| Holiday-Truth Readers Reports |
Billy & Sally Owen from London travelled to Palace Madeira Hotel Riu with
SecurityTravel.co.uk
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2007 |
Billy & Sally Owen rated the Palace Madeira Hotel Riu as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location |  | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the Rui Palace Madeira. The hotel is very clean and tidy the staff were very friendly and polite. We asked to change our room after our first night, and this was arranged immediately for the next day with no fuss whatsoever. Our luggage was taken to our new room whilst we were out and about in Funchal.
The rooms themselves were some of the best that we've stayed in. Spaceous, comfortable, plenty of cupboard and wardrobe space and the beds were very good too. Not to hard,not to soft. The balconies are quite large, with comfortable chairs.
We can't comment on the entertainment as we went out every night.
We stayed at the hotel on a B/B basis. The breakfasts were very good, with plenty of variety. We did have one evening meal in the hotel, which was ok but quite pricey. We did find a nice little restaurant/pub called Habeas Coppus (and would recommend the Steak on the Stone and Spag Boll)just 5 Mins away from hotel and very reasonable pricewise.
We have no problems recommending this hotel. The location is a bit of a problem if you want to be spontaneous, you do have to plan your days if you want to go anywhere, but the local bus service is excellent as is the curtesy coach provided by the hotel.
Don't be put off by the hotels location, we went into town nearly everyday using either of the above. (Funchal is about 20-25 mins by coach)
Click here for more information on this hotel, resort and region
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Don & June from Tunbridge Wells travelled to Palace Madeira Hotel Riu with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 11 2006 |
Don & June rated the Palace Madeira Hotel Riu as follows:| Cleanliness |  | | Location |  | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment |  |
| said: Hotel was excellent in almost every respect.
4 out of 5 for location because there was very limited scope for walking in the vicinity. However free shuttle bus to/from Funchal compensated for this.
Nice tennis court, but expensive: ten euros per hour. We found decent public courts in Quinta Magnolia in Funchal for four euros per hour.
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Lind Nixon from Suffolk travelled to Palace Madeira Hotel Riu with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 05 2006 |
Lind Nixon rated the Palace Madeira Hotel Riu as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: The hotel rooms were immaculate and spacious as were all public areas.
Loads of choice of fresh food to suit all tastes. Linen table cloths and napkins.
Nothing was too much trouble for the excellent friendly staff.
The hotel is out of the way with not much around it and the entertainment not the best. OK for the older residents though who enjoyed dancing every evening.
Regular courtesy bus and the local bus stop is right outside so easy to get into Funchal.
Would stay here again.
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Kevin & Janet from Surrey travelled to Palace Madeira Hotel Riu with
Thompson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 02 2006 |
Kevin & Janet rated the Palace Madeira Hotel Riu as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We could not agree more with the positive comments made by the previous guest reviews.
Hotel staff could not have been more helpful and professional.
We have no hesitation in recommending this hotel.
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Stuart Watson from Broughton travelled to Palace Madeira Hotel Riu with
Thompson
on a friends holiday.
There were 4 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2005 |
Stuart Watson rated the Palace Madeira Hotel Riu as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: First impression was "too posh" for us. Marble entrance and reception. Greeted by a glass of Madeira wine. Staff couldn't be more helpful and attentive. Bags taken to room, no hassle. Welcoming telephone call to ask if room to our satisfaction. Certainly was. Balcony views marvellous , blue sky and sea.
Maid service to rooms.
Food too much to describe. Excellent service from staff. Waiter service above reproach. Real friendly atmosphere.
Location quiet. No discos or similar.
Very good courtesy bus service. Also local service from outside hotel.
Honestly, too much to mention but my wife and I and friends will be returning next year as will many other hotel guests we met.
Entertainment every night, not over the top. If you think this is a bit over the top then all I suggest that if you want relaxing and peaceful holiday you go yourself to see that this is an honest report.
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John from Stoke travelled to Palace Madeira Hotel Riu with
Thompsons
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2005 |
John rated the Palace Madeira Hotel Riu as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food |  | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Excellent hotel, everything worked, the staff were friendly and efficient.
