Reid's Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Madeira

Service, personalet, maden, rengøring, værelset, fitness, pool, adgangen til havet , morgenmaden, restauranterne.

The bed is very comfortable .. and such a luxury hotel

This unique old hotel retains its grandeur from times gone by and was one of our ‘go to’ places for cocktails and food on the terrace.
Over recent years we have noticed a decline in service and value for money. The menu has been reduced to overpriced, small portion snacks. Another irritation is that smoking is allowed in this eating area which is frequented by families with young children. Not up to standards experienced in previous years.

Le personnel tres attentionné en particulier à la réception .
Les piscines et la plage
Magnifiques.
Les restaurants et le petit déjeuner délicieux

The park in front of the hotel is one of the best spots in Madeira to read and smoke a cigar. Top iconic hotel.

We booked a deluxe double room which was described as a full sea view and I doubt we got the deluxe double as the view we got was more of the city than the sea plus the pictures for the deluxe rooms on the website had chandeliers, separate showers etc which we didn't get! We probably got the worst room in this category? I think if your name is not white Caucasian you will not get the best of anything no matter how much you pay.
The worst part of our stay was booking the jeep tour which was the only sightseeing we wanted to do so thought of spending accordingly and go with what this luxury 5 star hotel was offering.
In our research with other Jeep tours we established the prices ranged from €60
to €300 but we decided to pay €400 half a day tour for luxury and comfort. I am not exaggerating but the Jeep that arrived was dirty, old and far from comfort. It was smelling of diesel and had paint scrapped.
I couldn't understand how could Reid's hotel get it so wrong? Even ChatGPT suggested that if you are paying €400 expect to be treated in luxury, you may even get champagne! The jeep did not even have an open top which defied the whole purpose. After complaining, the cost was reduced to €270 which I think should go to the young driver who made up for my daughter's tears.
We ate at the hotel on all 3 nights, at Cipriani we got great service and a lovely table only to be spoiled by a strand of an eye lash in one of the dishes, luckily it was on the rim of the risotto bowl and not touching the food, we knew it was hair but didn't want to say and asked the waiter to take the bowl away. He came back with a clean bowl and said the chef has apologised and that it was a scratch!
On another night we ordered room service and one of the dishes was lamb
and mint. The mint had a short strand of hair, thankfully it came separate to the lamb so we didn't have it and didn't complain but it clearly shows that despite us paying €42 each for the dishes in both cases, no one really cares how it goes out.
On day 2 of my trip, I noticed the toilet wasn't fully flushing so l told reception and they immediately responded that they will get it checked.
No one turned up and the next day the water wouldn't stop flowing after a flush. I saw one of the cleaners outside my room and showed it to her and she then told maintenance. These rooms at this time of the year cost almost €900 per night.
This was a quick 4 day break for me after working very long hours as a consultant cardiologist. I chose Belmond Madeira without a thought as I have stayed at Belmond Bali and Taormina and would rate them 9.5/10. Reid's I would give a safe 5/10. I'm beginning to question whether my nationality was welcomed at Belmond Madeira as I had read a review not long ago that a black lady felt she was non existent. I'm Asian and I should have taken note. Some of the staff members are truly amazing and the little presents from housekeeping very sweet but some of the staff need education/training that we don't live in a colonial era anymore!
Most of the glorious and wonderful reviews on the hotel are from white nationalities and that’s fair because they truly get the full rounded great service and great facilities!

Reid's Palace lives up to its reputation. The staff were incredibly friendly and supportive, always going out of their way to find a solution whenever we needed something. The gardens are absolutely beautiful, and the swimming pools were a lovely touch to relax by after a day out. A truly excellent stay from start to finish — highly recommend.

It seems to be impossible to send an email directly to Reid's Palace Hotel Customer Relations so I'm using Trip Advisor to express my thanks.
During our recent stay in Funchal, my adult son and I wandered into Reid's Palace to admire the beautiful, elegant decor. We had watched a British documentary about the hotel and we were intrigued to see it for ourselves.
We were approached by a concierge/guest advisor in the lobby area and I admitted that we were not residents and asked if we could look around. We were treated with great respect and hospitality and escorted to the terrace where afternoon tea was being taken and to the tea library where tiny exquisite pastries were on display - little works of art! The sea views were, as expected, breathtaking.
When our curiosity was satisfied we walked towards the hotel doors but our concierge friend stopped us and offered to find someone to show us the pool area. The lady who escorted us had worked at Reid's for over 30 years and I'm sure she had much more important duties to attend to but she was extremely welcoming and unhurried.
Again as we began to exit, our concierge guardian angel approached and said that if we returned the following day we could attend one of the guided walks around the garden. Unfortunately we were travelling home that day or we would have taken up the offer.
I would just like to thank the hotel employees for their very gracious and respectful treatment of us. They showed enormous class and warmth and made us feel very much at home. Every person we encountered was a great asset to the hotel and clearly there is a strong culture of excellence here
If I should win enough money on the Premium Bonds one of the bucket list items I would tick off would be a stay at this magnificent establishment!

Excellent! Every aspect had been thought of and nothing was too much. The hotel have the most exceptional, friendly staff. The daily activities are fabulous, with a range and my little one coming back from water painting beaming. The location is fabulous and the hotel has a warm elegance. We were beyond delighted, and will definitely be back.

Stunning hotel, but over run with young children.
Could not get a sun bed by the pool as families had reserved them with their children, even when some children were in push chairs they still kept another sun bed for them.
Very young children and babies were in the main pool an not moved to the children's pool, so you could not swim.
Even our room 202 overlooked the kids club and pool, so none stop noise.

Having said all the negative points, The staff were wonderful, the hotel is stunning, and the William restaurant was outstanding, highly recommend a meal here on a visit and have the wine pairing, not cheap at £400 for two of us, but worth it.

Overall if you have children and can afford luxury go to Reid's, if you don't have children and want luxury with peace and quiet , avoid Reid's

Amazing Belmond Hotel. It reminded me of my days travelling along the Italian coast. Everything, from the building to the pool, the sea, the food, and the service, was absolutely five stars!

An exceptional place where everyone seemed to know my name. The staff at Reid's are the heart of the hotel and made for a memorable stay.