Byt k pronájmu - Funchal

Everything met our expectations, and we enjoyed our stay at this apartment. The apartment is cozy, clean, and quiet with a spacious terrace. Also, the free parking in the apartment complex was a very nice bonus. I want to note the good Internet, which was enough for remote work. The host was very friendly and attentive.

Sousedství
The neighbourhood location is perfect! There are a lot of restaurants around there, a hypermarket Pingo Doce and Lido bathing complex is 6 minutes away by walk. Forum Madeira mall and natural swimming pools Doca do Cavacas are approx. 25 minutes away by walk or 7 minutes away by bus.

The apartment seemed to look nice on initial arrival, and so we thought we’d have no problems, the location is also great. But unfortunately this provided to be a very uncomfortable stay, and led to a lot of frustration and sleepless nights. Firstly, there is no AC in this apartment. I had known this and contacted the landlord to confirm and she comforted me by telling me that there is a big fan above the bed which keeps the room very cool. I thought I’d be fine, being as Madeira doesn’t get ridiculously hot due to it’s geographical position, but oh how I was wrong. The room was always so horrendously hot, it would always be warmer than it was outside and me and my partner could never sleep nor fully just relax in the apartment as it was so uncomfortable. It got to the point of being unbearable where we had to buy ourselves an extra fan to try mitigate the terrible heat that this apartment trapped in- it was cooler outside than it was inside all the time. We would often be covered in sweat, and eventually, the heat became so bad we started spending some nights at my partners parents house in Madeira. This apartment was a burden to us and to them…disgraceful.

Secondly, the natural light was such a big issue for me. I could never have one sleep where my body wouldn’t be disturbed by the natural light, so I never was able to have one night of continuous sleep here (+ the heat as explained above). As the landlord likely wanted to keep costs down for them, instead of thinking about the basic needs of their tenants, as well as no AC, there were no fitted blackout curtains. Just two blinds that were set so far from the window all the light managed to enter from the gapping sides, and a flimsy, sheer white curtain which was set in front of the large glass double door that led to the small terrace, so so much light just poured in as soon as the sun rose at 6am. Furthermore, the blind had been poorly fitted and if we went to just open the window to try lessen the boiling hot apartment, the blind would fall and every time we would have to fix it. It became a nuisance. We had to take matters into our hands again, by using a blind that they had hidden behind a cabinet and draping it over that curtain pole. It didn’t do much but we had to try something.

Thirdly, the hot water. When we went to have a shower, obviously one would want to take a lukewarm shower, not an ice cold one for 30 mins to wash their hair, or shave etc. The hot water just ran out after 30mins leaving me or my partner, to have to have a cold shower. So we had to start taking shorter showers, when we had been at the beach or out all day and just had wanted to come back to a relaxing shower. That was not an option at this shit show of an apartment!

Finally, the landlords attitude when faced with having to take care of their tenants. It was awful. On my last night, our keys had been left in the apartment and the door had been shut and locked itself (as it locks automatically) as we went for dinner with my partners parents at around 9pm-10pm. We realised as we left the apartment building neither of us had the key, and so we called Lucia the landlord. She was talking over me as I was trying to politely explain what happened, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt and blamed it on poor connection as she isn’t even in Madeira she is in South Africa, so no where near to properly assist to her tenants if need be. However when she did eventually listen to my problem, I was met with such a rude and, dare I say, bitchy tone, as she said she won’t do anything about it, regardless of the fact we had a flight the next morning at 7am, as the other woman who also assumed responsibility of the apartment and lives in Madeira, was asleep and she reused to wake her and said we’d just have to miss our flight as there is nothing she would do about it. After my polite plead for help, my partner had to use a more firm tone with her, in which she finally agreed to call the other woman to give us the spare set of keys she had. So we drove there, got them, and all was sorted- however, again lack of concern for tenants was apparent as they had not left any spare keys anywhere near the apartment.

So this whole stay was just not a peaceful experience, it was so problematic. From the hot temperature due to no AC, the flooding in of natural light at 6am due to poor efforts to install proper blackouts, to sleepless nights, and the rude/ unprofessional attitude of the main tenant Lucia…I would 100% never stay here again. I should note the apartment building itself had maggots just running around on the ground floor, and there was a crushed dead one on the elevator door- think it sums up the stay pretty well. Thanks.


LANDLORD'S REPLY:
Thanks for your comments and feedback. A few things were out of my control eg the uncharacteristic heat wave in Madeira that broke new temperature records. An aircon has not been needed in the past due to the normally moderate climate, but we will look at investing in this in the future. The unusually high temperatures probably also contributed to the maggots you saw, as the block is always kept in a very clean state. I will bring this up with the body corporate though.

I apologize if I was abrupt in the middle of the night, but I was caught off gaurd. We now have procedures in place if this happens again in the future.

Sousedství
Safe, friendly, just late at night you get druggies roaming around so heads up.

Doporučená místa v okolí
Ponta de sol

We had an amazing stay at this apartment. It's bright, clean, and quiet, with all the necessary amenities for a long stay. The location is fantastic, with parks, the Lido promenade, natural baths, a supermarket, and restaurants all within walking distance. Luisa is a hospitable and helpful host who is quick to respond. Highly recommended!

I thoroughly enjoyed staying at this apartment. A home away from home during my time in Madeira. The bed was comfortable, apartment gets a lot of natural light, and is fitted with all amenities. My only wish was for there to be cleaning supplies, and pegs for the laundry. Otherwise everything was great!

Sousedství
The hotel district is full of great restaurants and the mall just a 20 minute walk away. Also a nice walk to the centre of Funchal

Luisa was a splendid host and our stay was seamless and enjoyable. The apartment is located extremely conveniently and is comfortable to live in.
50+€/night is a great price for hotels and short stays but for a flat, it's still quite high.
Still, we're happy. Thank you, Luisa & Irene!

Lovely apartment recently renovated. There is a balcony overlooking the banana grove and the ocean. Great location with many restaurants, bars and grocery stores nearby. Fast and stable internet. The hostess was very welcoming, helped us with our requests. I recommend.

Sousedství
Main street with many bars and restaurants, no problems with public transportation