Barceló Funchal Oldtown

As with nearly every hotel, there are pros and cons. So, for the pros, The hotel is in a great central location downtown and close to all the major amenities , historic locations and restaurants. The majority of hotel staff are also very pleasant and helpful. The roof top pool and terrace have lovely views of the local downtown area. It’s a fairly new hotel so the general reception rooms are modern and well decorated and our accommodation had a large modern bathroom with towels changed daily ( on request) . Breakfast is reasonable quality, well presented and has a limited hot selection. Guest services were very helpful and even provided a complimentary small picnic box for when we had an all day excursion. For the cons, Breakfast choice is fairly basic and very much self service but it is adequate however it’s served in a couple of small rooms which when busy can be very chaotic and noisy, resembling a school canteen. It’s a shame they don’t use the larger and more atmospheric main restaurant for the included breakfast service but unfortunately this area is closed to guests during the breakfast period. The rooftop pool and sun terrace is fairly compact, which given that the hotel was formed from a renovated downtown building is no surprise however at busy times it can be almost impossible to get a sun lounger because there are only 22 complimentary loungers shared between potentially 230 plus guests. There are 116 rooms between 4 floors and as it’s a downtown location the views from the rooms are predominantly of the surrounding buildings therefore not very attractive however if possible AVOID room 403 ( or any of the 03 numbered rooms on the other floors) as that view is the most unattractive one I’ve ever had in any hotel room EVER ! (See photo) These rooms are at the back of the hotel and look out at the wall of a crumbling, dirty, run down building literally a few feet away and I’m very surprised that they are prepared to use them as guest rooms ? Barcelo Unique membership is supposed to give the benefit of an upgrade or better room but we weren’t offered any change of rooms throughout our stay, even after pointing out we weren’t happy with the room ? We spent as little time as possible in the room because it was depressing and claustrophobic ! I would suggest those rooms be used as store rooms but not as guest rooms ! Also, my tip when booking would be to check how many people the room can accommodate because Barcelo seem to have a habit of squeezing as many beds as possible in a room, so as a couple booking a room you may think that for example, booking a junior suite, you will get a more spacious room however that seems to be the complete opposite as you will probably find the room not only contains a double/twin beds but also two large sofa beds which take up most of the room and make the room feel cramped and claustrophobic, nothing like the photo on their website ! ( Junior suite says up to 3 adults but our room had 2 beds and 2 lar

We emailed prior to arrival and asked for a twin bedded, high floor room which we got ( zero noise). Great start. Thank you. Highlights: Great breakfast with fabulous omelettes, fresh fruit, cheese and cold meat selection, breads, yogurts etc, plus always a local offering too. Cheeky, sparkling wine? Why not? Comfortable beds, great shower and nice products. Mini bar which is complementary on first day and payable for refill but a very nice touch alongside the chocolates. Large bottle of water provided every day. Reception very helpful. Booked a levada trip through Carolina who gave us lots of good advice too. Worth having a chat and no pressure. Very attractive lobby area and the hotel frontage which is complete with restaurant and tables just for a drink also is a positive in main street. Great views from the roof top area. Brilliant singer and musician on Saturday evening. Do try to watch. Lowlights: The attractive roof top pool is best visited early on as you may struggle to find a bed early afternoon.. The bar tender worked very hard but sometimes had to leave the bar to bring items up. A 5 star should have someone bringing items up if necessary. Service painfully slow at the exterior restaurant/bar. Such a shame as it's a stand out in the street and attracts non residents. Please employ more staff. More outlay but increase in revenue would make it worthwhile, imo. The hotel has a huge turnover of clients and therefore the housekeeping staff really have their work cut out trying to prepare all the rooms for new visitors. This has an impact on those staying for longer. Again, more staff needed. In summary, this hotel is perfectly placed for all the highlights of Funchal. Ideal for stays of 3/4 days. A week without the luxury of a balcony or a beautiful view may be a deal breaker for some. Main issue is the lack of staff in certain areas. Having said all of that, we had a terrific week and found the vast majority of staff to be friendly, helpful, good fun and doing their level best for their clients. Thank you everyone!