Pestana Casino Park Ocean And Spa Hotel

“Sunrise hotel :)”

We rested with our child in a wonderful hotel. Despite the hotel's age, it can surprise you with its appearance, location, and most importantly, architectural solutions. The rooms are cleaned daily, I liked that it is usually the same maid. The breakfast menu is typical, but the fruit selection ... more

We rested with our child in a wonderful hotel. Despite the hotel's age, it can surprise you with its appearance, location, and most importantly, architectural solutions. The rooms are cleaned daily, I liked that it is usually the same maid. The breakfast menu is typical, but the fruit selection was surprising not only in quantity, but also in taste. In colder days our kid was happy to visit heated indoor pool.

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“Nice hotel - but not worthy of 5 stars”

On arrival this is an impressive-looking hotel as one designed by a world-renowned architect you would expect. It is in a very good location, overlooking the sea and about a ten minute walk to the centre of Funchal. There are quite a few good restaurants within a short walking distance to the h... more

On arrival this is an impressive-looking hotel as one designed by a world-renowned architect you would expect. It is in a very good location, overlooking the sea and about a ten minute walk to the centre of Funchal. There are quite a few good restaurants within a short walking distance to the hotel. We received a very friendly welcome from the receptionist who checked us in and any subsequent visits to reception were always friendly by the different members of the reception staff we encountered. So, I am not sure why previous reviews have complained about the reception staff - there was absolutely nothing to complain about! The public areas are all lovely and looked after very well. The hotel is set in beautiful gardens which are also looked after very well and are a lovely area to sit and relax in. There are three lifts but they are small and slow and you do sometimes have to wait quite a while for one or to be able to get into one as they are so small. The rooms are a decent size and are basically ok, but could maybe do with some modernisation. However, I personally found the house-keeping to be inadequate. It did not appear that my room had been vacuumed the week I stayed in this hotel. Dirty glasses were not automatically replaced and I had to wait days for a new shower cap to be left in the bathroom after I used it. This is not the house-keeping service you expect from a five-star hotel. I have read several reviews complaining about the breakfast provided, however, I found nothing wrong with the food/drinks provided. Sometimes food was not replaced very quickly, but other than that I personally think there was something for everyone and this is from a fussy eater!! We did not get any drinks from the bar in the evening after reading complaints about this on other reviews. A service charged is apparently slapped on the price despite having to go up to the bar, waiting for the drink and taking it back to your table yourself! There is a warning I would like to give and this is not to do with the hotel but the other guests. We came across a lot of extremely inconsiderate behaviour. This ranged from slamming bedroom doors at all hours, to people watching videos in public areas with the volume up, and making video calls in the public areas where you do not only hear their side of the conversation but the other as well - this is not conducive to a relaxing holiday. Perhaps the worst though was fellow guests lying out on furniture in the foyer and some guests even sitting with their feet up on tables. I have never witnessed such bad behaviour in a hotel before, and hope I do not come across it again!

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“Fantastic location; let down by drab dated rooms.”

I would like to have given 5 stars but a few things let it down. Pro’s : Fantastic location - possibly the best in Funchal with a 10 minute walk to city. Wonderful panoramic views from all sides of hotel. We easily walked to the city and you have option of getting a cab back or break your journe... more

I would like to have given 5 stars but a few things let it down. Pro’s : Fantastic location - possibly the best in Funchal with a 10 minute walk to city. Wonderful panoramic views from all sides of hotel. We easily walked to the city and you have option of getting a cab back or break your journey, on the uphill route, by stopping in the lovely park. Fabulous dining hall with great views of city and harbour. Also a novelty to come down in morning and see a large liner in port. Staff excellent - well trained, polite and courteous and all speak good English. The rooftop pool is a must with lovely comfy sun beds. A big thank you to PAULO who was extremely efficient and hardworking. Many of us thought he needs help at busy times of the day. He always has a smile and clearly loves working there. Breakfast excellent and our breakfast was always hot, as were the plates, which was a nice bonus. Con’s: Alas I agree with some of the reviews - evening meal not good and if we return we will only have B&B. On more than 2 nights I only had cheese and salad as main meal which was sufficient, to be honest. There are no real puds, just tiny cakes and no ice cream even in mid June??? I felt the evening buffet food was done on the cheap. When there was roast pork or another roast meat there was nothing to go with it other than chips or rice - ie no vegetables. Even frozen veg could have been offered! The bedrooms, though reasonably spacious, are terribly drab with black furniture - if these were white it would surely make the rooms brighter. The bath is a disgrace - no-one with a disability could get in and out. The shower screen goes inwards making it more difficult to get in/out of a very short bath. You have to get into the bath just to use shower so this is not good for older/infirm people. Also very dated. Overall I have noticed that 5 star hotels in Europe do not represent 5 star in the far east or USA and the 5 star is often just the reception and eating areas. One final point. When we checked out it was very quiet - around 0750 hours - and it was only us checking out, but the receptionist did not even ask if we had had an enjoyable stay.

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