Portugal Holiday Reviews

We stayed at the Raga, which is very accessible to Funchal. This is a fantastic place, the people are extremely friendly and polite should you need to ask them for directions. Most people in Funchal do speak English, well younger Maderians atleast. We took several walks along the marina after dinning on the fantastic local restaurants. This is a very picturesque place specially at night with the lights from Funchal caressing the Atlantic Ocean. Just amazing.

Lovely resort, a beautiful beach and some fantastic seafood restaurants. Prices were quite reasonable, we would definately go back next year.

Cant really comment on things to do or nightlife as only went to chill out. Did visit old town and there seemed to be plently of bars and resturants for nights out but put off going there at night as on our 1st visit within 10mins of arriving we watched someone doing there drug deals and lots of very undesirable people on the square. Nice beaches in town though

Having stayed in the heart of Funchal before and being used to the good quality of restaurants and hotels, I must say we were pleasantly surprised with the town of Machico. This time we were searching for a more quiet place in Madeira and we decided on Machico. There is a good array of restaurants, not as many as Funchal but the food quality and selection is very good.

Our hotel was not the greatest but the location was. Machico is very good for family holidays as they have good restaurants, and the sandy beach is good for small children. Good alternative to Funchal. Obviously not as busy and less choice than Funchal but that can be a blessing in disguise.

The resort is OK, got all the standard Med holiday resort stuff but the coast is very nice, rough Atlantic waves and rocks. The old town is quite pleasant.

very nice but didnt go out of complex as there was plenty to do within the holiday village hotel, with lots of pools and entertainment all day long

expensive,the main resort is nice ,but check your location before you go,as a lot of hotels are described as being in the busy resort of albfuifera,and they could be miles away..

winter time, things abit quite but still very lively, had brillant nites out on the strip and plenty of places for u to eat and shop. nite life goes on till 4 - 5 in the morning, and plenty of free shots in every bar, every nite.

Stayed mostly in the hotel complex with the children, but it is centrally placed for eating out / nightlife.

the old town is absoultely stunning. Beautiful beaches great choice of bars restaurants and excellent food

Great island to visit. The most popular things to do whilst in holiday in Madeira are Levada Walking, dolphin spotting and mountain trekking. The main city in Madeira is Funchal which has the island's best hotels and restaurants although good alternative are available around the island. We stayed in Funchal and explored the island by public transport which is very reliable and in a way a tourist attraction in itself as some of the sights on the routes are very beautiful.

great beach & old town areajust arrived back 31/10/2009. HOTEL - first class & very clean (we were 4 adults & 2 kids in a 2 bed apartment-great roomy apt with 2 bathrooms seperate kitchen/dining) one complaint - beds were extremely hard & uncomfortable POOL - first class (one large outdoor and one indoor) - great ENTERTAINMENT - (finishes 1/11/09 for winter season)- Thomas Cook entertainment team fantastic and kept everyone entertained from 8am through to 11pm (they worked their heart out and could not have done more) FOOD - disappointing - upset stomach twice (the weak point of the whole holiday) LOCATION - Little out of the way a mile from the nearest beach and similar distance from decent shops (although hotel did provide a free bus service to & from the old town & beach STAFF - friendly and helpful Generally a first class hotel let down by the food & hard beds PRICES/COST OF EATING OUT - Very Expensive (lucky we were AI) even the local supermarket prices were 50% higher than UK (If your not AI go to spain - far cheaper)

We liked Albufeira very much. The old town is lovely and the beach is clean. There are restaurants all along the beach front but they are more expensive than the ones in the back streets. In the middle of the town there is a square and they have artists performing here most days but not sure what times they go there. There are loads of places to eat and some nice little shops as well. We didnt find much nightlife except for the odd singer outside one or two restaurants but that suited us as we are not party animals anyway. The escalator is a brilliant addition as it has taken away all the steps and is so much easier to get into the old town especially for the less mobile.

Good resort with plenty to see and do. Given the pound being at parity with the Euro (Oct 09) it is not cheap - you will need plenty money ! Old town nice, good atmosphere. Restaurants a bit more expensive than the strip. Zoo bar just off the strip great cocktails. Fat cats host a well organized pub quiz serve good food too.