Amazing Views......

Aug 2009 for one week

Apartment: On entering you are met by spectacular views of Funchal Harbour & surrounding hills. At night the view is transformed into a vista of twinkling lights - nice to sleep with the large picture windows open - the breeze is welcome on warm evenings as the apartment does not feature air conditioning. Very well appointed - far more so than most self-catering accommodation & there really is no need to take anything with you other than beach towels.

Area: The apartment is well located (opposite Reids Hotel) & a large selection of shops & restaurants are all within walkable distance. Beneath the apartment is a bakery/coffee shop, ice cream parlour, 2 minimarkets & cashpoint. Recommend shopping at the local "Pinga Doce" supermarket (opposite the Lido) as prices are noticeably cheaper.

In general: We intended to hire a car for 2 days but didn't need to in the end. There are some fairly steep hills to navigate so wear sensible shoes - Ladies, heels are definitely out unless you plan on taking a bus or taxi everywhere. Not really a suitable holiday for young children in pushchairs, the wheelchair bound, or those with limited walking abilities. The restaurants in Funchal old town tend to offer better value for money & authentic charm than some of the more modern establishments. There are plenty of timeshare touts about so be prepared to be firm & decline the offer of a 90 minute introduction session!

Recommended: Tokos Restaurant - leave the building & turn right up the hill. About 300 yds on the left. Eccentric owner/chef but exquisite food & a delightful experience. Not cheap but worth every Euro.
The Lido - leave the building & turn right up the slight hill. Walk past Reids Hotel & turn left at Bus Stop. Down the steep hill about 200 yds. Fabulous safe sea swimming. Flip flops are a must as the tiles get very hot. Take a picnic as the cafe can work out expensive. About a 15 min walk. €10 gains entry for two, plus two sunbeds plus a parasol for the day.
Tour of West of the Island incl lunch - fabulous views. Try for a minibus tour as opposed to a coach.
Cable cars up to Monte - touristy but an absolute must, worth it for the views of the town. Toboggans fun to watch, but not much of a ride for your money
Reids Hotel for afternoon tea - expensive, but just one of those things you should do in your lifetime!

Thanks to Robin! Everything went very smoothly - even the 5am taxi transfer.

This was our first trip to Madeira and was a special birthday trip, as it was somewhere I have always wanted to visit. Funchal lived up to all expectations.
The apartment is exactly as it says on the tin. It is ideally situated for walking into town and along to the old town, or in the opposite direction to the Lido.
The aroma of newly baked bread, coming up from the bakery below, when getting up in the morning is enticing to say the least. And their cakes are to die for!
The views from the apartment are truly fantastic. You are much closer to the bay below than the photograph indicates.
There are lots of restaurants close by, and really regular bus services from the road immediately below the apartment if you choose to eat further afield.
We would certainly visit Madeira again and would have no hesitation in booking this apartment to stay in.

This apartment is in an excellent position overlooking the harbour at Funchal. It is very convenient, being within walking distance of many restaurants and on the bus route into the centre of Funchal. As my husband has walking difficulties, the apartment was very suitable as there was a lift to the fifth floor and no stairs within the apartment. Supermarkets, Car Hire and Bakery on the ground floor of the apartment block but for more reasonably priced food go to the Hypermarket at Madeira Forum - 4 bus-stops away. Swimming pool very cold - not recommended in January! Overall, we had a super break and all the Christmas lights were still up for most of the time which gave fantastic evening views from the apartment, Robin was very helpful when we arrived, arranging a taxi pick-up at the airport and then organising our return journey. Some of the fittings and fixtures could do with some up-dating which Robin is aware of eg. broken window, bathroom lights, drainage from kitchen sink. We would return to the apartment if we visited Madeira again ( when the £ and Euro are a better rate - currently it is an expensive holiday)

We spent a wonderful 3 weeks here in December including Christmas....

The location is quite simply amazing, we've been back and forth to Madeira for the last ten years and this apartment beats a Hotel anytime.

The views are quite simply awesome. We had the dubious pleasure of some very dodgy weather over Christmas, but just watching the clouds and the rain coming in from the sea over the bay and into the mountains was quite spectacular and we took some superb photographs from here.

The apartment itself is nicely appointed and situated within a prestigious building opposite Reids and is just a short walk down to Funchal. There are plenty of little shops and a bakery on the doorstep.

We would heartily recomend this condo. to any prospective holidaymaker.

Also a big thanks to Robin for his exceptional communication and organisational skills. Although we never met him, he was only a text message or a phone call away and was extremely helpful and friendly.

Robin's apartment in Funchal was so lovely and the view so spectacular, that we ended up not leaving it for the first two days (other than suntanning and swimming in the pool)!! For being just a short walk out of town, you are rewarded with an incredible view that is even better than Reids Hotel's terrace view.

The apartment has fantastic amenities (oven, dishwasher, stove, freezer etc.) so instead of dining out regularly we zipped to supermarkets for fresh seafood and picanha meat. Robin, thanks for the tip on buying fish and the like at the larger supermarkets rather than the town's local market - we really took advantage of this. And we went twice to the Frango do Guiia restaurant you mentioned as their grill-on-table and foot-long skewer meats were too good not to go back to.

Having both a car space and a washing machine available was a godsend for doing levada hiking, and the apartment is not a far walk from the levada trail that goes through Funchal.

I really do believe that staying in the great apartment made our holiday that much better, so much so that Madeira is at the top of our places to return to.

A travel tip - halfway on the Marina walk between the apartment to Funchal town, there is a lone bar/restaurant at the end of a jetty simply called The Beerhouse. They make their own brew which is unmissable and you can sit outside til late watching the moonrise over the yachts. We went about four times. Magic!

Great apartment for scenic views over Funchal. We found the harbour views interesting just watching all the various craft. Ocean Liners to the Spanish Navy ( Yes, Spanish).
Take binoculars with you for the best views.
We used the local buses which stop right outside the apartment, and are great value, if you pre-pay.
Robin met us on arrival and explained everything about the apartment, and gave excellent restaurant advice.

We could not have wished for a better place to stay than in this excellent spot. Just west of central Funchal, but very well placed for restaurants and buses, the flat was spotless, quiet, comfortable and had stupendous views which were a delight at any time of day or night. One day we even watched as whales were spouting out in the bay, some 500m offshore! Our main interest was to go walking on the levadas, which we were able to do easily from here. We hired a car for several days (not essential) so the garage facility was very useful, with the flat very well placed for easy access to the main route to go back to the airport. Would we stay there again? Most certainly!

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay in the apartment, which had everything we needed. Apart from the great view, there was a secure entrance and we rarely saw or heard anyone else in the block, and usually had the pool to ourselves.

Robin was very helpful and met us from the airport bus, showed us the flat and explained where everything was, including the workings of the basement garage! (which incidentally was priceless when we hired a car). We didn't use the bakery like everyone else seems to have done (!), but the little supermarket stayed open late and stocked most of the essentials.

As others have mentioned, the centre of the town was about 20 minutes walk away, though you might want to catch a bus back as it's uphill and can be a struggle if you have been walking all day! We invested in a bus timetable, the local (yellow) buses are very cheap and go to several of the edge-of-town tourist sites.

Robin was very happy to accomodate our wish to stay Wednesday to Wednesday so we could catch a cheaper midweek flight. Considering the use of the pool and all the other facilities (such as fridge, freezer, washing machine and dishwasher) we feel the apartment represents good value for money

Some noise does carry from the road, and from the adjoining hotels during the evening, but that was a minor irritation and a price well worth paying as the location was so very convenient.