Royal Orchid

Breakfast was a highlight, with lots of buffet choice and a sea view from the dining room. We enjoyed coffee there while watching the sunrise, and the breakfast staff were friendly and efficient. The pools were clean and quiet, with plenty of room to relax. We didn't use the sauna. The location was handy, around 15 minutes from the airport and 20 minutes from Funchal by taxi, about €12 with Uber. There are also good restaurants nearby and two supermarkets. We stayed at The Royal Orchid for a week. It's a quiet, comfortable hotel in a pleasant seaside spot, though it feels modern and a bit lacking in character. Our room was huge with a great view, but a public walkway ran right in front, so we usually kept the curtains shut. The decor was sparse, with no pictures or plants, and the room felt cold and echoey. The bed was comfortable, but the pillows were lumpy and the air conditioning couldn't be adjusted, so it was chilly at times. We still slept well overall. Check-in was quick, if not especially welcoming. We had to wear plastic wristbands all week to identify ourselves as guests, which felt uncomfortable and unnecessary since nobody checked them. The Royal Orchid is a solid mid-range base with good facilities, clean and convenient, though not especially atmospheric or luxurious.

The ocean view from our fifth-floor room was far more breathtaking than I'd expected. It was spacious, minimalist and nicely designed, somewhere I could picture living. The hotel has a small wellness area too, and it also looks out over the sea. The staff, especially the waiters and housekeeping team, were kind, helpful and always smiling. Dinner was delicious and varied each night, with fish and seafood prepared with great flavor. Breakfast was much the same every day, but there was plenty for me. It was a fantastic week, and I wholeheartedly recommend the hotel. I'll definitely come back, and many thanks for the lovely stay.

I stayed three nights in a Superior room with a kitchenette, and I'm judging it against both the price and its 4-star rating. There were enough signs of cost-cutting that, taken together, they spoiled the impression created by the nice-looking room. The room itself was attractive and the bed comfortable, but the synthetic sheets made me sweat. The kitchenette had only two of each kind of glass and plate, no dishwasher, and one bin for all rubbish. The plastic kettle was very cheap, and I missed having even a moka pot, since the room only had instant coffee sachets. The safe couldn't fit a laptop, required a separate key and cost extra. The corridors were bare and felt a bit like a hospital. Meals on our all-inclusive trip were generally tasty, though breakfast could have had more choice, especially salads. A soup we ordered outside the usual meals was bland until the waiter brought spices. Those were pretty low quality too: the vinegar tasted nasty. Milk foam at breakfast seemed to be made from powdered milk with added sugar, making any coffee with milk too sweet. The cappuccino had instant cocoa in it and was undrinkably sweet for me. The spa area was nice, around 4/5, and there are outdoor pools too. I found it odd that swimsuits were required in the saunas.

A good place to stay, close to funchal, with its own shuttle on weekdays. There are indoor and outdoor pools and a spa, plus plenty of restaurants nearby. Staff were very friendly.