This review relates to the departure on 5th July 2019. I had visited Madeira briefly from a cruise ship and whilst having no particular desire to repeat the cruise experience Madeira looked sufficiently interesting to warrant a return visit. Hence this trip.Living on an island where access is ruled by a, not always reliable, ferry service I opted to travel to Gatwick (there were also flights from Stanstead and Manchester) the day before using the very convenient Bloc hotel situated in the South Terminal. Because of the return flight time I also stayed there on my return. Other hotels are available but arriving and departing by train at the South Terminal this suits me to the ground.
Flights from Gatwick were with British Airways and were fine and uneventful. Flights were on time, the return flight even left early, and we were unaffected on the return by Gatwick disruption earlier in the week. The Stanstead and Manchester flights were much earlier than the Gatwick one so arrivals and departures were somewhat staggered.
The hotel was the Pestana Casino Park hotel in Funchal. The hotel was clean and comfortable and conveniently located for the town centre. The hotel was uphill from the sea front and the walk uphill was not too onerous. Previous trips with JY (and TS) have tended to be full on tours so that a permanent base for the duration of the trip and no cases at “What time!!” was a real treat. There have been previous comments about noise from the casino next door but the casino is on the side off the hotel where rooms have odd numbers and although a few said they had been disturbed I was on the other side of the building and heard nothing. There was a big event in the nearby park at the end of the week (see below) and although courtesy notes were given to rooms possibly affected this seemed to be no inconvenience whatsoever.
There were 27 of us and the TM was Branwen Edwards who guided us around with great efficiency. The local guide was Roberto whose commentary was excellent and very informative and was always ready to answer any questions asked.
There were 3 optional excursions starting with a levada walk which I opted out of preferring instead to take the cable car up to the Tropical Gardens which was a lovely experience. The gardens cost 12.5 Euros (including free wine tasting!) to get in and whilst it was quite steep there were benches every few yards. Those that did the walk said it was a lot less strenuous than expected. There was whale and dolphin watching where we saw dolphins but no whales. There was also an option for swimming in a cove for those who wanted to do so and finally a tour of the west of the island which was a lovely day out with some stunning views.
As regards meals then breakfast in the hotel was buffet style. The selection was the same every day but the choice was wide enough to ring the changes every day if you wanted to. Breakfast started at 7.00am and with morning/day departures leaving no earlier than 9.00am everything was quite relaxed. There were 2 included lunches that included starter, main and dessert (and wine) leaving you only wanting a snack in the evening and there were 2 included evening meals in the hotel. There has been a lot of debate on the forum about meals being included (or not) and not wishing to start a new discussion then I personally like the option (where feasible) to be able to dine out and there was a street of restaurants and bars very close to the hotel where meals, and drinks, could be bought at very reasonable prices. Portions are best described as substantial and there was no danger of going hungry on this trip.
Everything was nicely paced and you never felt rushed. There was plenty of time allowed at stops for photographs and, if the fancy took you, shopping!
Little groups inevitably formed for dining and trips out but there were no cliques and everyone seemed to find their own comfort zone. Excursions were in no way tiring and there was plenty of down time for swimming, sunbathing or simply doing your own thing. We met in the bar at 6.30pm nightly (which happened to co-incide with happy hour!) when people decided what they were doing for dinner etc.
On the last evening there was the option of dinner and a show at the next door casino. Several opted for this but having discovered that the open air Funchal Jazz Festival was taking place in the park next door then 15 Euros bought me a seat for 2 world class acts and a brilliant, and unexpected, evening.
All in all a very good trip and one that I would recommend.
Any further questions then please ask.
