Pestana Royal All Inclusive Ocean & Spa Hotel
The Pestana Royal is a 5-star all-inclusive hotel at the western end of Funchal's main hotel strip on Madeira, the Portuguese island out in the Atlantic. It sits above Praia Formosa, Funchal's main beach, with all its meals, snacks and drinks in one price, a children's pool, a Kids Club and live entertainment every night. Families come for the two-minute walk to the beach, the ocean views west towards Cabo Girão and the ease of an all-inclusive week.
On this page
Is it worth it?
Who the Pestana Royal suits, what's in the price and the facts to skim first.
The Pestana Royal is a 313-room, 5-star all-inclusive run by the Pestana Hotel Group, Portugal's biggest hotel company, at Estrada Monumental 275 in Funchal. It stands above Praia Formosa at the western end of the Estrada Monumental, the hotel strip that runs west out of central Funchal, so the beach is two minutes away and the city is a ten-minute drive or a free shuttle ride. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and unlimited drinks all sit in one price, there are two outdoor pools, one of them a separate children's pool, and live entertainment runs seven nights a week. It rates around 4.4 out of 5 across the 1,521 reviews on its own site, with the staff the part guests single out most.
Three things shape whether it suits you. The rooms are the resort's weak spot. Several guests in early 2026 found them dated and in need of updating, set against a 5-star price, and the lowest official marks are for value and food rather than the welcome. The all-inclusive also caps the themed restaurants by how long you stay, so a stay of three nights or fewer never gets past the main buffet, and the child-friendly Italian only opens up from your fourth night. The Kids Club exists but the hotel doesn't publish its ages, hours or cost, and its own wording says a child needs an adult with them, so you can't book it as drop-off childcare without checking first. The beach is dark volcanic pebbles with an Atlantic shore-break rather than soft sand, which matters with a toddler.
Best for
You want everything in one price, a two-minute walk to the beach, pools including a children's pool and live entertainment every night, with Funchal close by on a free shuttle.
Maybe not for
You want a shallow sandy beach for a toddler, brand-new rooms or confirmed drop-off childcare you can book before you go.
Best ages
Babies and toddlers upwards. A Kids Club runs supervised activities, though its ages aren't published, so email to confirm.
What stands out
All meals and drinks in the price, staff that guests praise by name, live entertainment every night and open all year.
What to check
The Kids Club ages and how its supervision works, whether a cot is available and that a short stay reaches only the buffet.
Where is it?
At the western end of Funchal's hotel strip on Madeira, above Praia Formosa, about 20 to 25 minutes from the airport.
Quick facts for families
What the resort is like
Where the Pestana Royal sits, how it's laid out over its floors and what that means for getting around.
The Pestana Royal is an older multi-storey hotel at the point where the Estrada Monumental meets the coast, at the western end of Funchal's hotel strip. The strip carries most of the city's large family resorts, and this one sits at its far end, directly above Praia Formosa. It's prized for its views out over the Atlantic and west towards Cabo Girão, the tall sea cliff along the coast, and for its sunsets. For the island as a whole, its beaches and when to go, see our Madeira guide.
The building stacks its main spaces over several floors: the Sunset Pool Bar on the third, the Primavera Bar & Lounge on the fifth, and the São Lourenço buffet and Campo de Fiori Italian restaurant on the sixth. The hotel has facilities adapted for guests with reduced mobility, and its named amenity floors imply lifts serve the levels, though it doesn't confirm this outright, so check when you book if moving a pushchair between floors matters. If a fully step-free route matters, ask about it then too. Down at sea level, the promenade along Praia Formosa is flat and buggy-friendly, while the Estrada Monumental itself runs along the clifftop above.
Every restaurant and bar
The buffet, the themed restaurants, the stay-length rule that governs them and the two bars.
The board is full all-inclusive: breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and unlimited local and international drinks through the day, with a brunch served daily from 10:30 to 12:30. Most of that eating happens at the main buffet, and the themed restaurants sit on top of it under a rule worth understanding before you book. The hotel allocates them by how long you stay: a stay of three nights or fewer stays in the buffet only, four to six nights get one themed booking and seven nights or more get two, all by prior reservation and subject to availability.
