Love At First Stay
Kathryn Otto and partner escaped to Madeira for a romantic island break at Savoy Palace, Madeira, one of Funchal’s most glamorous hotels
Location
Savoy Palace sits on Avenida do Infante in the heart of Funchal, just a five-minute walk from the city centre. With the marina, restaurants, shops and seafront all close by, it is perfectly placed for exploring Madeira’s capital, while its elevated position gives many rooms and public areas beautiful views across the city and Atlantic Ocean.
Facilities
There is plenty to enjoy without leaving the hotel, with outdoor swimming pools, an adults-only rooftop infinity pool, heated indoor pool, fitness centre, library and landscaped gardens. The Laurea Spa is a particular highlight, inspired by Madeira’s Laurissilva forest and offering treatment rooms, sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, ice fountain, sensorial showers and a heated indoor pool. There is also direct sea access available at the neighbouring Royal Savoy.
Rooms
The accommodation ranges from Avenue and Garden Rooms to Ocean Rooms and a collection of suites. Ocean Rooms start at 41m² and feature a private balcony, sitting area, walk-in shower, Nespresso machine and ocean views. For more space, the suites offer separate living areas and generous terraces, with the Ocean Suites and Superior Ocean Suites overlooking the Atlantic and Funchal.
Food & Drink
Food and drink are a big part of the Savoy Palace experience, with a choice of restaurants offering everything from relaxed daytime dining to more refined evenings. Galáxia occupies one of Madeira’s most impressive rooftops, combining food with panoramic views, while Pau de Lume celebrates grilled fish and matured meats with a distinctly Madeiran feel. Alameda offers lighter contemporary dining, while Orchidaceae Atelier brings an Italian influence and Terreiro focuses on local traditions with a creative twist. There is also Hibiscus, with live cooking and a varied buffet, alongside a selection of bars for cocktails, drinks and relaxed evenings.
Our Experience
Savoy Palace is one of those hotels that immediately impresses you from the moment you arrive. The scale of the hotel is incredible, with huge open spaces, beautiful interiors and a real sense of luxury throughout, yet everything still feels welcoming and relaxed.
What really stood out to us was how hardworking and efficient all of the staff were. Despite the size of the hotel, the service always felt attentive and personal, with everyone doing their best to make guests feel looked after.
One of our favourite areas of the hotel was the adults-only rooftop pool overlooking the skyline of Funchal, with the various buildings dotted across the hillsides creating such a beautiful backdrop - especially in the evenings when the lights begin to appear across the city. It felt peaceful and relaxing whilst still having such an incredible view. Enjoying cocktails there in the evening whilst watching the city light up was definitely one of the highlights of our stay.
Downstairs, the large outdoor pool is really the hub of the hotel and creates such a great atmosphere throughout the day, surrounded by a variety of sunbeds and Bali beds, some even with sofa-style seating areas that can be pre-booked, which gives the whole space a really luxurious resort feel.
On our first night we enjoyed dinner at Pau de Lume, and the following day we had the loveliest lunch at Alameda, which overlooks the main outdoor pool and even has its own pizza oven. I had the calzone which had been recommended to me and it absolutely lived up to the hype - it was delicious.
The centre of Funchal is only around a 10 minute walk from the hotel, and we loved exploring the surrounding streets which are filled with independent bars, cafés and boutiques. It felt like the perfect balance between relaxing at the resort whilst still being close enough to experience the atmosphere of the city.
Savoy Palace is the perfect hotel if you are looking for a luxurious but easy-going stay in Madeira, with fantastic facilities, beautiful surroundings and genuinely excellent service throughout. We would absolutely return and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the island looking for a modern luxury hotel experience.
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