Escola - Funchal

Visited for lunch. There was a buffet on offer (starters and mains) for 8.50 each which was very good value. We were shown to our table high ceilings and lovely... read more Visited for lunch. There was a buffet on offer (starters and mains) for 8.50 each which was very good value. We were shown to our table high ceilings and lovely comfy chairs, and the table nicely laid out. There was a calm and relaxing atmosphere which was very nice. The staff are clearly in training, quite apprehensive but very willing to do their best and were very good. I started with the tomato soup which was nice. We so had a salad which h was good. This was followed by beef bourguignon the sauce was excellent meat a little tough, usual for Madeira, and the roasted potatoes were excellent. We also had the scabbard fish which was excellent. We so had white wine that was very nice. This was our first visit to this place it is an excellent initiative, where the whole experience was very good and well worth a visit.

We 've been coming to this restaurant for several years now and have always been impressed with the service, the tastey food and the atmosphere. However, I have... read more We 've been coming to this restaurant for several years now and have always been impressed with the service, the tastey food and the atmosphere. However, I have to say that our visit last week proved to be a huge disasppointmnet, The service was really bad especially as this is an establishment which trains 'hospita;lity students '.. No one welcomed us.(even though we 'd booked in advance), our chairs were not pulled out for us and the sel service procedure was not explained to us. In the past, we 'd had waiter service but it seemed that it had changed to a help yourself buffet! We were left sitting not knowing what we were to do. We had to take our cue from the other diners! The choice of food was very limited soup or salad.for stasrtes and 2 fish dishes for the main course (pork with clams or some sort of fish in a sauce)! Consequently, my partner, who is allergic to fish, just had salad vegetables.: This was unacceptable! Into the bargain, the vegetables were over cooked, mushy and tastleless. There was absolutely no atmosphere at all, the waitresses talked among themselves near the till and not one of them came to check that we were satisfied with our meal. Yes we were very very disappointed and will not be going back there. We shall no longer promote this restaurant to friends and people we meet on holiday, as we have done in the past: as poor auality food, bad service and a disappointing experience is not something that we advise.

Having had many good buffet lunches here, prior to covid , our expectations were low having read the latest post covid reviews on TripAdvisor . However all was... read more Having had many good buffet lunches here, prior to covid , our expectations were low having read the latest post covid reviews on TripAdvisor . However all was fine. For 12 euros you get a choice of soup, plus 2 main dishes to choose from and a drink. Less choice than in the past but totally adequate and good value as you can keep returning to top up one’s plate! A choice from the sweet trolley is an extra 3 euros. The soup I had was pleasant enough and the tuna steak dish had a lovely sauce. The student waiters were attentive and friendly. The restaurant was full. TripAdvisor customers may no longer be turning up but others are!

Good food, good prices, relaxed atmosphere! read more Good food, good prices, relaxed atmosphere!

The accomodation was really close to the sea and the city The negative side is that the internet is awful and if you get to stay here for more than 3 days you w... read more The accomodation was really close to the sea and the city The negative side is that the internet is awful and if you get to stay here for more than 3 days you will get tired of the same breackfast they offer.Every day the same food and not a great diversity Inside is clean although it smells like mold maybe because of the humidity in the air The pool isn t as big as they show in the images but you can still have a good time The parking was ok no additional charges The staff was very friendly no doubt Overall it was a good place to stay but i would kindly ask the hotel to change the breakfast menu