Beautiful land, perfect weather, nice property, idyllic flowers around pools and particular way to define eco-friendly rules for one business like this one.... The moment when I received one mail with proposal to upgrade my cottage to one with three bedrooms and two bathrooms - without any cost - I tough: lucky me ! YES ! It was the first, up, on top of the hill. In order ‘’to promote an ecologically friendly theme’’ we found two rooms (third locked), one bathroom (second locked) and one big kitchen/dining room. In each room two ingenious beds made each by two mattresses, two little bedsides, one table and one tiny aluminum hanger. And … nothing. Nothing else. Absolutely nothing. Clean ? Yes, perfectly clean. So clean that it wasn’t a problem to store luggage on the floor, clothes on the floor, electronics half floor and half on the table, laptop on the floor, my underwear & shirts on the hanger…. Our friendly world was the floor. We lived, ecologically, ON THE FLOOR. To sleep was perfect, it is one nice sensation to float above mattresses …. but only for sleep I can appreciate. And I liked enormously the view from our window.
Every morning same ritual, I took the myriapod out of the bath and I put it on the tree. The toilet is so close to the shower that you can wash your hair and use it at the same time. I still have some questions about the bidet, but my wife has a good opinion about it. Clean, every day new towels if wanted, all day long hot water.
The building itself is made using concrete (not eco-friendly) with pieces of wood all around, fixed in one strange style for one connoisseur, trying desperately to copy one peasant era… hmmmm. Don’t know why, but I kept the impression of casemate. Lack of any basic knowledge about esthetics is the definitory mark. But it is functional. Lack of furniture makes it easy to maintain. All is freshly whitewashed and all windows and shutters look good. Outside is necessary for yard scraps to be swoop, the old garden table must be retired, some holes in the pavement to be fixed and someone MUST feed the tomcat. The poor one is only hearth, bones and skin. We were terrified to see the tomcat eating my favorite lizard, something was wrong in the picture, we bought some milk and some meat, he was very happy. Brother traveler, please feed the tomcat. You will have my gratitude.
Outside is one little cobbled terrace with chaiselongues, million lizards, umbrella, old table, old curious neighbor and two pairs of gluttonous birds. Atmosphere was very Madeiran … we looked after some Sun, tomcat to the lizards, the elder appreciated the tan of my wife… many hours … and the lizards tried two times to taste us – it was very funny. We gave them one half of papaya and the peace was restored.
I wouldn’t like to talk about this, but I must. Dining room was unpleasant, the hard smell of mold and the stench caused by lack of ventilation are still on my mind. All basic things were inside, included one big round table. I really want to forgot the poor … huh … eco-painted concrete around the lavatory … lead colors … in the night, a dim light ‘’eco‘’ like before the bombing. We never cooked. But we had drunk a lot of coffee and tea. Among other utilities we found spray for cockroaches. It was useful. Kitchen is the most inhospitable part of the house. I think there is one problem with us, the travelers. If someone doesn’t tell the truth, a lot of us will follow the wrong way. Lying by omission is our biggest problem. Because is good to give one name to the house, like others from Madeira, “Stinky Up” seems fine for me.
Outside is heaven. It is so beautiful that you can forgive the forced identity between eco and poorly. Anyway, my snobbery environmentalism received his right punishment. The outdoor pictures always tell the truth. Without words.
Management of Quinta is one big story. Yes, for some is very difficult to drive from the road to downside parking. After scratching your rented car you can read one very arrogant disclaimer tag, not even one promise to rebuild the area. But another two parking lots are disposable, near main house or at the street, near the entrance. The alley to the middle parking also needed restoration, so take care. Looking all around without subjectivity I think many places need some refurbishment and cleaning. I hope downhill cottages are much-much better than our was. Main building is excellent inside in the public area. I don’t know if bedrooms are ok. Two weeks after my departure I received one invoice, they ask me impertinently to pay 60eu for 3 meals I never had! Based to one note signed by someone else! WOW, that WAS something new in my life. I didn’t yet receive excuses. It was one ‘’fine personal detail’’. The whole property is maintained by few women, they work extremely hard for all that you see around. It’s crisis, it’s hard, they have all my respect for their work but not for mistakes or bad faith. They are very helpful when you need, giving god advices for everything although they are very busy with Quinta problems. I believe prices for accommodation are good enough but Madeira is one expensive destination. The day when ... the real respect for touristic concept and the tourist himself & the art of behavior... will be learned ... and the minor investment in room utilities/terrain facilities will be accomplished ... here will be one piece of Heaven. Until then, for me, accommodation and behavior means one single star ... and this is a little too much.
If you need professionals in the cooking art, go to “Tar Mar” and to “Rocha Mar”, you will remember them many years. Best espetada’s I had was at “Steak House Cancela”, somewhere in the middle of the ER209 road from Arco da Calheta up in the mountains. It has one biiiiig parking. His espetada’s are brilliant, pure gold...... Best ice-cream, one home-made, to Tar Mar ... I think it was among the best of my life. Also, about this place, we found funniest waiter of the whole island. Best fish I ate was at Rocha Mar, mastery must be respected.