Formosa Beach Tours

Absolute Joy of a place

The location of the Pestana Lido Vila is unique to this stretch of the coastline as the hotel is right on the waterfront. Most of the other hotels nearby are perched above the cliff with access to the water via elevators. There is a grocery store right across the street and many restaurants to choose from as well as a walkway along the waterfront that goes several miles up the coastline. We were also able to easily walk into downtown Funchal, about a 30 minute walk. The hotel is well maintained and has beautiful landscaping and many areas for sitting and enjoying the stunning views. The breakfast buffet has an abundance of options, including an omelette bar, as well as champagne. In addition to the indoor seating for breakfast you can choose to sit on the terrace which rubs the circumference of the hotel on the 5th floor and has an unobstructed view of the ocean below, there were plenty of outdoor seats although they are all just for two people, you could pull two tables together but not more than that. The pool was very clean and when we were there in late May there was never an issue of finding a couple of chaise lounges to park on, there are also some larger sun beds. There is direct ocean access via stairs or ladders into the water for strong swimmers. I loved everything about this hotel and would definitely stay there again!

This hotel would be great if it wasn’t for a couple of things. The pools close early. Sun goes down at 9pm, but all amenities are closed at 6pm. When you are done exploring for the day, the amenities are closed when you want to use them most. The room needs renovation. The pillows were terrible and the bed is stiff as a board. Parking is a nightmare. They advertise that they have parking, but it was sold out all 5 nights. The only other viable option is at the casino. It’s right next door and the same price nightly, but there are no in and out privileges. This leaves you having to plan your day around only leaving once, which limits your ability to leave multiple times a day. Don’t advertise that you have parking if it is always full. Other than that, great hotel. Beautiful views. And beautiful pools when they are open.