Other guests were mainly couples between the ages of 40 and 60. Virtually no children, and those that were there were well behaved. The British were in the minority.
Plenty of choice of food.
No comments about the entertainment as we never watch hotel entertainment.
Our room was large and well equiped.
The hotel is set amongst other hotels. Their is a courtesy bus to Funchal and a local service bus to the nearest village.
One strange thing, the outdoor pool was warmer than the indoor pool.
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Flour-girl from Aylesbury travelled to Palace Madeira Hotel Riu with
Thomsons
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 12 2004 |
Flour-girl rated the Palace Madeira Hotel Riu as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Fabulous hotel with fantastic staff. We were lucky enough to be allocated it on arrival. The staff were always pleasant, polite and appeared to be pleased to be working there. The entertainment wasn't too great, but we are in our mid-30's and were on the younger side of the age range.
In generally Madeira doesn't attract people who want to spend all day asleep on the beach and all night in the bar (there is no real beach and there are no real night clubs !!! thank goodness).
Madeira attracts visitors of the more mature nature and as such tend to respect people, property and posessions and therefore hotels are pleasant and well cared for.
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Stuart & Jeni Barnes from Longton, Preston travelled to Palace Madeira Hotel Riu with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 09 2004 |
Stuart & Jeni Barnes rated the Palace Madeira Hotel Riu as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This was our second stay in a Riu Hotel and it won't be our last. They really are fantastic. The rooms are a good size and are very comfortable.
The staff cannot do enough for but are not overbearing. If you are on a diet you can forget it for however long you happen to be staying because the food is superb and what a choice.
The British were very much in the minority at the hotel but that didn't bother us. As long as you just accept from the start that the majority of Germans are very arrogant and absolutely refuse to queue for anything, you'll be fine! Having said that we shared a table for dinner with a german couple who could not have been nicer.
The hotel pools are situated at the rear of the hotel overlooking the sea and are a very pleasant place to chill out and read a book.
Lunch can be had very reasonably at the snack bar next to the pool area where the usual high standard of the rest of the hotel is maintained. I would have no reservations in recommending this hotel to anyone.
If you like the hustle and bustle of a big resort right on your doorstep then it's probably not for you but if it's a good relaxing time you're after then this is the place.
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Ken from Glenrothes travelled to Palace Madeira Hotel Riu with
Thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2004 |
Ken rated the Palace Madeira Hotel Riu as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: This was quite simply the best hotel I have ever stayed in - and I am very difficult to please. The accommodation was just splendid, and the food was marvellous and plentiful. The staff were the best I have ever encountered, and a real credit to the hotel management. From the Reception staff, through Bar staff, Restaurant staff and Cleaners, the helpfulness and efficiency shone through. The Managers were also high profile, and chose to mix freely with their guests every day. There was also good entertainment every night in one of the bar areas.
The hotel is located in a developing resort, and in truth the area is, to me, still a little bit of a hotch-potch. Nevertheless the promenade is at the bottom of the hotel gardens is a lovely area for guests to walk of a little of their dinners in the evenings. A courtesy bus operates several times a day between the hotel and Funchal (the main town of the island), and this enables the chance to explore an interesting town. The island can be explored well by booking on the many Tours which are available, though I chose to hire a car for a week of my stay, and this gave me the chance to explore at my own pace. I would think that about 80% of the guests are German, with French and Spanish also well represented. All staff seem to be multi-lingual - which puts many of us to shame.
I enjoyed Madeira, but wouldn't say it was the best place I had ever been. However, my initial statement about this being the best overall hotel I have ever been to is absolutely true.
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brian from north london travelled to Palace Madeira Hotel Riu with
thomson
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 06 2004 |
brian rated the Palace Madeira Hotel Riu as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Riu Palace hotel on Madeira is the best hotel we've stayed in. Everything you need, and nothing is too much for the staff, who were excellent. Food was freshly cooked, lots of it and every variety. Dinner is served in 2 sittings at either 18:30 or 20:30.
The majority of guests were German, with a large contingent of Brits and a few other nationalities, with most being couples of 40+ in age. If you want to get away from children this is one place to do it.
The island is of course noted for its flora and fauna so if that interests you, there's plenty to keep you occupied.
