MOLHE Hotel - Conde Carvalhal

Very nice hotel with a beautifully landscaped garden. Very spacious rooms (more like a small apartment). Everything is very clean and well-maintained. Very individual breakfast that is served (so no buffet). Every day there are different homemade cakes and freshly squeezed juices. And there are delicious healthy bowls. One can enjoy breakfast outside beautifully. The distance to the old town is also good, with a 10-minute walk. And it is quiet here.

Let’s start with the positives. The staff are great, very welcoming, helpful and friendly. They are a credit to the hotel. Gardens are beautiful and tended by an onsite gardener who is passionate and knowledgeable about all the beautiful plants and trees. It is a real pleasure to sit in the gardens during the evening and watch the sun set. Location is excellent. The view from the hotel gardens is lovely with views over the sea and Funchal. Be prepared for the walk uphill from the town to the hotel. It’s steep but, you can always get a bus or taxi if you don’t fancy the walk uphill. We walked down to the town and back everyday and lived to share the experience. If you are fit it’s really not an issue. Now the not so good bit. The rooms are a great size being light and airy however, our room was tired and in desperate need of a redecoration and refurbishment throughout. For example in the bathroom the shower seals are black with ingrained mould, leak water into the bathroom and generally worn out. The shower head didn’t fit holder and so the water sprayed everywhere except where you wanted it to. Weirdly there was an electricity socket in the shower at the top! Fixtures and fittings were rusty and seal around the sink completely missing. There was damp and bubbling plaster throughout to the room. Bed mattresses were completely worn out resulting in sleepless nights and backache. Mattresses felt like they were 20 years old, really disappointing for a hotel that is advertised as being 5 star. Fantastic staff but in desperate need of investment.

The breakfast was rather modest and one-sided.Every day exactly the same.The fruit to it immature or bad.The USB socket defective.The lighting in the living room partially broken.Evening in bed something was not possible.The staircase to the hotel entrance unlit, a challenge.For the high price I would have expected something else.