Belmond Reid's Palace

This is a very special hotel with amazing staff, a wonderful position overlooking the ocean and Funchal, tropical gardens and extremely comfortable rooms. Having found Reid’s 39 years ago we would never stay anywhere else in Madeira.

One of the best afternoon teas ever! The sandwiches, savouries and cakes were all amazing. The views are spectacular. Loved that a timer is provided so you know when to pour. Portions very generous and more of everything offered, but couldn’t manage any extras. A lovely gesture at the end being gifted a tin of Reid’s blend tea. If there is one thing I would change if possible, would be to serve the scones with clotted cream instead of whipped cream, because I am an English traditionalist! But the whole experience was so enjoyable and highly recommend.

Everything about Reid's Palace is excellent. The location; the building; the staff. The building has a very quirky layout owing to being built on a steep slope. It has a lot of character and is decorated with many photos harking back to its British 1920s and 1930s history and to Churchill's visit in the 1950s. The breakfast is as good as I've had anywhere, with a particularly marvellous fruit section that's practically a work of art, with beautifully carved fresh fruit daily. We ate out each evening, so I can't comment on other meals. Some rooms have a grand view over Funchal and towards the Ilhas Desertas. Others look across the pleasant hotel garden towards the Atlantic.

We have stayed at Reids many times over the past 20 years or so. The reason we keep coming back is because of the lovely comfortable rooms with balcony, the setting and quality of the breakfast, the beautiful outdoors area with an amazing tranquil garden as well as two large swimming pools and the incredibly welcoming staff who give second-to-none service. It's such a treat to stay at this hotel.

Our second visit to Reid's and if anything better than the fantastic experience we had the first time round. Restaurants and hotel facilities are great and all the staff cannot do enough for you. Lovely room and I really appreciate the fact that the 3rd bed bought into our room for our daughter was a proper bed and mattress, not some sofa bed or fold away. We availed ourselves of the guest relations team to organise a day excursion to explore the island which was great and they recommended some great restaurants outside the hotel. One of our favourite hotels and I cannot see any reason why we won't be visiting for many years to come.