Pestana Carlton Madeira Ocean Resort Hotel

Wonderful holiday, really friendly staff, holiday with lots of wonderful memories (especially the ABBA night - we had so much fun!) loved it!!!

Excellent hotel and outstanding service. A special thank you to Eduardo Brandão, who went above and beyond to help our family before and during our stay. His professionalism, kindness, and personal attention made a huge difference. Thank you for making our experience so enjoyable.

Pestana Carlton is located a short walk from the Old Town up the hill. It has beautiful main garden pool and plenty of sun beds - no fighting over towels at 7am, although we noticed the last couple of mornings some beds are being reserved ! Probably English - we are the worst for this, once one starts, it spreads quickly. It’s an awful selfish practice and no need here as there are loads of beds. Great breakfast and good quality options. Our room is large and great bed, I agree with other reviews the bathroom needs an upgrade, it is fine but not 5 star, it’s tired. Housekeeping are very good with fresh towels inc pool towels. Staff are overall very nice & always around to help. We will comeback. This hotel is perched on a cliff, so great views but they have 3 lifts to get you to different levels & ultimately the sea access, it takes a couple of days to work it out 😎

A truly outstanding hotel in the beautiful city of Funchal, Madeira. Perfectly positioned, it sits at the beginning of the main hotel district while remaining a stroll from Funchal's centre, the marina, restaurants, shops, and many of the city's attractions. This was my second stay, and it certainly won't be my last. The hotel delivers everything you would expect from a five-star property, with excellent facilities spread across its beautifully designed, multi-level layout. What really sets this hotel apart, however, is its exceptional team. Special recognition must go to Hugo and Marcelina in the Taverna bar, our housekeeper, Helana who kept our room immaculate throughout our stay, and Raquel on reception. It's the combination of a superb location, first-class facilities, and outstanding hospitality that makes this hotel such a memorable place to stay. I have no hesitation in recommending it and am already looking forward to returning for a third visit. Ponting 1806

The hotel is located in the city centre in walking distance to the shops, buses, local restaurants and the CR7 museum. It’s a massive building with over 24 floors! It’s always constantly busy and I struggled to visit all the tourist attractions because the pools & spa amenities are so inviting. You just lose track of time! The breakfast was out of this world with so much variety. The staff are amazing and the atmosphere is always buzzing. We were checked in quite early and allowed to use the hotel facilities after our 12 noon check out (until our Jet2holiday airport transfer picked us up at 5pm). It’s worth every penny spent. I had a truly amazing time and even met a couple that has been visiting for the past 28 years. I network a lot so tend to make friends on holiday!

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Our stay at the Pestana Carlton Hotel became unexpectedly longer after our flight from Funchal to London was cancelled, but thanks to the incredible team, what could have been stressful became a much easier experience. A special thank you to Eduardo Brandão from Customer Relations, whose service was truly above and beyond. His professionalism, kindness, and willingness to assist made all the difference during a difficult and uncertain time. We would also like to sincerely thank Luis Diogo Abreu for arranging that we could remain in our room and not have to move as previously advised. That gesture removed a great deal of stress and was deeply appreciated. The hotel facilities are truly amazing and contributed greatly to making our extended stay comfortable and enjoyable. From the beautiful setting to the excellent amenities, everything was maintained to a very high standard. We highly recommend the Pestana Carlton Hotel and would not hesitate to stay here again. Thank you to the entire team for your exceptional hospitality, care, and support — it made all the difference. Roy & Judite

We were made to feel welcome from the moment we arrived. We had booked a superior sea facing room which turned out to be on the 15th floor. The room was excellent and had a fantastic view (in fact it’s one of the best views we have ever had). It didn’t make any difference whether we were in the breakfast area, the bar, or the reception, the staff were really friendly and helpful. Special mention to Salome who was just great. They made sure we had a table on the balcony for breakfast, they brought a Sun umbrella if we stayed by the pool, and they organised a hire car for a few days when we went out for a few days. On our lazy days we ate at the pool restaurant, good food, but bear in mind that the portions are generous. The hotel is well situated with quite a few good restaurants in the immediate vicinity but is only a 15/20 minute walk into town or a 6.5 Euro taxi ride. Would we stay here again … definitely.

Very nice hotel! Great staff! I would suggest that the customers should be briefed for not using sound systems in the pool and for not diving in the ocean where there is a sign advising not to do it!

