As per title. The water was very cold, and few people used the pool. The staff were very friendly and professional, and the rooms were of larger than average size. Very good buffet for breakfast.

just returned from a weeks break in this hotel and found it was top notch in all departments ,we upgraded on arrival to a suite with a sea view (our original room was more than adequate)and could have not been happier .2 small moans where ,you had to pay 2euros for a parasol by the pool and the prices in the hotel where prohibitivly expensive,so we ate out at the many nearby restaurants.

I booked this hotel as part of a package because i wanted to treat my wife as it was our 25th wedding anniversary and i must admit unless you do 5* or + all the time we were suitably impressed finding everything spot-on.We did not really need any help through the staff but when required they were friendly,courtous and so helpful.Really cannot fault it.Thanx for a great job.I have a happy and appreciative wife whom i love and the hotel did not let me down as i did not inform them of the reason for the trip.

My husband and I have just spent 2 weeks at the Pestana Grand. It is a well-appointed hotel which lives up to its 5* rating. Our room had a partial sea view being on the side on the hotel. The standard of cleaning was very high, beds comfy and pillows just right. we made good use of the tea/coffee making and appreciated the fact the the fridge was empty unless you requested particular items. This meant that we could keep water, wine and milk for tea without any difficulty.
The pool area is certainly the best feature of the hotel. It is very spacious and well-maintained. The pools are clean and uncrowded. Loungers and parasols were readily available even when the pool was busy.
Breakfast is varied and plentiful. The coffee is very good. Lots of different juices, breads and rolls etc are available daily and the hot buffett choices are extensive.
We cannot comment upon the various restaurants as we ate out every day. We can highly recommend Real Canoa just across the road. The menu is extensive, service excellent and food quality very good. Try the hot stone cooking and the beef on the skewer. The owner and waiters make everyone feel very welcome and people return regularly. The madeira as you arrive and different liqueurs given when you leave may have something to do with this, but we found that restaurants provide something extra. O Baroquiero, the fish restaurant near by is also highly recommended. The scabbard fish is excellent and portions are very large. Both of these restaurants are busy and booking is recommended.
We used the local buses, buying a card (50 cents) and charging it with 6 trips at 90 cents as this is far cheaper than paying the 2 euro's on the bus.We bought this at Joe's bottle store near the Monumental Lido hotel. The hotel runs a courtesy bus regularly throughout the day.
We can highly recommend the western, eastern and Nun's valley trips. The scenery is fantastic. We also enjoyed the cable car trip and visit to the Monte Palace gardens as well as levada walks.