Description
This charming hotel has a spectacular beach side location next city of Funchal. Many of its rooms face the vast Atlantic Ocean, and these spectacular views can also be enjoyed from the pool area. The hotel is only a 25 minute drive from the airport.
Less than a minutes’ walk away is the Praia Formosa, a 2km-long pebbled beach with black sand enclaves, which is popular with tourists and locals in summer months. The hotel is only a short drive to the natural pools.
With a large outdoor swimming pool and direct access to the Atlantic, the Pestana Ocean Bay has plenty of activities to keep you busy. To keep healthy and relaxed, the hotel’s facilities also include a gym, Jacuzzi, Turkish bath and range of beauty treatments.
Little ones can keep themselves entertained in the children’s pool, games room and playground.
The rooms are decorated with bright Madeiran colours, flowers and birds and each has an LCD TV, Wi-Fi and air conditioning. All of the rooms have balconies and either garden or sea views.
The Pestana Ocean Bay’s Arlequim restaurant offers breakfast, à la carte menus and themed buffets which you can enjoy against spectacular sea views. For smaller fare, you can head to the pool bar which serves lighter meals and delicious cocktails. Of an evening you can head to the hotel’s Arlequim bar for a tipple and some live entertainment.
The hotel has a free private car park and free daily transfers into Funchal city centre.
Relax in the charming, green city of Funchal on the island of Madeira. Surrounded by mountains, this vibrant city faces the depths of the blue Atlantic and boasts a mild climate all year round.
Funchal is Madeira’s oldest city and where the island’s first settlement was established. Exploring the old town you can spot testaments to its history through some of the remaining 15th century buildings such as the Corpo Santo Chapel. The Rua de Santa Maria is one of the city’s oldest streets and you will spot some old family-run businesses.
Its prime position in the Atlantic means that Madeira has often been used as a stopover for ships traversing the Atlantic, and as its main port city, Funchal became a key trading point. The city has come on a long way from its roots as a fennel-growing pirate haven and has evolved into a world class destination renowned for its modern and lively atmosphere with many great restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues, not to mention the natural beauty surrounding the city.
It is one of the main ports of call for cruise liners and many cruise ships berth in Funchal on their maiden voyage. Seeing multiple cruise ships in port is quite a usual sight in this city and the cafes, restaurants and historic centre are just moments away from the port. The nightlife scene has much to offer visitors with bars and clubs open until the early hours and the popular Madeira Casino offering nightly entertainment.
Alongside the popular cosmopolitan areas like Funchal, Madeira is a rich, beautiful island with experiences to cater to many tastes. With nearly two thirds of the island’s surface classified as a nature reserve, there is no shortage of beautiful natural scenery. One of the most popular activities is hiking along the Levadas and mountains; these routes follow the 16th century ‘Levadas’ which are open air canals used to carry water from the dense forests and waterfalls to the island’s towns and cities. These hikes take you through some of the greenest parts of the island and you can marvel at the luscious laurel forests and picturesque waterfalls.
For those looking for adventurous breaks, Madeira has a wealth of activities including diving, surfing, swimming with dolphins, boat trips, mountain-biking, canyoning and even coastal paragliding. Many of the island’s hotels have swimming pools so you are never far from somewhere to cool off.
Like many archipelagos, Madeira has a number of fascinating customs and delicacies that are unique to the island. The toboggan rides through the city of Funchal, where people barrel down steep hills in large wicker baskets aided by ‘drivers’ in boater hats, is an intriguing sight to behold and an exhilarating experience. As an island nation, seafood plays a huge role in Madeira’s gastronomy, but its mild year-round climate creates the perfect conditions to grow delicious produce such as bananas, pineapples and sugar cane. One of the island’s traditional drinks is ‘Poncha’ made with brandy cane sugar, lemons and honey and no trip would be complete without sampling some traditional Madeira wine.
It typically takes 4 hours (direct) or between 5-6 hours (connecting) to fly to Madeira from the UK. Some airlines (such as British Airways, Easyjet and Jet2) offer direct flights to the island, while others connect via Lisbon.
