Hotel Escola

Recent Reviews: 182

• User:bonitab106

  Trip type: Couples

  Cancelled flight

  29 Mar 2026

  Late cancelled flight, booked last minute so wasn't sure what to expect. Friendly greeting by the night manager, helpful and chatty. Room was tired and past its best with chipped paintwork but clean and the bathroom was fine. Breakfast was good and again really friendly welcoming staff. Lovely view from the balcony. Pool area a little worn but we only viewed, didn't use. Daytime reception helpful and very friendly. We were only here for 12 hours total so can't complain for an emergency bed and breakfast at the end of a stressful evening.

  Read more

• User:tony a

  Trip type: Couples

  Ok for our 3 night stay.

  15 Jan 2026

  Friendly helpful staff and a good breakfast selection help make up for the fact that the hotel is past its prime. Spacious clean bedroom with balcony had lovely sea view and although functional/adequate, it was a little worn/tired ( eg mattress no longer comfortable). Bathroom again dated but liked bath tub and plentiful hot water & good water pressure.Ok for our short stay needs.

• User:Gerry R

  Trip type: Couples

  Unforgettable holiday in Funchal

  23 Nov 2023

  Our holiday at the Hotel Escola Funchal in November was amazing in every way. Staff were amazing, housekeeping looked after us every day, the reception staff were full of information and extremely helpful. Dinner was limited choice but was excellent quality so much that we ate most nights. The restaurant was quiet at night but it gave us a chance to speak with staff and find more information about the island and its attractions. All staff spoke a variety of languages which is a great asset to the hotel.Rooms were fine, clean and had good internet connection throughout the hotel. The air condition in our room was first class. We had lovely balcony where we sat most evenings looking out to sea. Hotel is at the end of one of the bus routes from the city centre, depending on traffic congestion it took 15-25 minutes. The service was very regular & dry reasonably priced, a single fare into the city was €1.95 however, one, three,five & seven day tickets were available. We purchased 2 five day tickets at €16.50 each . This ticket allowed you to use any of the city bus routes and these were numerous. All being well we will back to Hotel Escola as it has left us with so many memories.

  Read more

• User:Patel10007

  Trip type: Couples

  THIS HOTEL IS HELL.

  14 Aug 2023

  Everything was bad! I only booked due to the good reviews. DO NOT listen to the review rating. It was the worst hotel ever! There wasn't any Aircon. Outside was cooler than our room. We complained and they said there's nothing they can do. I told them we would leave on the first day and wanted our money back. They only then gave us an extra fan. The fans only blew the hot air around the room. Our body's were constantly covered in sweat. We were bitten a lot due to the huge vents and creatures coming out of the vent. I tried to book other hotels and was happy to pay more but they didn't have any rooms. We ended up spending the whole day out and only went there to try and get an hour sleep. The last night really was the icing on the cake. A lizard was running around our room and it came from the vents. They tried to catch it but couldn't. That was another night were we didn't sleep. They tried to make out it's because we left the doors open. We never even opened it due to the amount of bugs that were already in the room. There was no point even eating the breakfast due to nothing being covered. Flys were all over it. The trip went from bad to hell really quick. DO NOT BOOK THIS HOTEL. I need a holiday to recover from the nightmare.

  Read more

• User:Jim W

  Trip type: Couples

  Not good value for money.

  08 Mar 2020

  We had a ten day holiday in Madeira and booked on the strength of the good reviews on here. However, the only really standout thing about this hotel are the room cleaners who do a very good job. The rest of it is average at best.Food was adequate, but choices severely limited with no vegetarian option and no information on allergies provided. Service was perfunctory. One meal we had was a tuna steak which was cooked very badly, the result was more like tuna cardboard and our complaint was not taken seriously by the waiting staff.Sauna was closed, bar was closed, the pool had tiles missing all over and we did not use it. The room seemed dated and the air conditioning did not work.Comparing prices we could have stayed in a far better hotel nearer to Funchal for the same price which was disappointing to discover. Funchal really isn’t walkable from this hotel unless you are a keen walker, so taxis are necessary. It costs around 12 euros to get a taxi to Funchal if it’s a yellow cab, however they have just got Uber on this island which reduces the cost to about 8 euros.This hotel really does need updating and since it’s a school I doubt it will receive the investment it needs to bring it up to date, not even the pillows are comfortable being stuffed with foam chips!!There are many hotels nearer Funchal that are much, much nicer and are priced around the same - I would say avoid this place.

  Read more