Atlantic View Penthouse

Afonso is a fabulous host, very welcoming and helpful and kept us up to date all along the way. The apartment being on the top floor with large balcony has a brilliant view over the city and harbour where we watched the cruise shops arriving and departing, the cable car and life in general. The property is well provisioned and comfortable. It is only a few minutes walk into the town with its diverse shops and restaurants. Not much of a hill to get back either. Being in the centre of a city it was obviously subject to some traffic noise etc but that applies everywhere in a city. Great stay and thanks for the welcome pack - the Madeira wine and biscuits are amazing.

On arrival the apartment was very clean with everything you could require for a short holiday. The kitchen was well equipped, the fans in the living area and bedroom were especially useful and the provided hairdryer was powerful. The bed was very comfortable and, with the bedroom shutters closed we could confidently leave the French doors onto the terrace open all night - necessary, as there is no air conditioning. The highlight for us was definitely the terrace, with fabulous views over Funchal. Of course, this means that everything is either uphill or downhill, and as a mature couple with joint problems we did find this challenging, but taxis are reasonably priced. Afonso was super helpful, providing lots of information, responding to our queries very quickly, and even kindly storing our luggage after check out time. As we arrived in the late evening, we would have appreciated a small supply of milk, coffee etc but Afonso did leave a lovely welcome gift of fruit and local Madeira products including wine and biscuits.. We stayed for 2 weeks and were disappointed that there was no cleaning or change of bed linen and towels mid way through without additional cost, despite there being no reduction in price for the second week. Some cleaning products were provided and there is a washing machine - but as I was on holiday, I only did the essentials. We didn’t notice a barbecue or beach towels, so do check with Afonso if there are important for your stay.

Lovely apartment. Great terrace. Good communication with Alfonso. Easy walking distance to old town where there are great local restaurants (snack bars). Supermarket 7 mins downhill and a bit longer on the way back up the hill! Well positioned for old town and all local amenities.

Everything was fine!