My family just returned from a five night stay at the Atalaia. We stayed in a 2 bedroom Aprt. The location was excellent when looking for a peaceful, relaxing holiday & just perfect to let the kids run around. The room was beautifully decorated, spotless and had a view out to sea, with the desert island in the back ground. There are some working been done out side but seen coming to an end & noise is minimal when you compare to Funchal?s traffic & noise pollution! At night you still the crickets. The breakfast & dinner was of a good standard buffet but there was plenty of it and all pretty good quality especial for the price of hotel food. The staffs are excellent but especial the reception can’t fault them in any way (Nelson the London boy great help) Overall this is a well managed hotel and I would have no hesitation in recommending it.

We decided to take a break to Madeira and chose the Pestana Atalaia outside of Funchal. The reason being was that we wanted an out of town place with peace and quiet and yet 4* to 5* facilities. We had read previous comments and whilst there were a few grumbles there did not seem to be many "serious" complaints. We would like to add are own "grumbles". We booked for a week and on arrival we were alloted a room with not only a sea view but also overlooked the pool. So far so good. Went to take a freshen up wash before looking round the hotel and the first "grumble". The state of the linen. All the towels had seen better days many months ago by the look of them. They were not dirty just worn out and in our opinion they need to be dumped very soon. We then decided to walk down the stairs to the lobby and noticed that the automatic closer on the fire door from the staircase to the lobby corridor was missing and therefore means the door does not close correctly. Sadly this was never replaced during the weeks stay and god forbid what could happen in the very rare chance that there could be a fire. Checking the temperature of the outdoor pool it certainly did not feel that warm and later in the week a guest did brave a swim only to get out and say that it was "bloody" freezing. Also noticed that the pool furniture was similar to the towels and probably have now seen their best and need to be replaced. That evening we decided to eat in and again like the previous "grumbles" we found the menu to be not that enticing even though it was OK but certainly not the standard one would expect for a 4* hotel. The same with the breakfast which had been commented on by previous reviewers. It was OK but nothing special and to a degree a little limited and it certainly got boring with the same limited choice day after day. Decided that perhaps I should make an effort to start a fitness regime and like my previous comments it was a disappointment to find that the gym equipment was well past its sell by date and OK it works but it is very dated. The same goes for the indoor pool, jacuzzi and lounge furniture. OK but pool and jacuzzi not that warm and pool furniture the same standard as the outdoor pool. Spent a couple of afternoons sat by the pool and was surprised that even though there are warning notices stating that no glass ware should be used around the pool that the staff were happy to serve refreshments around the pool using the ordinary glasses and plates from the restaurant. Decided to go to the "casino" which is located in one of their other hotels and the tickets cost 45 euros each and then found that our hotel had no arrangement with this hotel to offer a courtesy bus service between hotels and so we had to catch the last shuttle to Funchal and get dropped at the Casino where we had to sit for an hour before accessing the Casino show floor. The show was OK but the food was diabolical. Fixed menu, no choice, tepid and on our table were four couples who had never met before and the same comments were heard from all. Then even though the announcers said we could dance and drink until 04.00 the room was closed at 23.30 as it had been booked for a private function. So we left and then had the pleasure of forking out another 30 euros for a taxi back to the hotel. One final point is that you should be aware that if you receive a card beneath your door asking you to attend for a free drink with the Management of the Pestana. This is your invitation to be chatted up by a sales rep for time share. The sad thing is that the hotel was NOT totally bad and the "grumbles" above did not spoil the WHOLE holiday it just put a slight dampner on it.. There is nothing more than either a good manager or maybe a cash injenction could not put right fairly quickly but at this moment I would be struggling to recommend this as a 4* hotel more a 3* at best. A few other points to remember is that the hotel is very isolated. There is nothing to do or buy that is in a "short" walk" of the hotel. You definately need a car if you intend to explore the Island without having to pay what seemed to be rather expensive coach ticket prices. The bus shuttle finishes at 18.30 from Funchal. There are very, very limted choices for parents with children. By all means take advantage of the free car pick-up and return from some of the local restaurants. In our opinion the "A' Lareira" came out the best for friendliness, food and quality of service but the others were also good for a variety of reasons. All but one member of the staff were very friendly and helpful.

We've (2 adults, 2 kids) just returned from a week at the Pestana Atalaia Ocean Aparthotel which we all really enjoyed. I agree with the comments made about location, it is a little remote so if you're the sort that likes to be able to walk to a variety of bars, shops, and restaurants etc this isn't for you. Unless you're happy spending most of your time around the hotel you'll need a hire car, which is something we do on all of our holidays so the location wasn't an issue for us. We had a 2 bedroom apartment which was of a quite acceptable standard and consisted of a lounge/dining area/mini kitchen area, bathroom, a bedroom with a double bed, a bedroom with 2 single beds, and a balcony. What made the hotel for us was the indoor pool/gym complex. The weather in March in Madeira isn't really ideal for sun bathing though we tried the outdoor pool a couple of times, but being able to run down to the indoor pool/jacuzzi/sauna was lovely and would make the hotel a great all year round destination. My wife and I stay in many hotels in connection with our work activities so it probably takes something out of the ordinary to impress us, but we were both very favourably impressed by the staff of the Pestana Atalaia Ocean Aparthotel. All the staff of the hotel were incredibly helpful, friendly, and courteous. The only slight concern I'd have is whether the hotel food represents value. The breakfast buffet was fine for those who like a continental breakfast as there was a nice selection of cereals, breads, cooked meats, jams etc but the cooked breakfast selection was poor. We were booked on a B&B basis, and with having a couple of veggies in the party weren't too inclined to book the evening meal buffet at 16E (2 courses) or 22E (3 courses) so can't comment on what that was like. As we used the hire car to travel out most evenings this wasn't a factor, but we had some superb meals in local restaurants for rather less. To summarise, we all liked the hotel a lot. The sea view was great, as were the hotel staff and leisure facilties. I'm not sure I'd like to be somewhere as remote as this hotel without transport, but otherwise I'd recommend it.

Great hotel staff were realy helpful and friendly, food was quite good but a little over priced. Hotel is very isolated at the moment so a car is needed or you can use the bus, There is another hotel going up 100 mtrs away so this summer will be noisy. Room was ok clean sheets and towels every day. Outside pool great, inside pool not so inviting. Pestana group hotels good so go to Funchal lots more to do there.

We booked our Christmas/New Year break to the Pestana Atalaia directly without consulting Trip Advisor first. Subsequently, we read a number of very negative reviews of this hotel prior to travelling, and as such, our expectations were extremely low. The Front Desk staff recommended a hire car as we were going to play golf and this would be the best mode of transport for our purpose. They then requested details of which courses we wished to play and when, which they booked ahead of time to ensure our requests were fulfilled. On arrival at the hotel, our reception could not have been more pleasant and friendly. The 1 bedroom apartment we were given overlooked the ocean and was very comfortable, spotlessly clean and spacious. Breakfast was always good and plentiful and the special hotel restaurant dinners over Christmas and New Year were excellent, as was the trip to the fireworks on New Year's eve. The staff could not have been more pleasant and helpful, resolving any issues with speed and cheerfulness although these issues were in the minority, such as a malfunctioning plug in the bathroom. This is the first holiday in a very long time where I found no reason to complain and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Yes, the hotel is remote but the transport facilities are very good, local reastaurants even sending transport for you and returning you after your meal. What service!!