| Restaurant | Cuisine | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| São Lourenço Garden Terrace | International buffet | The main all-inclusive restaurant, on the 6th floor, open for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner. Where most meals happen, with garden-view terrace seating and room for 264. |
| Campo de Fiori | Italian | Pizza, pasta and Italian dishes on the 6th floor, year-round, dinner only. The most child-friendly of the themed restaurants, though you can only book it from your fourth night onwards. |
| Botanic Terrace | Madeiran barbecue | An outdoor summer restaurant, July to September, serving espetada, the local skewered beef. Evening only, by reservation. |
| Botanic | Madeiran set menu | Appears to be the same space, run from October to May as a Madeiran set-menu restaurant. Evening only, by reservation. |
São Lourenço Garden Terrace is the main all-inclusive restaurant and where families spend most of their meals, a 6th-floor buffet with room for 264 that runs breakfast from 07:30 to 10:30, brunch from 10:30 to 12:30, lunch from 12:30 to 14:30 and dinner from 18:30 to 21:30. The hotel doesn't confirm a children's menu or highchairs, though a buffet like this usually has something for every age. It's worth emailing to confirm a highchair if you need one. The three themed restaurants are the ones capped by stay length. Campo de Fiori, the year-round Italian with seating for 82, serves dinner from 18:30 to 21:30 and is the most child-friendly of them with its pizza and pasta, but it opens to you only from your fourth night. Botanic Terrace, which seats 74, runs outdoors in summer, July to September, serving espetada, the local beef grilled on a skewer, from 19:00 to 21:30, and outside summer the same space appears to run as Botanic, a Madeiran set-menu restaurant on the same evening hours, from October to May. Both are evening-only and need a reservation.
Two bars round out the day. The Sunset Pool Bar on the third floor, with room for 110, is the daytime spot by the pools, open 11:00 to 18:00 for snacks and drinks, and its view of the sunset over Cabo Girão is one of the things guests mention most. The Primavera Bar & Lounge on the fifth floor, seating 185, is the evening hub, open 18:30 to 23:30 with a classic bar menu, and it's where the nightly entertainment runs seven days a week, from bands and duos to folklore acts and solo performers. All the drinks at both, local and international, are included.
How restaurant booking works
There's no online booking for the themed restaurants. You arrange them once you arrive, through reception or by contacting the hotel on [email protected] or +351 291 149 850, and how many you can book depends on the stay-length rule above. Because a short break never reaches them, plan around the buffet if you're staying three nights or fewer.
Rooms and suites
Every room type, the three pools and the pebble beach two minutes below.
There are five room categories. The table below covers how many each sleeps, the view and which suit a family. Every room has air conditioning, a flat-screen TV, free Wi-Fi, a sofa, tea and coffee making refreshed daily, bottled water, a mini-fridge, a safe, a hairdryer and both a bath and a shower. Check-in is from 15:00 and check-out is until 12:00.
| Room | Sleeps | View | Family notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | 2 adults | Resort | A two-adult room, not set up for a family with a child unless you add a cot. |
| Deluxe with Balcony | 2 adults | Balcony | A Classic with a balcony, still sold for two adults, so a baby would need a cot added. |
| Superior Deluxe with Balcony | 3 adults | Balcony | Sleeps three, framed as three adults rather than as a family room. |
| Deluxe with Balcony Sea View | 3 adults, or 2 adults and 1 child | Sea view | The clearest family room, sold for two adults and a child, looking west over the Atlantic. |
| Suite | 3 adults and 1 child | Resort | The largest category, sleeping three adults and a child. |
For a family the clearest choice is the Deluxe with Balcony Sea View, the one room sold for two adults and a child, with the ocean view west towards Cabo Girão. The Suite is the largest and sleeps three adults and a child. The Classic and Deluxe are both two-adult rooms, so travelling with a baby you'd need a cot added, and the hotel doesn't confirm cots online, so request one by email and check it fits before you rely on it. For a bigger family the hotel also offers connecting rooms, which lets you book two adjacent Classic or Deluxe rooms side by side.
The rooms are where the reviews are most mixed. Several guests in early 2026 described them as dated or tired and wanting modernisation, one noting the lack of USB points, while still rating the stay comfortable. That shows in the official marks, where the room scores 4.2 against staff at 4.5. It's a well-run, well-liked hotel whose rooms have aged rather than a resort to avoid, but if brand-new rooms matter to you, it's the thing to weigh.
Pools and water features
There are two outdoor pools, one of them a separate children's pool for younger swimmers, with an open-air solarium of sun loungers alongside. The indoor pool is heated, at 25°C, and it sits inside the Magic SPA as a spa facility rather than a leisure pool. Whether the outdoor pools are heated isn't confirmed on the hotel's site, though Madeira's mild south-coast climate keeps them usable through much of the year. As at most all-inclusives the loungers should come with the stay, though the hotel doesn't confirm it, and the Sunset Pool Bar handles snacks and drinks by the pools through the day.
