Quinta Splendida Wellness & Botanical Garden

My Mum and I came to stay at Quinta Spendida for her 80th birthday. We chose this hotel as we are keen gardeners and from reviews the garden sounded lovely. It didn't disappoint. Indeed, after seeing many of the gardens that Madeira has to offer, I would say it is amongst the best. Something interesting to see around each corner, including little kitchen gardens which were interesting. Even better than the gardens was the friendliness of the hotel staff. Thank you for helping make our stay so peaceful and enjoyable. Some reviews say the rooms are dated. We found them to be spacious and pretty. Yes not extremely modern, but then we would not like that. The cleaning staff did a wonderful job each day. We each had a studio room with a side sea view. We really appreciated the position of these rooms. We could see the gardens, the hills and the sea. I was especially fortunate to have a room on the corner which felt a bit more private and I would get up early to watch the sun rise over the islands. Our rooms were also further away from the restaurant and the evening entertainment, so lovely and quiet most of the time. The hotel is not in Funchal itself but there are plenty of local buses to get around. Cancico is a mix of holiday accomodation and locals so vistors are able to get a flavour of everyday life in Madeira. Something much more difficult if you are staying in 'hotel land' in Funchal. It felt like coming home each time we returned from a trip and several days we chose just to relax in the hotel grounds. The hotel is not close to the sea. You can walk to the sea in about 20-30 minutes, though, like most beaches in Madeira the local beach is not sand. The quinta has both an outdoor and indoor pool which is great, especially on the cooler days. From the outdoor pool you have the impression that the sea is just a hop, skip and a jump away. Visitors to the hotel seemed to be a mix of ages and this changed as the visitors changed. There were retirees, groups of friends in their 20s and honeymooners. We were not the only mother and daughter team. The atmosphere was very relaxed and you could dress up for dinner or simply be smart/casual. To sum up, we liked it so much, that after arriving we invited my sister to join us too!

A fabulous hotel for rest and relaxation which is exactly what we needed. Some reviewers find it a bit old fashioned and if you want plate glass and chrome, and constant entertainment, then this is not the place for you. If however, you want peace and quiet, friendly and helpful staff, good food, a choice of indoor or outdoor pool, and a warm welcome, all in beautiful surroundings with the colourful and very well maintained gardens all around, then this is a wonderful place to stay. We had a huge suite with a sun room and wrap around balcony - it was a perfect week and we will definitely return.