Rua Carvalho Araujo 9, Funchal, Portugal
Affordable apartment-style hotel in a central location
Spacious units are bright and have well-equipped kitchens
In-room AC, flat-screen TVs, mini-fridges, microwaves, and coffeemakers
All units have furnished terraces
Full-service buffet restaurant and lobby bar
Sizable pool with a deck overlooking the ocean
On-site squash court and a sauna
Free on-site parking
20-minute walk to the center of Funchal
Units have dated decor and show wear
No in-room Wi-Fi
Food gets mixed reviews
The two-and-a-half-pearl Madeira Regency Club is a strong budget option for apartment-style accommodations -- but walking to the town center is a bit of a hike. The hotel’s 96 units are large and bright, with decently equipped kitchens and furnished terraces, but the decor is tired, and they could use a revamp. Standard amenities include AC, flat-screen TVs, mini-fridges, microwaves, coffeemakers, and safes, but Wi-Fi is only available in the property's public spaces. Features include a sizable saltwater pool and deck with views of the Atlantic, and a fitness area with a squash court and sauna. Buffet meals are served in the hotel’s full-service restaurant, but the food gets mixed reviews. Guests looking to stay closer to the center of Funchal might want to try the Pestana Bay Ocean Aparthotel.
Scene
A solid budget hotel for couples and other leisure travelers
From the outside, Madeira Regency Club looks like a cruise ship, with an undulating concrete facade accented with flashes of aquamarine. Inside, the lobby is centered around a vast atrium, which has scuffed limestone floors and aging wood furniture. There's a bar on one end of the space, and a seating area on the other, with murky, gray-brown carpet, low, tiled ceilings, and pleather bucket chairs. The nautical theme continues in the restaurant, with large pictures of yachts covering walls, blue-and-white-striped fabric draped across the ceiling, and directors’ chairs at tables clothed with white linen. The hotel tends to attract couples and other leisure travelers willing to look past dated decor in favor of a solid budget stay.
Location
Close to the port and marina, with restaurants and shops, but far from old town
Madeira Regency Club is roughly a five-minute walk to Funchal’s port and marina, but getting to old town takes 20 minutes on foot, or a five-minute drive. The marina area is quieter than the center of town, but it nonetheless has plenty of shops, bars, and restaurants to keep visitors entertained. Farther afield, Madeira’s botanical gardens is a 15-minute drive from the hotel, as is the Monte palace. Expect a 20-minute drive from the hotel to reach Madeira Airport.
Rooms
Bright and spacious, with terraces and well-equipped kitchens, but dated decor
The 96 apartment-style units at the Madeira Regency Club are all sizable and bright, and they feature furnished terraces, but decor is dated. They also show wear, with chipped paint on walls and scuff marks on carpeting. Standard apartments have single bedrooms with desks and chairs separated from living rooms by stripy curtains that match bedspreads. Living rooms contain beige sofas, dining tables, blue damask armchairs, and flat-screen TVs, but there's no Wi-Fi in units. Kitchens are small but decently equipped, with mini-fridges, four-burner electric ranges, ovens, microwaves, coffeemakers, and basic cookware. Bathrooms have shower/tub combos with plastic curtains and bidets.
Features
Saltwater pool and deck with ocean views, but mediocre food at the buffet restaurant
The hotel's teardrop-shaped saltwater pool and deck overlooking the Atlantic is easily this hotel's best feature. It's accessible via a bridge that spans the road in front of the hotel, and down a spiral staircase. The pool is sizable, and there's an enclosed shallow kiddie pool, plus a jetty that juts out into the ocean. The hotel has a full-service buffet restaurant on-site, although guests have reported that the food is mediocre at best. There's also a lobby bar, a fitness area with a squash court and a sauna, and secure on-site parking. Wi-Fi is free, but only available in the lobby.