Description
The Pestana Casino Studio boasts a fantastic location, only 5 minutes from Funchal’s bustling city centre and a 3 minute walk from the popular casino, one of the city’s main entertainment spots.
The studios are spacious and brightly decorated with private balconies; some even have panoramic sea views. All rooms have air-conditioning, LCD TVs, free Wi-Fi and a kitchenette, giving you the freedom to eat in or enjoy a leisurely homemade breakfast in your room.
You have access to the Pestana Casino Studios’ outdoor swimming pool, but one of the main advantages is that the studios’ guests can enjoy the facilities at the neighbouring Pestana Casino Park Hotel such as the spa which includes an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi, Turkish bath and sauna as well as a gym and a range of massage and beauty treatments.
The kitchenette gives you the opportunity to cook delicious meals using local ingredients, but if you want a night off from the cooking, you can dine in one of Pestana Casino Park’s four restaurants.
The Panorâmico restaurant serves thematic dinners accompanied by live entertainment whilst overlooking the hotel pool and harbour. The Sunset restaurant offers a more intimate setting with à la carte menus featuring Portuguese and international dishes and excellent views of the port. For lighter meals and drinks, Aqua-Café Bar provides the perfect venue for a snack and an online catch-up using its free Wi-Fi. The Dockside is an outdoor restaurant adjacent to the Casino Park’s pool and serves a diverse salad buffet and a number meat and fish dishes from the barbecue, it also serves delicious cocktails.
Pestana Casino Studios has paid parking.
Relax in the charming, green city of Funchal on the island of Madeira. Surrounded by mountains, this vibrant city faces the depths of the blue Atlantic and boasts a mild climate all year round.
Funchal is Madeira’s oldest city and where the island’s first settlement was established. Exploring the old town you can spot testaments to its history through some of the remaining 15th century buildings such as the Corpo Santo Chapel. The Rua de Santa Maria is one of the city’s oldest streets and you will spot some old family-run businesses.
Its prime position in the Atlantic means that Madeira has often been used as a stopover for ships traversing the Atlantic, and as its main port city, Funchal became a key trading point. The city has come on a long way from its roots as a fennel-growing pirate haven and has evolved into a world class destination renowned for its modern and lively atmosphere with many great restaurants, hotels and entertainment venues, not to mention the natural beauty surrounding the city.
It is one of the main ports of call for cruise liners and many cruise ships berth in Funchal on their maiden voyage. Seeing multiple cruise ships in port is quite a usual sight in this city and the cafes, restaurants and historic centre are just moments away from the port. The nightlife scene has much to offer visitors with bars and clubs open until the early hours and the popular Madeira Casino offering nightly entertainment.
Alongside the popular cosmopolitan areas like Funchal, Madeira is a rich, beautiful island with experiences to cater to many tastes. With nearly two thirds of the island’s surface classified as a nature reserve, there is no shortage of beautiful natural scenery. One of the most popular activities is hiking along the Levadas and mountains; these routes follow the 16th century ‘Levadas’ which are open air canals used to carry water from the dense forests and waterfalls to the island’s towns and cities. These hikes take you through some of the greenest parts of the island and you can marvel at the luscious laurel forests and picturesque waterfalls.
For those looking for adventurous breaks, Madeira has a wealth of activities including diving, surfing, swimming with dolphins, boat trips, mountain-biking, canyoning and even coastal paragliding. Many of the island’s hotels have swimming pools so you are never far from somewhere to cool off.
Like many archipelagos, Madeira has a number of fascinating customs and delicacies that are unique to the island. The toboggan rides through the city of Funchal, where people barrel down steep hills in large wicker baskets aided by ‘drivers’ in boater hats, is an intriguing sight to behold and an exhilarating experience. As an island nation, seafood plays a huge role in Madeira’s gastronomy, but its mild year-round climate creates the perfect conditions to grow delicious produce such as bananas, pineapples and sugar cane. One of the island’s traditional drinks is ‘Poncha’ made with brandy cane sugar, lemons and honey and no trip would be complete without sampling some traditional Madeira wine.
It typically takes 4 hours (direct) or between 5-6 hours (connecting) to fly to Madeira from the UK. Some airlines (such as British Airways, Easyjet and Jet2) offer direct flights to the island, while others connect via Lisbon.
