Some links on this page are affiliate links: if you book through them, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. How this works
Visitors who have seen the photographs of pools that seem to spill into the Atlantic often ask where to find one in Funchal. A Madeira infinity pool hotel is not what the city's hotels list: none of the well-rated hotels and aparthotels in Funchal describes an infinity pool. What they have instead is a wide range of other pools, many of them on cliffs above the sea.
More than 40 of the 58 hotels and aparthotels scoring 7.0 or more have a pool. Reid's Palace has heated seawater and freshwater pools and a tidal pool at sea level; the quintas have lagoon pools in their gardens; the centre has rooftop pools; and many hotels have a heated indoor pool for the cooler months. Prices are from a sample search, two adults for two nights from 10 to 12 October 2026, and move with the dates.
For the view over the sea from the water, the Lido hotels on the cliffs come closest.
Three hotels with three kinds of pool.
Seawater and tidalReid's Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Madeira
Three pools, two heated, one of seawater, and a tidal pool at sea level, 9.5 from 519 reviews
Garden poolQuinta Jardins do Lago
A large lagoon-style pool in botanical gardens, with a poolside bar under mango trees, 9.7 from 541 reviews
RooftopBarceló Funchal Oldtown
A rooftop pool in the centre on Rua da Alfândega, 9.0 from 1,868 reviews
Pools on the sea
The common mistake is to look for a beach below a Funchal hotel. The sea is reached from pools and platforms on the rock.
Reid's Palace has three swimming pools, two heated, one of seawater and one of freshwater, and a tidal pool at sea level with access to the ocean; its kids' club has a children's pool of its own. It scores 9.5 from 519 reviews and cost about €1,926 for the two October nights.
The Royal Savoy, in the bay, has two heated lagoon-style pools and private ocean access, 8.8 from 227 for about €817. The Quinta da Penha de França, in tropical gardens, has two outdoor seawater pools and access to the sea, 8.4 from 2,822 for about €353, the lowest price of the pools on the sea.
The Pestana Grand, on the rock of Ponta da Cruz, has a large saltwater pool and a panoramic indoor pool, 8.3 from 877 for about €969. The Pestana Vila Lido, beachfront, has a pool with a view and direct access to a private beach area, 9.1 from 1,386.
Below the Lido hotels, the public Complexo Balnear do Lido, with a Blue Flag in 2026, costs €6 a visit on the Frente MarFunchal tariff, in season from June to September.
- Hotels with a pool
- More than 40 of 58
- Infinity pools listed
- None
- Rooftop pools
- At least 8
- Resort with most pools
- Vila Porto Mare, 5
- Public Lido complex
- €6 a visit, June to September
Lagoon pools in the gardens
Visitors often assume the best pools are on the seafront. Some of the most striking are in the gardens above the city.
Quinta Jardins do Lago, the highest-ranked hotel in the city, has a large lagoon-style pool surrounded by sun terraces, and a poolside bar among mango trees and flowers, 9.7 from 541 reviews for about €717.
On the Lido, the Suite Hotel Eden Mar has a lagoon-style outdoor pool in tropical gardens over the Atlantic, an indoor pool and a children's pool, 8.7 from 541 for about €626, and The Residence Porto Mare shares the 5 pools of the Vila Porto Mare resort, 9.1 from 307 for about €705.
Casa Velha do Palheiro has an outdoor pool in the old Palheiro gardens and a heated indoor pool in its spa, free for guests, 9.3 from 290 for about €1,042. Quinta Mirabela, in Monte, has a sea-view outdoor pool, 8.6 from 689 for about €422.
Pools at a glance
- Seawater and tidal pools
- Reid's Palace
- Two seawater pools
- Quinta da Penha de França
- Five pools
- Vila Porto Mare resort
- Lagoon pool
- Quinta Jardins do Lago, Eden Mar
- Heated indoor pool
- Baía Azul, Golden Residence, Casa Velha
Rooftop pools in the centre
People often trade a pool for a central address. In Funchal, several central hotels have both.
