Casa da Achada in Arco da Calheta

Very much enjoined

The house itself was okay. Cleanliness could have been better, spider webs on doors, cupboards and even the sofa when we arrived. Rooms were spacious though poorly lit, giving everything a bit of a dim, creepy feel. Décor could do with a major update but this is as shown in the pictures so this doesn't affect my rating, but the mirrors that are hanging off electrical wires pulled from holes drilled in the wall were a bit concerning! Living room was the only room we felt comfortable in, which is actually quite nice. The beds were all very uncomfortable. The exterior was again as seen in the pictures and there's a great view overlooking the town about 20-30m down the road. A car is essential for this place as there are no shops in walking distance. Unless you're hiring a car with a very high clearance, it's not suitable and you'll have to park on the fairly busy road. We hired a SEAT Arona and the car still scraped on the driveway floor as it's that steep. This should be made clear in the description as off road parking is something a lot look for and it's completely unsuitable. If you do manage to get your car in the drive, then you won't be using the outdoor table much as all you'll have is a view of your car's boot. Our biggest problem by far with this place though was how noisy it was. When you're trying to get to sleep there were dogs constantly barking from 9pm to around 3am. This wouldn't have been such a problem if you could at least have had a lie in during the morning, but at 8-9am expect to be woken up by people blasting their horns for seemingly no reason as they speed past your bedroom window, a bus that goes past every half hour or so that is so loud it shakes the apartment and if either of those didn't wake you, the van shouting over a megaphone as it repeatedly drives up and down the road will - we still no idea what this was about. We thought there was an emergency at first as it was repeatedly driving up and down the road some mornings screaming something over the megaphone in Portuguese but it was just a plain white van and then played music down it on other mornings. We are still both absolutely clueless as to what this was about. We weren't expecting much considering the price, but we expected a decent night's sleep at least, something neither of us got the whole holiday thanks to uncomfy beds, dogs barking and the random megaphone van/car horns/busses at 8am. We both loved Madeira but not the accommodation.

We fully enjoyed our stay in this property in Arco de Calheta. The house is very spacious and has all necessary equipment. The host communicated promptly and helped us with everything we needed. We also had electric heaters from the host for the chilli evenings. The location is great for trips to the western part of the island and mountain hikes in the central part of the island. Calheta is just a few minutes drive and there is a supermarket and nice cafes/restaurants - very convenient.

We liked the appartmet. It has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, kitchen and living room. Just the kitchen is a little bit dark and we missed a sharp knife, but one can have the meals outside on the terrace with view on the ocean. When we had problems, we got always an answer within a few minutes. To sum up, we were satisfied.

Nice, peaceful, comfortable accommodation, with good amenities. Only downside is lack of garden space/pool but for the price this villa is excellent value for money. We made good use of the roof terrace for sunning and eating, with sea views. The location gives convenient access within 30-45 mins to several circular hiking routes which were superb. Not much within walking distance in terms of shops, restaurants, but just a short drive to Funchal. Thank you to the owners, we had both a relaxing and adventurous week in Madeira.

Nice area on dead end street, so not too much traffic. Kitchen very well equipped. TV & internet good. It was cool in the house, but they did supply us 2 space heaters. Some of the lighting was less than adequate, but they intend to improve it. Good parking because a car is a necessity.