"We’ve just finished another two weeks at Pestana Miramar, and this year marks our 11th consecutive year coming here. So we’ve definitely seen a lot of changes over the years!
Overall, we’ve had another really good holiday and would absolutely come back again. There’s obviously a reason we’ve chosen to spend our holidays here every year for the last 11 years!
The apartments are still great. They’re spacious, comfortable and have everything you need if, like us, you prefer to do some self-catering. The air con in our apartment was good and, although the bed is a little on the hard side, it’s generally comfortable. The oven can be a bit of a challenge to work out, but once you get the hang of it, it does the job.
The gym is one thing that really hasn’t changed, though! There’s still no air con and the equipment is quite limited. It would be nice to see this given a bit of attention, especially as it can get pretty warm in there.
The WiFi could definitely do with an upgrade too. It keeps dropping out and you can’t really rely on it, particularly as it doesn’t reach all areas of the apartment.
One of the best things about this year has been the daytime activities, especially the Aqua Fit and Aqua Zumba with Abdel. He has been brilliant - really fun, energetic and engaging. There has been a great crowd in the pool for the sessions and everyone seems to have really enjoyed them. In previous years the aqua activities have been in the indoor pool, which is very warm, and when you’re on holiday and the sun is shining, that’s not really where you want to be! Having the activities outside this year has made such a difference. Abdel has definitely been a highlight.
The pool itself is generally well maintained, but we have noticed a bit of a decline over the years. This year there seemed to be less of a pool-boy presence and, at times, the pool could definitely have done with more cleaning. There were occasions when you could actually see dirt in the water.
We were also told this year that inflatables weren’t allowed because of complaints about splashing. We can understand that, but it did seem a bit inconsistent when there were plenty of occasions where children were jumping in, splashing and throwing balls around, with balls sometimes flying out of the pool towards people on the sunbeds. Quite often there didn’t seem to be anyone around to monitor it, or nothing was said when someone was there. It would be good if the rules were just applied consistently to everyone.
We also really missed the happy hour cocktails at the outdoor pool bar - it’s a shame they’ve gone. And the burger bar at lunchtime wasn’t there this year, which was another big disappointment as we always enjoyed that and definitely missed it!
The staff are, as always, generally really friendly and kind, and we still love the location. It’s in a great spot between central Funchal and the big shopping centre, so you can head either way depending on what you fancy. It’s about a 30-minute walk into the marina and central Funchal, which suits us perfectly.
So, after 11 years of coming here every year, we’re still fans of Pestana Miramar and will be back. There are definitely a few things we’d like to see improved - particularly the gym, WiFi and some of the pool facilities - and we do miss some of the things that have disappeared over the years.
But the apartments, location, friendly staff and, this year especially, the daytime activities still make this a place we’re very happy to come back to.
And a big thank you to Abdel - you’ve definitely made the aqua sessions something to look forward to this year! 👏"