We stayed at the Carlton on our 1st visit to Madeira back in 2022. We were in a superior junior suite with sea view. Our room was large, clean and well equipped. We stayed on a bed & breakfast option as we had been told that there was an abundance of places to eat out. The pool area was clean and plenty of sunbeds. The hotel was a little tired in some areas. We revisited in June 2026. What a difference. The hotel has had a refurbishment. Our room was a seaview studio apartment, set aside for vacation club members. The views are amazing. The location is perfect for walking into town. Local buses run near/by the hotel, making it easy to explore the island. Lots to see and do on the island or just chill and re-charge your batteries. The staff are very friendly and helpful. Nothing is too much trouble. Definitely worth a visit. Can't wait to plan our next visit.

My partner and I just got back from a week in Madeira. We stayed at this lovely hotel and everything was perfect! The staff are absolutely amazing. From the receptionists and cleaners to the restaurant team, everyone was so friendly, welcoming and helpful throughout our stay. As someone with coeliac disease, I’m always nervous about travelling abroad. However, I felt really well looked after here. They were happy to cook separate meals for me when needed, and I wasn’t ill once during our stay. At some hotels we’ve stayed in previously, I’ve felt like a bit of a burden for having to be so careful about what I eat, but I never felt that way here. I’m gutted I didn’t take the names of the two ladies working in the buffet restaurant, as they were incredibly helpful and went out of their way to look after me, even when the restaurant was busy. It was also my birthday during our stay. We spent the day exploring the island, and when we returned to our room, there was a bottle of sparking wine and a birthday note waiting for me. Such a lovely touch. We wouldn’t hesitate to return here and would happily recommend this hotel to our friends and family. 🤍

Great location, fantastic room and amazing 5* food. Would recommend this place to anyone. Friendly staff and helpful. Had the most wonderful time.

This was our fourth stay at the Pestana Carlton and booked particularly in May for my 60th birthday. We've always stayed bed and breakfast at this hotel as the location is ideal with ample restaurants in the vicinity and a nice walk into the town centre where there are so many other restaurants, cafes and bars - literally spoiled for choice! The hotel rooms and bathrooms are spacious, modern and clean, the grounds are beautiful and so well kept. There are plenty of beds around the pool which curves around the garden in an interesting way with easy access in the form of ramps and shallow steps. The bar areas are welcoming and the staff are so friendly. On my actual birthday they presented me with fizz and a muffin birthday cake at breakfast, followed up with a bottle of fizz on ice in the room and a personal birthday message written on the full length mirror! The staff really went above and beyond and made me feel very special. It truly was very unexpected and such a lovely and genuine surprise, all the staff were brilliant. Needless to say we won't be long before we plan stay number five!

We stayed in a "Suite - sea view" room which was large and spacious. The first side of the room had a desk & chair, armchair, TV and a sofa bed made up as a double bed. It also had a small kitchen area with a sink, kettle, (empty) storage, small fridge, Nespresso machine and cups & spoons. This was useful for making drinks and some simple meals/snacks in the room. Through double sliding doors, the other side of the room had two single beds pushed together like a double, a large wardrobe (with a few drawers/shelves, a safe and lots of hanging space), bedside tables and another TV. The enormous bathroom led off here through a frosted glass door. It had a shower cubicle, two sinks, toilet, bidet and a large bath with hand held shower. Both sides of the room had sliding doors onto the balcony with a beautiful view of the sea, pool and along the coast to the marina and Reids Palace hotel. Beige pool towels were provided in the room, plus white towels for the bathroom, two dressing gowns, a hair dryer and liquid soap and shampoo. Breakfasts were great - a wide variety of fresh fruit, bread & pastries, plus cereal, yoghurt, porridge, pancakes, various hot food, salad bar and local treats from Madeira. The two coffee machines got pretty busy for such a large room but there were another two outside (after 8am) and you could alternatively get a pot of coffee or hot water + teabag which was easier. Thursday evening was Abba night and there were some other entertainment events advertised too. The location is great, walking distance to central Funchal (downhill, via either a steep road to the marina or a more gentle slope past/through Santa Catarina park) and there are lots of restaurants, convenience store and a few shops less than 5 minutes walk away. Jardim de Quinta Magnolia is a hidden gem of a park 5 minutes walk away. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would not hesitate to return.