Madalena Do Mar: Ancient house by the sea, in a subtropical ambient

If you like getting away from the tourist centres, being in a house that's got oodles of character and charm, offers comfort, space, great location, and a delightful garden, go and stay in this property, you won't be disappointed.

Huge thanks to our lovely hosts who were both very helpful and welcoming, while being very discrete. We really appreciated all the lovely extra touches: fresh cut flowers from the garden, food provisions to get us going, Madeira wine waiting on the side board, fresh exotic fruit ready to pick in the garden, and eggs directly from the hens out at the back.

The location, half way along the southern coast, is ideal for exploring all over the island and sunnier than many other parts.

Go and enjoy it!

Huge thanks to Maria and Miguel.

Once again we had a fantastic holiday in this fabulous house. The owners are friendly and helpful and they had even put up a Christmas tree for our holiday over Christmas and New Year's Eve. The house has been lovingly restored and is very well decorated. The rooms are all spacious and well equipped. I would recommend this property to anyone visiting Madeira. It is especially well suited to young families, with its fully enclosed courtyard and garden.

"A wonderful property, very spacious and well appointed. Everything was exactly as described and we were very happy with our holiday in Madalena Do Mar. We hope to return soon."

"Everything was like the describtion."

"The was absolutely nothing that we would not like about the property and its location. Everything we had we also wanted and appreciated.

This beautiful property, set only meters from the ocean amid banana groves in Madalena do Mar could hardly be more welcoming. In particular it will appeal to the poetic, romantic, nature and/or sports and yoga minded holiday maker, whether families or good friends. It definitely conveys the dignified spirit of authentic Madeiran home and life (do have a look at the great book on Madeiran architecture in the huge cosy living room), without being falsely nostalgic or kitchy.

The house is very spatious and comfortable, well equipped with everything one might reasonably need on a self-catering holiday, and certainly well-kept and very clean.

The views are not "spectacular" or "stunning", as the house is almost at the sea level. But we never got tired of admiring the quaint privacy of the gardens, the beauty of the house itself, the rock faces behind the house (complete with small waterfalls... very zen!), the banana groves, and of listening to the ocean. The ocean is best and very romantically admired from the mirador over the front gate, where we had most breakfasts.

PARAGLIDERS, attention - you can land on the beach right in front of the house! The house indeed offers first-class paragliding holidays. The non-flying entourage won''t be bored either.

To be honest, some people might find it unpleasant that there is a road between the house and the beach. We did not find it a problem. The property is well protected. We never got woken up by traffic. It is however advisable to have someone give the driver the indications about the situation on the road while getting the car out of the garage.

MADALENA DO MAR is a nice, real, extended seafront settlement, among the sunniest on the island. We enjoyed the immediate presence of the ocean and the local scene very much. Very close to the house is the "Taberna" (nice and fun both during the day and vibrant nights) and the more refined of the two fish restaurants. We, however, preferred its rougher genuine counterpart up the road, well within walking distance. Madalena is not too far from Funchal, and is a great point of departure for trips around most of the island. In fact, after having seen most of the island, we concluded we wouldn''t want to stay anywhere else."