The Hotel

This 5-star hotel is located next to Funchal’s bay and cruise port and sits in 15,000m² of luscious private gardens. The building was designed by famous Brazilian architect Óscar Niemeyer and complements the neighbouring Funchal Casino, one of the city’s most popular entertainment spots.

Pestana Casino Park’s privileged location enjoys views onto the Atlantic Ocean and the bay and these views are particularly special when enjoyed from the hotel’s picturesque outdoor infinity pool and poolside bar. The hotel’s proximity to Funchal’s city centre and Casino means you are not short of entertainment and if you want to relax in between having fun, the hotel’s spa is the place for you. With an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, Turkish bath and sauna, you can feel fresh and rejuvenated before making the most of Funchal’s lively nightlife.

For those looking for more active pursuits, keep fit in the hotel’s gym or with a tennis match on the hotel’s private tennis courts. The rooms are spacious and elegantly decorated in black and beige, creating a contemporary feel. They enjoy private balconies and many also feature panoramic ocean views. As expected, they are equipped with all of the modern amenities to ensure a comfortable stay including en-suite bathrooms, LCD TVs, air-conditioning, a mini-bar and free Wi-Fi.

There are four on-site restaurants offering a variety of meal options. Panorâmico is the hotel’s largest and main restaurant hosting buffet breakfasts and thematic dinners alongside entertainment; it overlooks the hotel pool and harbour. The Sunset restaurant offers a more intimate setting with à la carte menus featuring Portuguese and international dishes and excellent views of the port. For lighter meals and drinks, the hotel lobby’s Aqua-Café Bar provides the perfect venue for a snack and an online catch-up using its free Wi-Fi. The Dockside is an outdoor restaurant adjacent to the hotel’s pool and serves a diverse salad buffet and a number meat and fish dishes from the barbecue, it also serves delicious cocktails.

As suggested by its name, the Pestana Casino Park is in a prime location to visit Funchal’s excellent Casino and guests are encouraged to enjoy themselves either in the Casino itself or with the nightly entertainment shows held in the Bahia restaurant. The hotel has private parking (daily fees apply).

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. Once in Madeira, you have several easy options to get to your hotel, and the Pestana Hotels are all around 25 minutes from the airport by car. Getting from the airport to you hotel is straightforward, you can get a taxi from Arrivals for around 30€ for a 20-30 minute journey. There are also Aerobus shuttles taking you into Funchal’s city centre that take 40 – 50 minutes for around 8€ per person for a return ticket. *Details correct as of November 2018, prices subject to variation