PESTANA CARLTON MADEIRA

I really don’t appreciate being nagged on the street by “bait n switch” Pestana agents in Funchal, and I hope Pestana end this disgraceful aggressive sales tactic. They pester people to answer “a quick survey” before offering them a “prize” which can be claimed by visiting the hotel only to be pummelled with hard sell persuasion to get involved with timeshare/vacation club plans. Completely unethical, especially when you consider that so many visitors to Madeira are older people. These agents “put the pest in Pestana”. Please stop.

Our flight was delayed and we were put up in the Carlton for one night. This included breakfast & dinner. It’s in a great central location - especially if you have no plans to hire a car etc. While I understand that 2 flights of people were likely put into the cheapest rooms at last minute within the hotel, the room itself was spacious and a gorgeous ocean view. The bed was ok, but for the love of god please replace your pillows - they are horrendous and I’ve never had such a bad sleep in all my life. The bathroom is really dated, and I slipped getting into the shower, why is the bath such a narrow death trap? We used the spa, absolutely disgusting. It is not clean, extremely dated, I felt gross after it. The pool had lots of floaters. Dinner in the evening was horrible, most food was tasteless, even the fruit. Breakfast in the morning not much better, it’s hard not to compare when we have been staying in only a 4 star hotel the past week and the breakfast buffet was incredible. The waiters & staff we interacted with weren’t very polite - maybe just because 2 flights of people is lots of extra work unexpectedly, but at the end of the day although we didn’t pay or want to be there - we are still guests in the hotel and it wouldn’t hurt to crack a smile. This hotel opened as a 5 star luxury hotel in 1972 which is the year my dad was born. I don’t believe that it meets a 5 star feel for guest experience. But reading online that’s not what Portuguese tourism star ratings rely on. I overheard a couple say they stayed here for 2 weeks and it was 5 and a half grand. If I paid that and came to this hotel, I’d be so upset. If you wish for 5 star luxury give this one a miss

The location is magnificent with breathtaking sunsets. The terrace is very inviting, and there's occasional entertainment at the bar. Breakfast is plentiful and caters to all tastes. There's an à la carte restaurant as well as a buffet-style restaurant. The staff is friendly. The only downside was the cleaning of our room, but probably during the holiday season, the hotel is full, making it difficult to ensure proper cleaning.