Tagus Garajau Village -

it was all great

A large gates villa in a cul de sac just off the main road. Met by the owner who lived in the basement apartment of the villa. Huge master suite and bathroom although we couldn't get the Jacuzzi bath to work. Stunning terrace and views with lots of options of where to sit and enjoy the view. The villa is decorated traditionally with lots of personal items like vases, statues, plates etc so I would not recommend for anyone with toddlers for fear of them knocking something over. The living room has quite formal furniture so not a place to really chill out but we didn't need to with the beautiful views. The villa is a very short walk to the main Estrada of Garajau with shops and cafe bars, incl bus stops to Funchal. It's a quick walk downhill to Christo Rei and the cable car to the beach. The beach is rocky so either use a sunbed or take beach towels with you (not provided so take own or buy on arrival). We also walked to Canico (try the Boco do Caco can outside the church!) and Canico de Baixo and caught the 155 bus back (Eur 1,30 each). There are two resident cats so we were not able to leave the patio doors open downstairs as they tried to get in and there are several dogs in the area, including one at the property below the villa. They do all bark a lot so we did eventually have to sleep with the bedroom patio doors and bathroom windows closed as we were woken a couple of times with all the barking, but not the owners fault. I would recommend this villa for a family with older children or a group of friends staying together.

This villa is lovingly filled with furniture, paintings, sculpture and art-- there is always something to wonder over, when not looking out at the magnificent view of the tiny garden overlooking the blue ocean. It's like stepping back in time, when people dressed up for dinner, then descended the curved marble staircase to greet their friends. The property manager was also very helpful.