The beach
Praia Formosa, a two-minute walk from the hotel, is Funchal's main beach: a long natural stretch of dark volcanic pebbles and shingle rather than sand in the bucket-and-spade sense. It holds Blue Flag status for the 2026 bathing season, awarded by Funchal's council, and held it in 2025 too, which is a water-quality and facilities mark rather than anything about how safe it is for a toddler. The beach is open to the Atlantic, so it picks up swell and a shore-break on rougher days, and the pebbles want water shoes, so a small child in the water needs close supervision and it isn't the calm shallow sand you might picture.
For reliable water with little ones, the pools and the nearby Funchal lidos are the surer bet. A promenade and seafront cafés run along the front, and a short walk west brings you to two lido complexes, Complexo Balnear do Lido and Ponta Gorda, both open year-round with their own children's pools. Entry to the lidos runs to around €6 for adults, €2 for children aged 7 to 17 and free for under-7s (last checked June 2026).
Babies and toddlers
The Kids Club, what the hotel confirms for babies and what you'll need to check.
The hotel has a Kids Club, a dedicated space where children do supervised, playful activities, and it's the children's provision on site. The hotel doesn't publish the ages it takes, the hours, the staffing or whether it's included in the all-inclusive or charged separately, so those are the things to pin down before you rely on it. Its wording also says a child needs an adult with them, and it isn't clear whether that means you drop off and collect or stay throughout, so don't treat it as drop-off childcare that buys you time on your own. Email [email protected] to confirm the current ages and how it runs before you count on it.
Baby kit needs the same checking. Cots aren't confirmed online, so request one in advance by email rather than assuming it's there, and highchairs and a children's menu aren't listed, though a buffet like this usually feeds all ages, so email to confirm a highchair if you need one. The hotel doesn't advertise babysitting or in-room childcare, so ask directly if an evening out matters. The European brand Aptamil is sold in Madeira, though the stages differ slightly from the UK ones, so bring enough to bridge the trip. The clearest help for parents of a toddler is the board itself, with snacks and drinks through the day, so you're not building meals around naps.
Things to do
On site the sports are mini golf, a tennis court and billiards, plus a gym with machines and equipment and views over the gardens, open to all guests. The entertainment runs seven nights a week and is included, the daily programme in the Primavera bar, and guests rate the evening shows and the daytime activities. The Magic SPA holds the heated indoor pool and three treatment rooms, with a massage and treatment menu you can download from the hotel's site; treatments are charged on top of the all-inclusive and booked by email or online.
One point to clear up is golf. The only golf at the hotel is mini golf. Golf appears separately on the hotel's activities list, but that refers to arranging a round at one of Madeira's off-site courses, Palheiro about 15 minutes away or Santo da Serra about 40, with charges applying. There's no golf course on the estate. That activities list also names hiking, boat trips, water sports and fishing, which are off-site arrangements the hotel can help book rather than things laid on in the grounds.
The area and days out
Funchal city centre is a ten-minute drive or a free shuttle ride away, and it holds the Mercado dos Lavradores, the covered market known for its tropical fruit and fish, the Sé Cathedral and the painted doors of the Old Town. From the centre the cable car climbs to Monte and its gardens; it reopened in April 2026, and runs around €22 return for adults, half price for children aged 7 to 14 and free for under-7s (last checked June 2026). At the top the wicker toboggans, two-person sledges steered downhill by runners, cost around €40 for two and run Tuesday to Saturday, 09:00 to 18:00.
For the rest of the island you'll want a car or a booked tour. Close by, Câmara de Lobos is a fishing village with a flat harbour walk, about 15 to 20 minutes, and the Cabo Girão skywalk, a glass platform 580 metres above the sea, is around 20 minutes and costs about €5 for adults with under-12s free (last checked June 2026). The Curral das Freiras caldera viewpoint at Eira do Serrado, roughly 30 minutes up, is a short paved walk that a toddler can manage. In summer, Aquaparque Santa Cruz, about 15 minutes away and open from around late June to early September, has a wave pool, a lazy river and a toddler zone, at around €15 for adults, €9 for children aged 4 to 11 and free for under-4s (last checked June 2026). Further out, the Vereda dos Balcões is the one classified levada walk level enough for walking toddlers, with pre-booking needed through the SIMplifica system; Porto Moniz and its volcanic rock pools, a family-popular spot with children's pools of their own, are an hour or so west; and Calheta, 50 to 60 minutes west, has Madeira's only real sandy beach, a man-made Blue Flag stretch with calm shallow water, if a sand day is what you're after. Without a car, the free city shuttle covers the centre, the market and the cable car, and Bolt or Uber work for short Funchal trips.
