Savoy Palace — Hotel in Funchal

The hotel looks superb in the photos, the room was spacious and the gardens and roof terrace are nice and well landscaped but that is where the positives end. The fixtures and fittings are like theatrical props, flashy looking but of poor quality. Everything in this hotel is about looks not substance. There is gold everywhere but it is spray paint (you can see the drips from the rushed job),The sofa in the room used some horrid cheap PU Leather that made your skin itch. Many of the furnishings in the hotel particularly in the communal areas such as the lobby were cheap and tacky, the quality of the finish did not bear up to close inspection the stitching being poor and materials being of poor quality. The bathroom is not fit for purpose it had double GOLD sinks but too little room to put toiletries because of the over engineered taps, and outside of the shower cubicle there was nowhere to hang clothes. There needs to be somewhere for guests to hang stuff in the bathroom not just inside the shower. The floor in our room was filthy and even when room service had been the floor was not properly mopped and carpet not thoroughly vacuumed. This was frustratingly inconsistent we had one or two staff that were extremely helpful and friendly (notably the doormen and one of the cleaners), the rest varied from seemingly not bothered to downright unhelpful, often needing to be asked 2-3 times before being served. 2 instances in particular stand out: We asked for some dishes and cutlery as we had some fruit that we had bought at the market and wanted to eat. The room service manager (A mature skinny lady with curly dark hair) refused to oblige. We had to go and complain before she grudgingly agreed to give us cutlery. Cutlery costs the hotel nothing and I had ordered room service food several times so I don't think I was being unreasonable. The second time was on the terrace on the 17th floor where we wanted to order drinks. There was a member of staff on duty but apparently he was only to look after towels so he had to keep going to chase after the bar staff to try and get us service. The cocktails were not worth the wait, made by bar tenders that clearly don’t have a clue - If you want a good cocktail go to the sister hotel (Royal Savoy). We were staying at the hotel for a long period and were looking for something to entertain ourselves during our stay. We noticed that the hotel has a piano but were surprised that it was locked. My wife who is a competent pianist had to ask reception for the key and was given the key to the instrument by the team on the front desk. When she returned a second time a different member of staff flatly refused to allow her to play denying that any guests were allowed to play the piano. She was surprised and taken aback by how restrictive the hotel’s attitude was.The instrument should be available for guests who want to entertain themselves not just for paid lounge musicians a couple of hours a day. Our impression was that many times the staff were more concerned with applying the rules than applying common sense in order to make guests feel welcome.Real 5 star hotels go the extra mile to accommodate guests wishes if they are reasonable.This was not the case at the Savoy Palace. The food at breakfast was definitely a case of quantity over quality.I only ate the cooked breakfast on the first day as the bacon and sausages were poor quality almost inedible, dry, hard and tasteless and the eggs old, mashy and cold. The cold food was better but inconsistent and you would have to wait ages for the staff to replenish the buffet.The cured meats were not good and the ham was wet and raw(not cured for long enough). The management really need to change as the staff seem poorly trained, ill informed and badly managed.Many of the shortcomings of this hotel could be remedied if there was competent management.If you want to know how great hotels are run look to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel group and...

