left, but these are the regular sounds of a port town and to be expected. We could (just) see the cruise-liners leave from our window. More obtrusive noise came from the rooftop bar of the a neighbouring hotel on two occasions, though closing the windows in the room shut this out. Other reviewers have said that there was no air-con in their room but ours worked very well indeed. In all an enjoyable stay in an interesting and charming hotel.

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“Nice affordabel hotel with great location”

A brilliant location, with a good pool and excellent sea access. There was on our stay plenty of sun loungers, towel service and what you need. The local dice club also use the pool as a training ground, so be aware of regular visits from scuba divers. The rooms are dated, and basic, but you have … more

A brilliant location, with a good pool and excellent sea access. There was on our stay plenty of sun loungers, towel service and what you need. The local dice club also use the pool as a training ground, so be aware of regular visits from scuba divers. The rooms are dated, and basic, but you have what you need. Clean and good beads. We also had a small balcony with chairs and a table. The staff was friendly and service oriented. Breakfast was good, and the omelet chef mad a good omelet. So good value for money.

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“Go to Penha de França Mar instead”

The actual Hotel Quinta Da Penha De Franca is not the one in the picture. It is a old manor house and some apartments. There is no doubt it is beautiful and an excellent location but very dated. We had room 1 in the manor house but there were many ants that started in the bathroom and by morning we… more

The actual Hotel Quinta Da Penha De Franca is not the one in the picture. It is a old manor house and some apartments. There is no doubt it is beautiful and an excellent location but very dated. We had room 1 in the manor house but there were many ants that started in the bathroom and by morning were all over the bed, and an unbelievable amount of stairs to lug a large suitcase to with no help and no lift. We transferred to the sister hotel of Penha de França Mar, which was amazing. Totally worth the upgraded. Breakfast was ok and most staff were friendly.

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