Loves and gripes
What guests rate and what they flag, how it sits against other Madeira resorts, the journey in and the weather by month.
The hotel rates around 4.4 out of 5 across the 1,521 reviews on its own site. Broken down, the marks run Location 4.4, Staff 4.5, Cleanliness 4.2, Room 4.2, Value 3.9 and Gastronomy 3.8. Food is the one to read carefully. Reviews praise the variety and quality, yet gastronomy is the lowest mark, and a short stay that reaches only the buffet is the most likely to feel underwhelmed. Here is what comes up most, good and bad.
What families love
- The staff, the most-praised part, with the same names coming up again and again: Migma and Lina in housekeeping, Karina in guest relations and the team at the Italian restaurant, Campo de Fiori.
- The all-inclusive board, with meals, snacks and drinks in one price.
- The location, the views west to Cabo Girão and the sunsets.
- The free shuttle into Funchal, about 15 minutes into town.
- The nightly entertainment in the Primavera bar, seven days a week.
- The friendly, calm, family atmosphere, praised by a guest travelling with a one-year-old.
Common gripes
- Rooms that several guests find dated and wanting updating, set against a 5-star price.
- The lowest official marks going to value and food.
- The stay-length rule that keeps a short break in the buffet only.
- Kids Club ages and supervision left unconfirmed on the hotel's site.
- A single mention of housekeeping being off on a bad day.
How it compares
The figures below are an approximate steer for how the Pestana Royal sits against other Madeira family resorts, so treat them as a starting point and confirm anything that matters with the hotel direct.
| Resort | Board | Kids club | Beach | Pools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pestana Royal | All-inclusive | Ages not published | Two-minute walk, dark pebbles | 2 outdoor pools incl. children's, plus an indoor spa pool |
| Enotel Lido | All-inclusive | From about 4 | Lido on the doorstep, no beach | Outdoor infinity pool plus a semi-indoor pool |
| VidaMar | Half-board | From about 3 | No beach, a lido nearby | 4 outdoor seawater pools plus an indoor pool |
| Calheta Beach | All-inclusive | From about 4 | Man-made sandy beach adjacent | 2 pools incl. a children's pool |
| Savoy Palace | Room and buffet | Playroom, no club | No beach, lido access | Multiple pools including an infinity pool |
| Belmond Reid's Palace | Half-board or B&B | From about 3, school holidays | Sea-level paddling pool, no beach | 3 pools |
Where the Pestana Royal stands out is the all-inclusive board with everything in the price, the beach two minutes away that most of its rivals don't have, the strong staff ratings, the year-round operation and the entertainment every night. On pools it sits in the middle of the group, with its two outdoor pools and separate children's pool, plus the indoor spa pool, fewer than VidaMar's four outdoor seawater pools but more than Enotel Lido's single infinity pool. Where it's weaker is the Kids Club age and supervision that can't be confirmed without contacting the hotel, the rooms that read dated against newer competitors, the pebble rather than sandy beach and the lowest marks going to food and value.
The journey in and the best monthsGetting there and when to go
Flights land at Cristiano Ronaldo Madeira Airport, about 20 to 25 minutes from the hotel zone by taxi or a pre-booked private transfer. The transfer isn't part of the all-inclusive, so book it separately in advance. A taxi runs roughly €25 to €35, and the public Aerobus (route 500) is the budget option at about €6.70 for adults and €3.30 for children, roughly hourly, though it's slower at around 50 minutes to the hotel zone and it takes a folded buggy (fares last checked June 2026). The hotel runs a free shuttle into the city centre, subject to availability, about 15 minutes into town, and Bolt and Uber both operate in Funchal. There's parking on site at extra cost and a rent-a-car desk if you want your own wheels for days out.
Madeira is a year-round island and the hotel stays open all year, so the main question is what you want from the weather. July to September is the warmest and sunniest stretch. May and June are dry and quieter. February and March suit a winter half-term break, with all the pools and lidos open, flights from the main UK airports and no jet lag to unpick.
