Apartamentos Varandas da Achada

We arrived at the apartment very late due to delayed flights and getting very lost. Margaret the proprietor was waiting patiently for us and was very welcoming. We stayed in apartment G. The apartment itself is clean, beautifully decorated, spacious and comfortable with the lounge / dining area being particularly large. Bedrooms are large with very comfortable beds. The main bathroom is large and well appointed with bath, shower, bidet and sink. There is a lift! So you don't have to carry your luggage up the stairs The kitchen is very well equipped – everything you could possibly need including salt and pepper and washing up liquid provided. Laundry room is handy with washing machine, ironing board, washing liquid and clothes airer provided. Previous reviews have said the apartment was cold. The owners have provided electric heaters which heat the space adequately (it was rainy and cold during our stay) and there are cosy blankets to snuggle up in in the lounge which we did not need. The apartment is in a residential neighbourhood so you will share the block with Madeirans: not tourists. It is 10 mins walk from Continente supermarket and about 20 minutes walk from excellent local restaurant Sabores Alentejanos 232 Rua da Carreira where we ate 2 excellent local meals. It is not walking distance from the centre of the town – you would need to catch a bus, taxi or drive. The area is quiet and peaceful. The garden is very well maintained and beautiful. There are lovely views of a banana plantation and the mountains all round. Parking is in the clean, light, newly painted basement. The hot water boiler stopped working while we were there and the proprietor fixed it the day after we pointed it out. Only downside is the second bathroom is rather cramped.