Quintinha São João Hotel & Spa

It’s hard to know where to start as everything and everyone about this special place deserves a mention. It is without doubt the best place we have stayed in. The hotel is in a great location, beautifully thought out and decorated with traditional art and antiques. Outside you will find stunning, well maintained gardens and grounds with an astounding array of plants of Madeira along with a lovely peaceful pool area with amazing views. There is a steepish hill walk down into Funchal centre (and of course back uphill on the way back!) which takes around 15 minutes but there is also a courtesy bus that runs twice a day. The rooms are super comfortable and very spacious, with a large bathroom and lots of space for belongings. Breakfast is excellent with a fabulous choice of fruit, breads, cereals, meats and cheeses, plus you can order from the kitchen if you want hot food, which is made to order. I would highly recommend dining in the hotel restaurant, A Morgadinha, as the food is delicious and provided us with the best meals we had during our stay in Funchal. The food is beautiful (try the rack of lamb, it is amazing!). The service is impeccable - the staff are friendly, courteous and professional with a personal touch. All the staff are wonderful - from reception staff, bar staff, restaurant staff and housekeeping, all took pride in their roles and gave exceptional service which made our stay extra special. Thank you to Felipe, Antonio, Bernardo and Marco (your wine knowledge is fascinating), and anyone else I may have forgotten. I would say that even though this hotel is indeed a beautiful place to stay, what really makes it extra special is the little personal touches and the obvious pride all the staff (and the manager!) take in making your experience the best it can be. We genuinely miss being there and hope to return as soon as we can. Thank you for making our holiday so special.

This is an amazing hotel in every way! Our room was so spacious and clean with tea and coffee making facilities. Throughout the hotel there is an atmosphere of peace and calm and, at night, there is no noise at all. The windows had blackout curtains and the bed was so comfortable so we slept really well. The breakfasts were the best we've ever had and we're available till 10.30 every morning. There were fresh fruits of all descriptions, even papaya and some unusual passion fruits, croissants, pastries, muffins, cheeses, ham, natural yogurt, nuts, dates, prunes, apricots and, on top of this, you could have a delicious cooked breakfast of eggs, bacon, mushrooms, tomato etc. Last, but by no means least, the staff were amazing and friendly. Nothing was too much bother to them. In particular, we'd like to thank Ana and Maria for their excellent service on reception, Rosie for her help in recommending trips and places to eat and Marco and Bernardo for their friendly and helpful service in the restaurant. ALL the staff were great! We absolutely loved staying in this hotel and wouldn't hesitate to stay again if we return to Madeira. Thank you so much for making our first visit to Madeira so special. Susan and Mark

As a regular visitor to Funchal over many years, this lovely 42 room five star Quintinha is my established address in Madeira. It is located in a fine residential neighbourhood that is within a 15.minute walk of my favourite stores, but if I'm feeling lazy, I can take the hotel's shuttle bus. Of course, whilst everything that Funchal has to offer is right on my doorstep, everything I could possibly need is provided by The Sao João. There's an excellent spa, where I get pampered, a truly wonderful bar where Antonio, Ana, Eduardo, or Tony, are always happy to mix my favourite cocktails. If I need exercise, there's a fully equipped and first class gym. I also have the choice of two pools to swim in. If I want to explore Madeira's sites, Rosie the guest relations manager will organise the perfect trip for me. The gourmet level restaurant, overseen by Maitre'd Filipe, who always reserves my favourite table, offers me a constantly changing international menu. All of the very special staff are always on hand to welcome me back, and cater to my every need, and I often have the pleasure of seeing other returning guests, who like me, have been regulars for several years.

The Quintinha Sao João is a very special property. Situated close to Funchal's vibrant centre, it is set in a couple of acres of carefully tended gardens and offers discriminating guests everything to ensure a perfect stay. Common parts throughout the hotel are all spacious, flooded with natural light, impeccably maintained, and charmingly furnished. Guest rooms are large, well decorated and extremely comfortable. The double beds are vast and extremely comfortable too. Balconies are generously sized and offer pleasant views. The hotel has an excellent, comfortable and well stocked bar The Vasco de Gama, which opens daily from 11.00am and also serves light meals though to 6.30pm This opens onto a charming and large terrace which is full of flowers and is shaded by ancient trees. The bar manager, Antonio, and his skillful team ensure that time spent here is a relaxing pleasure. The hotel's restaurant A Morgadinha has a large and dedicated following amongst Funchal's affluent business community and offers a unique and varied selection of Portuguese and European dishes daily. Open from 7.00pm daily, there is also a regular choice of Goan curries on offer. Guests are always recommended to reserve their tables here, so as to avoid disappointment. Other facilities include a games room, and well equipped gym, a vast underground car park for guests and diners, a world class spa for those wanting to be pampered, and a shuttle bus service, although Funchal's prime shopping area is just a 15 minute walk away. There are two swimming pools as well. Standards of service throughout the hotel are truly exceptional, and every staff member will go out of their way to ensure each guest's stay is both memorable and perfect.

Stayed here for two weeks in January. The staff were fantastic throughout, and only being a small hotel it didn’t take long to know them all! The food in the restaurant was excellent, we were there on a b & b basis, but would struggle to find a better evening venue to eat at. However we throughly recommend Portaliano either for lunch or dinner. Minor drawbacks it’s a bit of a climb from the centre, but Ubers are readily accessible, the other minor factor for us is that the hotel had no afternoon sun. Looking forward to our return though.

I have just returned from one of the best trips I’ve taken in a long time after staying for a week at the Quintinha Sao João. Not only because Madeira now one of my new favourite holiday destinations, but because of this lovely hotel. The rooms are light and airy (albeit a little hot) but very comfortably adorned and exceptionally clean. The balcony area is stunning and the view we had was one of the beautiful garden area with views of Funchal and even the sea. The best part of this hotel, hands down, however, are the staff. Never have I felt truly welcome in a hotel before, nothing was too much trouble and every single one of the staff were incredibly friendly, especially Anna on reception who gave my mum and I, the best first impression after arriving late. Other highlights were the complimentary breakfast, everything was fresh and delicious and we sampled the restaurant on two separate evenings, which again was some of the best food we had on the trip and really reasonably priced too! The spa was also such a lovely space and Carla took great care of us during our facials. There was nothing I didn’t like about this hotel and I am already planning my next trip with my husband this time as I haven’t shut up about it since I came home!