Evening entertainment was ok with a resident band who obviously enjoy playing Eurovision songs...! There are guest performers of magicians, dancers,etc on alternate nights, but only play for 25-30 minutes.
The hotel has 2 good outdoor pools, an indoor pool plus a kiddies paddling pool.
The rooms are excellent with limited satellite tv (5/6 European channels, Sky and BBC news) and a mini-bar/fridge. There's plenty of room with ample storage and we found the beds excellent.
To summarise, if you're going for a holiday to relax by the pool with a book with peace and quiet you couldn't have a better place to go.
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Ian from Manchester travelled to Palace Madeira Hotel Riu with
Portland Direct
on a couples holiday.
There were 2 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 01 2004 |
Ian rated the Palace Madeira Hotel Riu as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: We were looking for a quiet holiday, with no children, and from other reviews this hotel seemed to fit the bill. At the departure gate, we were surprised that we were the youngest there by about 20 years (at 40), but it became clear that this is really the key visitor profile for both the hotel and Madeira in general - the 60+ age group.
The hotel is excellent: the staff speak 3 or 4 languages, the food is very good and quite varied for buffet style, and the rooms are spotless. However, if you find holidaying with German tourists a little trying, this may be a poor choice, as it was about 85% German guests whilst we were there. Breakfast is 'sit where you like', but for dinner you are allocated a table for 4, for the duration. This means that you can find yourself stuck with people that don't speak english, and/or, you just don't hit it off with. This can make a pleasant dinner a bit strained! However, there are some tables that only seat 2, and if you have a word with the maitre d, he will do his best to move you. We moved twice and ended up sitting with a very nice couple from Frankfurt who spoke very good english - putting my bad schoolboy german to shame as usual.
The majority, if not all, of the rooms seem to be 'smoking' rooms and being a reformed smoker this was a bit disappointing. They are cleaned very well though and it's not that noticeable. All the rooms have balconies, but the sun doesn't hit the ones on the right of the pool after 0830, so we asked for a move to the other wing (which was done with no fuss) and were able to enjoy the afternoon sun and shelter from the breeze too. Best to try for one of these at outset in the busy months I would think. Only 2 TV stations in English - BBC World (mostly news) and Sky News, balance in German, Portugease or Flemmish(!), with the occasional subtitled American film late at night.
If there is one thing that does let the hotel down it is the entertainment. The house band are all very competent musicians, but they do play the same 'elevator' jazz and standards every night until the guest act comes on. We christened them 'Los Thewilltoliveos' after 2 days as it is quite sleep inducing after a while. The guest acts are varied in quality too - some good dance troupes, local folk acts and a magician. The easy listening song choices did seem strange given that most of the guests were of the Beatles generation and were up dancing straight away when the band played something more upbeat. I understand that the management are trying to change things after substantial guest feedback of this type.
The hotel also suffers from being a bit out on a limb - 10 km from Funchal, and there isn't much to do in the immediate vicinity. There is a free courtesy bus that runs on the motorway to and from Funchal about 6 times a day. You can catch the local bus from right outside the hotel, but it gets packed and the route is rather like the end of the film 'The Italian Job' - every little village on the mountain roads - not for the faint hearted, but a bit of an adventure.
That said, I would certainly return to Madeira (which is beautiful and very clean and crime free), and also to this hotel and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to friends.
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Carol from Blackpool travelled to Palace Madeira Hotel Riu with
Thomson
on a family holiday.
There were 3 adults and 0 child(ren) in the party. The travel date was 10 2002 |
Carol rated the Palace Madeira Hotel Riu as follows:| Cleanliness | | | Location | | | Staff | | | Food | | |
| Entertainment | |
| said: Excellent hotel,can`t fault it.We visited 3 times last year.This hotel can only be booked through tThomson,they seem to have the monopoly,so it can be rather expensive.The location may be a bit out of the way for some,but if you want peace and quiet in a lovely setting,this could be for you.The staff are wonderful,meals really 5*,bedrooms spotless and entertainment at night good.There is a courtesy bus several times a day to and from Funchal,and the local bus service will take you up into the village of Canico,which is certainly worth a visit (or two).Saving up to pay another visit next year.
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