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Review submitted by Philip from Crassier - Switzerland (Submitted: 24 May 2011)
Nice stylish house in the charming town of Sao Jorge about 50 min away from Funchal. The house is just huge and has nice view of the ocean and the lighthouse. The owner was very nice waiting for us as we had a late arrival. The down side was the swimimng pool as the water was too cold and mainly German TV channels on the sat. Other than that great value for our money.
Review submitted by Jane from London (Submitted: 16 Nov 2010)
The property was excellent for location and space. It is quick and easy to get to from Funchal airport and has fantastic views over the ocean.
The bedrooms were decorated very well with a great added touch of blackout lined curtains and very comfortable beds resulting in very good nights sleep!
Unfortunately the pool was out of action on our visit due to being end of season but the veranda was pleasant to sit on anyway.
Regarding the description of the property I would note that it does not have 2 cots it actually has 2 fold out camp beds therefore be aware if you need cots its best to talk to the owner beforehand.
Overall a very nice stay on the island.
Review submitted by Brett from Johannesburg (Submitted: 13 Feb 2010)
Most of our holiday planning was done using the Internet. As such, we placed quite a bit of faith in the systems and people that we were interacting with in making our reservations as we had no real way of vetting anything before our arrival.
After some late negotiations over which villa to rent we finally settled on the A Casa do Lagar (Big House) on Madeira Island. The villa is situated some 40 minutes outside of the main centre of Funchal and has a lovely rural feel to it. The villa itself was in a very well kept condition and is located on top of a ridge with a beautiful view of the ocean below. Being avid wine-lovers, the villa had an additional benefit of being surrounded by vineyards.
We picked the brains of the owner, Teofilo (the local chemist too!) who gave us a great many off the beaten path sight-seeing and restaurant tips. We adventured up and down the northern coastline of Madeira and went into Funchal on several occasions. The trip on the freeway into Funchal is painless, but the drive on the old roads is simply stunning. Madeira rises up out of the ocean and parts of the route have you peering over the edge of a near cliff to the sea below. As such we spent a great deal of our time on these old roads, adventuring around and consistently being overwhelmed by the beauty of it all.
Worth a special mention was the restaurant some 5 minute away in Sao Jorge called Restaurant Casa de Palha (Straw House) which has some amazing food, the walk to the top of Pico Ruivo which is nearby and easy to get to, and the ride on the the wicked Toboggan in Funchal that was very touristy, but fantastic fun!
Unfortunately we simply did not have the time to get to all of the items on our list this for no lack of trying. At least on the positive side it gives us great reason to return, and we do we will surely choose this villa as our home base.
We stayed in the villa out of season and found it to be excellent value, the setting was perfect and exceeded any expectations that we had. The photos on the internet tried to do it justice, but is was so much better once we had arrived. The internet description was accurate and I have already recommended to my friends that should they ever plan a holiday to Madeira that they choose the A Casa do Lagar as their home base for their trip.
We heartly thank Gregorio and Teofilo for use of their lovely villa and their advice on where to go & what to do.
As an aside, the villa has a little protector in the form of a pretty little cat who is very sweet and loves attention (and any scraps!).
Review submitted by Catherine from Hungerford (Submitted: 9 Sep 2009)
The house is really big and comfortable. The rooms are spacious and have an en-suite bathroom. The house and kitchen are fully equiped with anything you may need.
It is situated in a quiet village and the surrounding vineyard give you plenty of privacy.
The owners were very friendly and the week went far too quickly so we never had a chance to meet them properly. I would definitely like to go back. We had a great family holiday!
Review submitted by Florence from NANTES (Submitted: 27 Jul 2009)
We just come back from a wonderful week in the big house of A Casa Do Lagar and... our mind is still there ! Its a quiet charming property, in the wildest part of Madeira. View on the ocean from the terrace, view on the mountains on the other side, wineyards surrounding... Gorgeous walks to do very near, and quite easy to go to south when it was cloudy at North.
Ad moreover, the owners wery very kind and interesting to speak with : they brouhgt us what we needed and asked for, and even share a meal with traditional food (espetada) and wine.
Perfect moments in a perfect place : we recommend++++++ (and already have done) !
Review submitted by Alistair from Rutland (Submitted: 11 Jul 2009)
We had a wonderful time the house was perfect for large groups of friends or just family like us. The owners were very helpful and friendly. We would like to thank them for such a lovely time and would definately recommend the house to friends.
Review not verified by RentalSystems* (Submitted: 23 Sep 2008)
A lovely villa set in peaceful surroundings with a wonderful view of the ocean. We found it to be in an excellent location for touring the North and East coasts of Madeira - although any destination is never very far away on this beautiful island. Many local restaurants enabled us to enjoy Madeiran meals at very reasonable prices. The supermarket in Santana was close enough to provide any supplies that we needed. The end-of-vacation barbeque provided by the owner was a fitting ending to a glorious 2-weeks of sun and relaxation by the pool. We will come again !
Review submitted by ROGER from RICHMOND, ONTARIO, CANADA (Submitted: 23 Sep 2008)
A lovely villa set in peaceful surroundings with a wonderful view of the ocean. We found it to be in an excellent location for touring the North and East coasts of Madeira - although any destination is never very far away on this beautiful island. Many local restaurants enabled us to enjoy Madeiran meals at very reasonable prices. The supermarket in Santana was close enough to provide any supplies that we needed. The end-of-vacation barbeque provided by the owner was a fitting ending to a glorious 2-weeks of sun and relaxation by the pool. We will come again !
Review submitted by Stephen from London (Submitted: 23 Jul 2008)
Lovely location overlooking the ocean and a working lighthouse within a couple of hundred meters - almost our bedside light! We stayed in the smaller of the two properties that share a pool and are enclosed within a working vineyard on the site. Clean and contemporary feel to the property with a subtle vineyard theme. Pace of life here is wonderfully unhurried compared to our London lives. We received a very warm and informative welcome from the owner - which included where to obtain provisions, possible walks, points of interest etc. - and he even left us wit a sample of their own wine. This we enjoyed that with local seafood cooked on the poolside barbecue a couple of days later - very good. Several guidebook walks pass right through the village, but probably hiring a car if you decide to stay here is the most flexible approach. The Northern side of the Island is less populous than the south and this made Casa do Lagar feel like a wonderful retreat and yet it was close enough to various restaurants etc that if we did feel like letting someone else do the cooking it was easily done. Many thanks for a fabulous holiday retreat."