Title: Beautiful Hotel but Service Could Be Improved We are a family of two adults and one child, and we stayed at Savoy Palace for two weeks, celebrating both Christmas and New Year there. First and foremost, we are very grateful for the hospitality and the wonderful time we had at the hotel. We would like to extend a special thank you to Susana Correia (SPA Manager), Nathalie Santos (reception - angel), and Emanuel V. (from the pool team) for their exceptional service. A big thank you as well to the housekeeping team who cleaned our room daily with great care. Positives: Beautiful Hotel: The hotel is stunning with fantastic surroundings and plenty of activities to enjoy. Great Location: Only a 10-minute walk to Funchal city center. Excellent SPA: The SPA is amazing, though there is an entrance fee. We recommend purchasing the 3-day package to save money. Room Cleaning: The housekeeping team did a fantastic job, cleaning multiple times a day and regularly changing towels. Access to Royal Savoy: Guests can also use the facilities at the neighboring Royal Savoy, including swimming in the ocean, which we loved. Both hotels have gorgeous gardens, pools, and green areas. Areas for Improvement: Reception Service: While we were lucky to be welcomed by Nathalie, who was kind and professional, the rest of the reception staff seemed indifferent and lacked friendliness. Smiling more would make a big difference. Food Quality: The food was inconsistent. While there was a wide selection of fruits and vegetables, some items were not fresh. Eggs and other warm dishes were often overcooked. Breakfast Service at Pau de Lume: The service here was disappointing. Staff were unwelcoming, inattentive, and at times outright rude, making us feel uncomfortable. Communication Issues Before Arrival: In the months leading up to our stay, we contacted the hotel several times about New Year’s Eve celebrations. We provided our booking reference and a full overview of our stay, including the number of guests and our length of stay. The hotel tried to sell us gala dinner packages, even though the gala dinner was already included in our room rate. We only discovered this by chance through the same contact shortly before our departure. It is strange that this information wasn’t clear in your system when we first reached out. Because of this confusion, we spent a lot of time exploring alternative options and ended up booking a gala dinner at another location (non-refundable, costing €560). At the time, Savoy’s packages were very expensive, and we could not make the payment. When we informed Reservations about this issue, the only response we received was a simple "sorry," and they referred us back to our tour operator. Gala Dinner at Grand Ballroom (New Year’s Eve): This was not worth the price. The food was underwhelming, the show was disappointing, and there seemed to be chaos among the staff. In contrast, the Christmas gala dinner at Hibiscus was excellent. Overall Impression: Despite these shortcomings, our overall experience at Savoy Palace was very positive. The beautiful surroundings, great amenities, and the efforts of standout staff members like Nathalie, Susana, and Emanuel made our stay memorable. We will definitely return and look forward to seeing improvements in the...

Review: Savoy Palace, Funchal

We stayed at the Savoy Palace for a much-needed holiday — our first in three years — and had been really looking forward to it. We booked an Ocean View Junior Suite, and first impressions were very good. The welcome on arrival was pleasant, and our room was lovely: spacious, well equipped, with a separate living room and bedroom, a nice bathroom with both bath and shower, and a great balcony view of the ocean. The hotel itself is an impressive property.

However, as every seasoned traveller knows, the building is only one aspect of a great hotel — what really defines the experience is the staff and service. Unfortunately, this is where the Savoy Palace fell well short of expectations.

Housekeeping was inconsistent and not up to five-star standards. Our room was not vacuumed properly; after returning from a mountain excursion, a little mud had been tracked in and remained there for a couple of days before being cleaned. Small details like this make a big difference. 😩

Breakfast was also disappointing. It’s buffet only, with no à la carte option, and while there is a “show cooking” egg station, the staff member there was frankly unwelcoming — barely looking up, responding with grunts, and making the whole experience rather uncomfortable. Queues were common on arrival, even though there were usually empty tables, and one morning we waited nearly 25 minutes to be seated. The buffet was often not replenished promptly, particularly the fruit section, and coffee service was slow.

Attention to cleanliness was lacking too. On one morning I sat at the same table as the previous day and noticed that a small spill from my muesli was still there. (Pictured) That same day my coffee cup arrived with lipstick marks on it — not exactly reassuring from a hygiene point of view.

Another frustration was the inconsistent handling of complimentary water. For the first three days a bottle (and a sweet treat) appeared in our room, then suddenly it stopped. When I asked housekeeping, I was told we’d have to pay for it. Eventually a bottle was provided, but only after some uncomfortable discussion. This happened twice more during our stay — small issues perhaps, but they add up and reflect a lack of consistency and care.

Even outside, the service didn’t improve. The doormen, often standing around chatting, rarely opened doors or offered assistance when taxis or Ubers arrived. It became something of a running joke between us, but really it was disappointing and unprofessional. Other guests we spoke to at breakfast were making similar comments about the staff attitude.

On a positive note, the spa was excellent. My wife said her massage there was the best she’d ever had, which was a real highlight.😊

Unfortunately, our checkout experience summed things up: the receptionist was polite but entirely disengaged, focused only on taking payment. No enquiry about our stay, no farewell, no warmth.

In summary, the Savoy Palace is a beautiful property with strong potential, but it’s let down badly by service that’s far from five-star. With better staff training, attention to detail, and genuine hospitality, it could be an exceptional destination. As it stands, it’s a real shame — the hardware is there, but the heart of the...