At least eight hotels in the sample list a rooftop pool. In the centre, the Barceló Funchal Oldtown, a five-star on Rua da Alfândega, scores 9.0 from 1,868 reviews for about €584; the Madeira TURIM Santa Maria, on Rua João de Deus, 8.9 from 2,251 for about €671; and NEXT, of the Savoy group, 8.7 from 2,111 for about €844.
Moon & Sun, on the Avenida do Infante, has a rooftop pool with a pool bar, 9.1 from 102 for about €655. The Editory Garden Carmo, a three-star close to the cathedral, has a rooftop pool over the city and the Atlantic, 8.6 from 185 for about €348, and the Hotel Windsor, a four-star on Rua das Hortas, one too, 7.1 from 239 for about €272.
On the Lido, the Allegro Madeira, adults-only, has an outdoor pool and a 360° rooftop bar, and the Terrace Mar Suite Hotel a rooftop pool with an outdoor hot tub, 8.6 from 683 for about €275.
A rooftop pool is for a swim and the view: for lengths, the resort pools of the Lido suit better.
A four-star by the Lido with 3 pools, one of them heated and indoors in the spa, 9.0 from 1,031 reviews.
Heated and indoor pools
The mistake is to assume an outdoor pool is warm all year. In winter, the heated indoor pools are the ones in use.
The sea off Funchal is at its coolest in March, at about 17.6 °C, and above 20 °C only from June to November, so for a winter stay, a heated or indoor pool matters.
The Hotel Baía Azul has 3 pools, one of them a heated indoor pool in its spa, 9.0 from 1,031 reviews for about €368. The Golden Residence, over Praia Formosa, has an outdoor pool and a heated indoor pool, 8.6 from 2,400 for about €352. The Hotel Orca Praia, adults-only, on a cliff over a sandy beach, has an outdoor pool with panoramic views, 8.6 from 429 for about €485.
Many of the resorts have an indoor pool beside the outdoor one: the Meliá Madeira Mare, the Enotel Lido, the Pestana Promenade, the Madeira Panorâmico, the Pestana Miramar, the Suite Hotel Jardins da Ajuda and The Views Baía, among others. Several list their outdoor pool as open all year, among them the Pestana Casino Studios, Quinta Funchal Gardens, The Editory Ocean Way and the Pestana Quinta Perestrello.
Ask whether the outdoor pool is heated in the month you travel: the listings do not always say.
A pool is easier to find in the Lido hotels than in the old town.Resorts and value
Visitors often think a big pool means a big price. Several of the resort pools come with four-star rates.
The Vila Porto Mare resort has 5 pools in its tropical garden on the oceanfront; the Hotel Porto Mare there scores 8.9 from 1,067 reviews for about €757. The Views Baía, adults-only, has 2 pools, one indoor and one outdoor, 8.9 from 2,503 for about €454.
At the lower end, the Suite Hotel Jardins da Ajuda has indoor and outdoor pools and a children's pool, 7.9 from 3,214 for about €288. The Florasol Residence, a three-star with a large outdoor pool, cost about €306, and the Hotel Escola, with an outdoor pool, about €228, the lowest among the hotels with a pool.
The Apartamentos Quinta Mãe dos Homens, above the old town, have an outdoor pool and apartments over the bay, 8.5 from 728 for about €299.
For a swim without a hotel pool, the Lido bathing complex and the beach at Praia Formosa are open to all, both with a Blue Flag on the 2026 list. The beaches guide covers them.
A renovated three-star near the cathedral with a rooftop pool over the city and the Atlantic, 8.6 from 185 reviews.
Common questions
Is there an infinity pool hotel in Funchal?
None of the well-rated hotels in Funchal describes an infinity pool; the clifftop pools of the Lido and Reid's tidal pool come closest to swimming by the sea.
Which Funchal hotels have a heated pool?
Reid's Palace, the Royal Savoy, the Hotel Baía Azul, the Golden Residence and Casa Velha do Palheiro list heated pools.
Are there hotels with rooftop pools in central Funchal?
Yes: the Barceló Funchal Oldtown, the TURIM Santa Maria, NEXT, Moon & Sun and The Editory Garden Carmo, among others.
