Pensão Astoria

Pensão Astoria is a three-star guesthouse at Rua João Gago 10, in the Zona Velha, the old town of Funchal, Madeira. The street is close to the waterfront, the Mercado dos Lavradores, the cathedral and Rua de Santa Maria, famed for its painted doors and traditional restaurants, so nearly all of Funchal's central sights can be reached on foot. The cable car to Monte and the marina's boat departures are also nearby, and the airport is about 20 kilometres to the east. A pensão is a traditional Portuguese guesthouse, simpler than a hotel and priced accordingly, and this one falls in the budget bracket with a guest rating of about 3.7 in the data held for this guide. The building offers single, double, twin and triple rooms with cable television and in-room safes, allowing solo travellers, couples and small groups of friends to be accommodated. Facilities are modest but practical: a rooftop terrace for relaxing and looking over the old town, free wi-fi, self-service laundry, luggage storage and a 24-hour front desk, which helps with late arrivals and early departures. There is no restaurant or spa listed, so meals are taken in the many cafes and restaurants of the surrounding streets, where typical Madeiran fare such as espetada, grilled limpets, espada and bolo do caco is on offer at a range of prices. The guesthouse is aimed at independent travellers and backpackers who value location and price over services, and the self-service laundry is a useful feature for longer trips around the island. Staff can help with directions, bus information and local tour bookings. The old town is lively in the evenings, particularly on Rua de Santa Maria, so some noise is likely, and guests who are light sleepers should ask for a quieter room. Streets behind the waterfront climb steeply, but the immediate area is largely level.