Funchal, Pestana Palms Hotel

The Pestana Palms Hotel is in a magnificent location, much overshadowed by it's bigger timeshare brothers in the brochures. It is based around an old Qunita. Breakfast is to die for, all you can think of is on offer and impeccably served by efficient and friendly staff. Located in the Lido area, the walk into town is about half an hour but uphill on the way back. We discovered the local buses are cheap and cheerful, frequent, reliable. Nearby is a good selection of restaurants, including an Indian and a Chinese if you get tired of the rather boring local food, both are OK. The hotel offers a good selection of trips, which cost more than those offered in the town but without the handicap of listening to a timeshare talk. The drivers are local and in some cases, effortlessly tri-lingual. Taxi's will take you anywhere but use the meters on evenings out as it's cheaper, otherwise the drivers take advantage and cheerfully overcharge you.