The rooms are fresh, very comfortable and small but the en-suite bathrooms are spacious which I thought was a good trade-off as you can, if so inclined, sing and dance around while shaving....well...each to their own.
Lots of storage space, no mini-bar unless you order same but a number of dispensing machines outside the lifts take care of most non-alcoholic needs.

Nice hill and sea view from 4th floor with or without balcony as there is a nice alcove with table and two chairs beside sliding windows....lovely and cool and almost as good if not better than a small balcony.
Staff are pleasant in a cursory sort of way.Everyone claims English is their second language but those who clearly struggle with it just get huffy rather than admit not understanding...this is quite common everywhere in Madeira
so don't be fazed if you get blank looks for the simplest questions asked in the friendliest most mannerly way.

Madeirans can be friendly but evaluate who you're dealing with first before wearing your heart on your sleeve as some are downright stroppy...just like everywhere really....reminds me of Paris where being as self-sufficient and monosyllabic as possible works a treat.Smile if you see a smile , don't if you don't...hard for those of a terminally sunny disposition.

The entrance to the hotel is atop a very very steep hill which is common for Madeira so don't even think about it if you have walking difficulties unless you intend using taxis frequently @ circa Euro 5 per trip to/from Funchal.It should be Euro 3.50 ish but they tended to quote five euro when asked in advance and they stick to that regardless.Only one taxi actually turned on the meter during our week there, so perhaps asking in advance can work against you as well, if you follow me.


The food at the Estrelicia, self-service breakfast to be precise, was adequate but not consistent in what was offered each morning.Sometimes there was tepid scrambled eggs, bacon and sausage, other times not.There was always cereals, bread, cheese, processed ham, juice, toast if you make it yourself, fruit but that ran out too frequently for some.Staff in the restaurant struggled to smile which lent an unnecessarily dour atmosphere to the proceedings but did their jobs of clearing and setting.

All in all this is a package holiday factory but a good one.

Do NOT miss the Madeira Mandolin Orchestra if they are at the Teatro Municipal or the Museo Quinta Das Cruzes.If at the latter go two hours early and enjoy the gardens first.....perfection.

Do NOT miss the Mercado, fruit and veg market...up-stairs particularly and the fish market below to see the Mareno ,Espada and massive Tuna.

Do NOT go on the eastern tour in a people carrier if prone to travel sickness.By all means go by coach.

The best restaurant we visited was the Premier (aka Charcoal Grill)
on the right hand side as you walk downhill from the hotel.
The welcome is so warm and the service smiling with just the right degree of attention and the food is first class and modestly priced.
The Indian place next door offered a curt unsmiling offhand welcome
and the male waiting staff seemed overwhelmed when 4 couples arrived at the same time.When they regained their composure there was a hint of a smile but I sense these two are natural bullies who think customers are a nuisance.However, the food was quite good, but not good enough to compensate for the chilly atmosphere created by these two waiters thoroughly unsuited to public service.No doubt it is reflected in their turnover.

In Funchal we loved the small local restaurant called Tigal on the Rua de Carriera (sp?) and the very small bars you find on the trevasses (sp?)
where they'll make you a heartwarming Poncha from scratch.

The bistros on the lower harbour might best be avoided as their staff persistently and irritatingly solicit passers-by in a manner I've only seen on the Reeperbahn in Hamburg circa 1970...nuff said....who needs it.

All the usual activites such as the cable-cars, gardens, carnivals are great fun.Keep in mind that the wicker toboggan rides do not get you all the way back down to Funchal so add a stiff Euro 8 taxi fare to the initial cost plus another tenner for a photo, which is a must, but it adds up to a tidy sum for one particular item.
There is simply no alternative to this taxi so don't be fooled into thinking that Funchal harbour is a ten minute walk downhill because you can see it...it is approx 2 miles away and two miles of the steepest hill imagineable...too dangerous to walk in my view.

Madeira is just magical.....'can't wait to return and the Estrelicia will do fine too.