Portugal

390
WHERE TO STAY IN FUNCHAL MADEIRA & PORTO SANTO
15
Estalagem Quinta da Casa Branca This grand country manor, surrounded
by its own manicured grounds, is the personification of estate living on the
island. You’ll be close to the city center, but vastly removed from the hectic activity of
Funchal. An old manor house dominates the grounds, but the living accommodations
are entirely modernized and up-to-date, complete with spacious bathrooms. You can
expect the services and comfort of a first-rate hotel here. The dining room and bar area
are in a restored outbuilding, and a swimming pool makes this a bit like a resort.
Rua da Casa Branca 7, 9000-088 Funchal, Madeira. & 29/170-07-70. Fax 29/176-50-33. www.quinta
casabranca.pt. 29 units. 205€–290€ double; from 385€ suite. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC,
V. Free parking. Bus: 5 or 6. Amenities: Restaurant; 2 bars; babysitting; free Internet in lobby; room service.
In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar.
Pestana Carlton Madeira This is a luxurious 18-story structure near Madeira’s
only casino, with direct access to the sea via stairs that lead down from the hotel to a
platform from which you can get into the sea for swimming. The hotel lies on a promontory
overlooking Funchal Bay in the fashionable Vale-Verde Garden district, next to
Reid’s Palace (see above). All of the spacious accommodations, many furnished in provincial
style, have private balconies and comfortable, tasteful furniture. The more expensive
rates are for the deluxe sea-view rooms. The oceanfront exposure (to the south) of
these rooms means the pool terraces and seaside guest-room balconies and patios receive
dawn-to-dusk sunlight. The three restaurants serve fine cuisine, if only to tour groups at
times: The Atlântico features a show with dinner; Os Arcos has an international and
regional menu; and the Taverna Grill specializes in pub fare such as steaks.
Largo António Nobre, 9004-531 Funchal, Madeira. & 29/123-95-00. Fax 29/122-33-77. www.pestana.
com. 327 units. 108€–239€ double; 245€–321€ suite. Rates include breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Bus: 1, 2 3, 4,
9, or 10. Amenities: 4 restaurants; 5 bars; babysitting; concierge; 2 golf courses; health club with sauna
and Turkish bath; room service. In room: A/C, TV, Internet (15€ per day), kitchenette.
Pestana Casino Park Hotel & Casino Part of Madeira’s Casino and Conference
Centre, this deluxe citadel is a 7-minute walk from the town center, nestled in a subtropical
garden overlooking the harbor. Designed by Oscar Niemeyer—one of the architects
of Brasília, Brazil—the gray-concrete main building is low (only five stories) and
undulating. The complex consists of the hotel as well as a conference center and a casino.
The small to midsize guest rooms (tastefully decorated in bright, sunny colors) have
balconies with panoramic views over the harbor and town. Most rooms have only twin
beds, but all boast first-class furnishings. Bathrooms have dual basins and bidets. Two
comfortable lounge areas grace each floor. The luxurious dining room overlooks the port
and town of Funchal, and the international Grill Room has an extensive wine cellar.
Rua Imperatriz Dona Amélia, 9004-513 Funchal, Madeira. & 29/120-91-00. Fax 29/123-20-76. www.
pestana.com. 379 units. 104€–163€ double; 170€–326€ suite. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC,
V. Bus: 1, 2, 10, 12, or 16. Amenities: 3 restaurants; 3 bars; babysitting; health club with sauna; room
service; 2 tennis courts (lit). In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, Internet (15€ per day), minibar.
Quinta da Bela Vista The core of this hotel, in the hills above Funchal,
dates from 1844, when it was built as a private villa. Its owner has added two outlying
annexes in the Portuguese colonial style. The complex is now a government-rated fivestar
hotel. A verdant garden surrounds the annexes, which hold comfortable guest rooms.
Rooms are slightly larger in the annex, constructed in 1991. Furnishings include highquality
mahogany reproductions and a scattering of English and Portuguese antiques. A
well-staffed formal restaurant, Casa Mãe, is in the original villa. The more relaxed Avistas
Navios offers sweeping views and regional and international cuisine.