Weather
The hotel sits on Madeira's south coast, in Funchal's own microclimate, which is milder and drier than the green north of the island. Daytime temperatures barely swing across the year, from around 20°C in winter to about 27°C in August, and the big seasonal change is rain: July and August are effectively rainless, while the showers return from October and peak around December. The sea runs from about 18°C in winter to 23 or 24°C in late summer.
| Month | Daytime high | Overnight low | Rain | Wet days | Sea temp |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 20° | 14.5° | 99 mm | 9 | 19° |
| February | 20° | 14° | 95 mm | 8 | 19° |
| March | 20.5° | 14.5° | 83 mm | 10 | 19° |
| April | 21° | 15° | 62 mm | 7 | 19° |
| May | 22° | 16.5° | 44 mm | 5 | 20° |
| June | 24° | 18.5° | 17 mm | 2 | 21° |
| July | 25.5° | 20° | 4 mm | 1 | 23° |
| August | 27° | 21° | 4 mm | 1 | 24° |
| September | 26.5° | 20.5° | 45 mm | 5 | 24° |
| October | 25° | 19.5° | 118 mm | 10 | 24° |
| November | 22.5° | 17° | 112 mm | 10 | 22° |
| December | 21° | 15.5° | 135 mm | 12 | 21° |
Typical monthly averages from weather-station records. Sea temperature is the open-water figure, so a sheltered bay can feel a degree or two warmer.
Practicalities
Health, entry, money and supplies for a family trip to Madeira.
Madeira is part of Portugal, so EU rules apply. A UK GHIC covers emergency state healthcare, the emergency number is 112 and the non-emergency Madeira health line is +351 800 24 24 20. UK prescriptions aren't valid in Portugal, so carry enough of any medication for the whole trip; the hotel has a defibrillator on site and facilities adapted for guests with reduced mobility. For entry you need a valid passport under the standard Schengen rules, with at least three months left beyond your planned departure and issued within the last ten years, and the EU's Entry/Exit System is now running at the border.
The currency is the euro, and the hotel takes Visa, MasterCard and Amex. For supplies, there are pharmacies and a Pingo Doce supermarket within walking range along the Estrada Monumental, with the full range in the city centre via the shuttle; remember to pack enough baby formula from home, since the stages sold in Madeira differ slightly from the UK ones. If you're hiring a car, Madeira drives on the right, and children under 12 and under 135cm need an approved car seat; taxis and Bolt have a legal exemption, but it's safer to pre-book a seat or bring your own.
Questions
The things families ask most, the official pages worth a bookmark and when this guide was last refreshed.
Can we leave a young child at the Kids Club while we have some time to ourselves?
Not without checking first. The hotel runs supervised activities but hasn't set out whether a parent can leave a child or has to stay, and it doesn't list the ages it takes. Email [email protected] before you book and ask both outright, and plan on staying with your child until they say otherwise.
Can we use a themed restaurant on a short break?
Not on a stay of three nights or fewer, which stays in the buffet. If eating somewhere other than the buffet matters to you, that's a reason to book at least four nights, and to know the child-friendly Italian only comes into play from the fourth night. Otherwise, plan on the buffet for the week.
Is there a room that suits two adults and a baby?
The Deluxe with Balcony Sea View is the one room sold for two adults and a child, so that's the simplest choice with a baby. In a Classic or Deluxe you'd be relying on a cot, which the hotel doesn't confirm online, so email ahead to request one and check it fits the room before you book.
Is the beach safe for a toddler to paddle?
Praia Formosa is dark pebbles with Atlantic swell and a shore-break on rough days, so it isn't a shallow sandy paddling beach. Keep water shoes on and stay close at the edge. For reliable toddler water, use the children's pool or the year-round Funchal lidos along the promenade, and for real sand, Calheta is about an hour west.
Do we need a hire car?
Not to reach Funchal. The free hotel shuttle covers the centre, the market and the cable car, and Bolt or Uber handle short trips. You'll want a car or a booked tour for the fishing villages, the viewpoints, Calheta's sandy beach and the levada walks.
Are the outdoor pools heated?
The indoor spa pool is heated, to 25°C. The hotel doesn't confirm whether the two outdoor pools are heated, though Madeira's mild south coast keeps them swimmable through much of the year, so plan around the indoor spa pool if you want warm water outside high summer.
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Useful links
- Pestana Royal All Inclusive Ocean & Spa Hotel: the hotel's own site for rooms, the all-inclusive and the children's facilities.
- GOV.UK Portugal travel advice: entry rules and safety updates before you travel.
- Madeira with little ones: our guide to the island, its beaches and when to go.
Last updated 17 July 2026.
