SeeTheLights

Any recent stays here? Is it worth going to?

janwillem

The location, grounds and sea access are stunning but I would not visit again. Breakfast good, pools not spectacular, rooms a bit cramped (we were in a junior suite). Parking available but tight. A bit outside of Funchal center.

My stay was tainted by the fact that the front desk agent was not familiar with the extra $ 200 Centurion benefit on top of normal FHR so he refused to credit our bill for that, even ignoring our welcome letter which was pretty clear. After an unpleasant discussion they deducted a random (and too low amount) of EUR 150.

Certainly not bad but better and cheaper options available on the island. I have nothing against Belmond, I am actually writing this in my room at Belmond Napasai Koh Samui, very nice here.

hypnos8

Stayed in May and were quite satisfied, but nothing more.

Guests were mainly British and 60+, though that appears to be a feature of Madeira in general. They also get quite a few curious tourists looking in but try to channel them towards their afternoon tea offering, which thus attracted a much less glamorous crowd than in former times.

Rooms were as expected in a heritage hotel, meaning on the small side and noise insulation was not great.

Most guests gather around the pool, so securing a good sunlounger can be tricky. We preferred to be down at sea level anyway, though they did not consistently offer drinks service there on all days.

Food in the main restaurant was good, but some dishes could have been better executed. The head waiter provided lovely service, however. We also much enjoyed the set menu at Villa Cipriani.

Two service incidents stood out to us: When we asked for sunscreen they produced a sticky, long expired bottle with the most rancid smelling sun lotion you can imagine. Hard to believe we were the only ones to ask for sunscreen since that bottle was opened 20 years ago…

Secondly, we forgot our sweaters in one of the restaurants and when we inquired they did not seem very invested in finding it and in any case it was strange they never turned up.

Nevertheless, overall we had a good time and value for money felt appropriate. Hotel grounds and location are certainly very enjoyable.

Pausanias

Do they still insist on jacket and tie for dinner? This is a VERY old school sort of place. Giles and Monica did a hilarious film about it a year or two ago.

hypnos8

At least not at Villa Cipriani or the bar, though I can’t comment on the policy at the ‚William’ Michelin restaurant.

I suppose they may have relaxed things because Belmond seems to be aiming for a younger crowd these days…

schriste

My stay was for 8 days back in 2018, so perhaps a bit too dated for your request. The posts above seem reasonable to me, and I think they capture the spirit of the place fairly well. Overall, I think my wife and I enjoyed Reid's Palace a bit more than the posters above did. I rather like that there are still some “old school” places left. The grounds and view from our room were fabulous. We enjoyed the breakfast service and venue by the pool. We also had room service on our balcony and enjoyed our meal and service at Cipriani. Also had afternoon tea. The venue and view were great, but the service and food were just ok (many non-hotel guests partake).

We had a deluxe sea view room in the old part of the hotel with a small balcony. View great. Room had old school charm, but I can see where many might just find it small and dated. The room AC was a bit weak and not very good at removing humidity.

We usually took the hotel shuttle into town, and either walked or taxied back to the hotel. Took Hotel limo to and from airport (very reasonable with good service and car).

My wife had a medical issue during our stay and the front desk handled it very well (getting doctor, prescriptions, etc.) In fact, we had to cancel a hotel organized tour the next day and they did not charge us a cancellation fee… so I appreciated their thoughtfulness and good service when it was really needed. I had no billing issues.

I have very positive memories of my stay but can agree it might be underwhelming for many on this forum who expect perfection. If I were to return to Madeira, I would most likely stay at Reid’s Palace again. I would almost, but not quite return to Madeira just to stay there again.

Few photos:


View from Room


Main pool and breakfast area

Saltwater pool at base of cliff

Pool

Some of the "old school" stuff

Some of the "old school" stuff


Bathroom

Room

SeeTheLights

Thanks for all the great responses. Is there a particular part of the hotel with "more" refurbished rooms? It seems the biggest complaint is that the rooms are a bit dated and "historic" Just curious if any room types or part of the hotel is better. Thanks!

schriste

I do not think so. Based on website they are all the same as during my 2018 stay. If modern rooms are your thing there is the newish Savoy Palace, but I personally don't like the look of the rooms there (just based on photos). The Suites at The Cliff Bay might be what you are looking for. Both of these were under construction in 2018.

The "new" wing was built in the 1960s, so old part means 1891 old . The rooms in the "new" section have larger full sized and covered balconies and a more conventional and standard (rectangular) room shape, but the style is pretty much the same as the "old" wing. I'd guess there is a real hodge podge of room shapes and sizes in the old wing. On the plus side my room had very tall ceilings.

sqyf

My wife and I stayed at the Reid's Palace in late November 2022, as part of a holiday in Portugal. It was an amazing stay, with some of the warmest and most thoughtful customer service we had ever experienced at a hotel (Our reference points for hotel stays include the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, The Danieli in Venice, and Auberge Du Soleil in Napa). We felt very well looked after during our stay.

It wasn't high season, so the hotel was not super busy. Most guests at the time appeared to be older Caucasians, and a few younger couples.

We loved our room, which had great views, and the hotel grounds made for excellent exploration.



We had evening drinks and dinner on the terrace, which was memorable both for the F&B as well as the stunning views.



For anyone interested, more details and pics in this trip report (Link to external SQTalk site).

Revolution

Stayed in early December and I absolutely loved it.

Best service I have ever experienced in a Portuguese high-end hotel and I have pretty much tried them all.

Rooms are charmingly old-fashioned so not for those looking for state of the art accommodation.

Artemis_

We (a couple and our 4 year old son) were at Reid’s Palace a couple of weeks ago (mid December) - it was our second stay at the property.

I absolutely adore this hotel (and Madeira overall is stunning), in particular the spacious sub-tropical gardens and the ocean views which are hard to beat!

The staff are lovely and nothing is too much trouble.
However there are things that i would expect from a true luxury property which Reid’s Palace failed to deliver. Things like- they had no idea we were return guests and we were asked multiple times if it was our first time at the hotel; or when we went on a hotel-organized day trip, we came back in the afternoon to a room which wasnt made up/ mini bar not replenished etc.

No biggies and i’d come back in the future in a heartbeat, but just something that’s expected from a high end luxury hotel.

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