Golden Residence Hotel

Our 2nd visit to this fabulous hotel on this beautiful island. The staff are excellent, so friendly and cannot do enough for you. Everything is so clean and the views from block C are fantastic. We had the indoor pool and hot tub all to ourselves one afternoon which was lovely. Great facilities and a perfect holiday

Overall: Seems like at one time it was a seniors residence? Very quiet. Property consists of 3 buildings. A block has gym, B block has indoor pool facilities and spa, C block has breakfast buffet and access to outdoor pool/bar. Free Wifi is excellent, very fast. Parking is underground and is €7 per day. Entrance and exit to the parkade is with your room key Rooms - we had an apartment with side sea view. The view from the balcony was nice. Rooms were spacious. Kitchenette was convenient. Only downsides were no ice machines on property (although we obtained ice from the bar in a glass) and another blanket that actually covers the whole bed would have been nice. Staff - All the staff we encountered were friendly, informative, welcoming and helpful. Overall lovely people working here and doing a great job Location - in São Martinho, adjacent to Funchal. If you want to be right downtown Funchal, this is not for you. If you want somewhere a little quieter but with easy access to town, this is perfect. Bus stop directly in front of hotel (Hop on Hop off buses also stop in front). Pharmacies, grocery, restaurants all within 10 min walking distance. Large mall also down the street (Forum Madeira). Lovely view of ocean. Doca do Cavacas natural outdoor pools also within a few minutes walk. Dining - we didn’t eat any lunches or dinners here, just the breakfast buffet which is included in the room rate. Very wide selection of breakfast items. Hot American-style foods (eggs, bacon, potatoes, pancakes, etc), lots of cheeses and cold meats, breads/rolls, preserves, fruits, yogurt and toppings, homemade cakes, oatmeal, coffee, tea, juices. Everyone should be able to find something. Breakfast goes from 7:30-10:30 Pool facilities - outdoor pool looked lovely but we didn’t go in because it wasn’t quite warm enough on the day we had time around the hotel. Indoor pool was great, hot tub was not hot though which was disappointing (same temperature as the pool). Lots of loungers to relax on. The sauna and steam room were great, nice and hot. Gym was older but lots of equipment. Pools are open from early am (around 7:30 I think) until 9pm, but after 4:30 they are adults only. There is a spa on site but we didn’t use it so I can’t comment.

Fantastic hotel don’t hesitate to book. Breakfast is brilliant with a GF bread/pastry basket on request. Unlimited fresh fruit hot buffet coffee juice etc. Lovely peaceful pool and sun terraces ample beds and umbrellas, walk up bar from lunchtime. Very reasonable prices. Relaxed but v high standard hotel.

Absolutely lovely hotel in a beautiful location which is easily accessible to lots of surrounding towns and restaurants. Everything was as promised, clean and well organised and staff were lovely and helpful. Self-catering was an easy option since there are lots of supermarkets within a five minute walking distance. Beautiful beach very close and stunning views all round.

If you love LOTS of unbendable rules and restrictions you will love this place. From the B***h (Liliane Rodriguez)who runs the breakfasts with her militant rules to the unusable pools ( outside very cold and inside overly chlorinated in a dungeon basement) to the sauna steam room only to be used between 5-9 p.m. ( most people are having dinner out at that time). And oh don’t forget to call 20 mins ahead so they can turn it on. To their lumpy pillows, bare minimum kitchen. I had to make a pasta salad in three stages, washing my dishes in between. See my pics of the tea towel and knife delivered to my room. (I called the front desk as a sharp knife was not provided and an extra t-towel was needed and this is what they delivered.) If you want to use the pool table you will have to pay 5 euros for 1 hour. Not to mention if you actually use the robe they put on the bed $ or the safe $… do i hear nickel and dimming? Lights in the main areas are on sensors and often they don’t come on or not until you have walked in near darkness for 1/2 the long hallway or stairs.(very dangerous). The gym is very uninviting with old equipment that has twisted cables. I was staying for a month. They held a managers cocktail reception on week 3 and failed to invite me and a bunch of other people. When asked they said I had the do not disturb on…isn’t that what voicemail is for? If you are unlucky enough to face the banana farm, then you will have to listen to a rooster, a dog that barks non stop and a mentally ill guy who squats at the farm at night and screams his head off. So don’t think about sleeping with those windows open to enjoy the beautiful night air. Although I personally did not experience this, I spoke to 5 different people who told me they had ants in their room. The location is over a 1 hour walk to old town or 25 minutes plus on the bus not 15 as some say. Sometimes the bus doesnt show or passes by on the way back because its too full. After staying here for a month I only encountered two staff members who were pleasant and smiled and were willing to have a pleasant exchange which were the cleaning lady from Venezuela (Marisol) and the young male bar tender.( sorry didnt get his name)Everyone else was sullen and seemed annoyed when you asked for anything,as if you had interrupted their day. Need I say more? Book somewhere else my friends….

Pros: - nice terraces and pool area - small kitchen in larger rooms - staff is helpful The location is quite far from the city center, but there are shops and restaurants nearby. Breakfasts are standard+, some days there is a special like omlet. There is not so much space, so you eat very close to each other, loud and uncomfortable. The hotel room was not so comfortable. They are described as modern, but I would not say that. No shelves in the wardrobes, only about eight hangers for the whole family. So basically for our long stay we kept our clothes in suitcases and on the floor. In lot of places you see that the hotel need some refresh: - in the indoor pool the ladder step has dropped out when I was on it... - the kitchen & bathroom equipment made from steel is covered by rust - various items are loose, they creak, the drain was was very bad in our bathroom sink, the water was barely running down. There is a gym, some of the machines are "fixed" using a tape (including atlas steel joints!), but they are luckily working. The room with ocean side view is a room with a view to the next close building and a view on the ocean from the balcony. I would not rate this hotel 4 stars for the price, rather 3.3.

Gorgeous surroundings, lovely hotel, good facilities. Superb location. Value for money. People were very friendly, beach in walking distance. Lots of restaurants to walk to. Loved the abundance of fresh sea food. I went on some lovey picturesque day trip. It’s worth hiring a private tour to see all the nearby scenic areas.