Vila Marta

Excellent service and great value for money. Quality accommodation.

Joel and Bruno are wonderful hosts. Very helpful and always ensuring that we are taken care of. Would definitely recommend this hotel.

Large clean room whith all the amenties except a/c. The room has a small refrigeratot, microwave and small stovetop. Very practical to accomodate. Nice exterior private balcony whith table and chairs and the wonderful view on the ocean. Free parking, on the street facing the premises. The owner is exceptionnally helpfull to guide our visits. We highly recommend.

I am surprised at the good reviews. What I can say is they gave me the money back. But it was supposed to be tempurpedic, the bed was so uncomfortable. The tv was like 13". The view was not great at all and the furniture was about 50 years old. We changed hotels.

Extremely warm welcome. Great place for the carnival, not far from it, but not to close, we slept very well.

My partner and I stayed at Vila Marta for ten nights in a very quiet apartment.Everything was of a high standard and excellent value for money.We cannot praise the owners (Joel and Bruno) enough for their hospitality.We really appreciated the free fresh bread delivered to our room each morning.We also really appreciated the very friendly,personal service which was always available.As we both really enjoyed Madeira in general, we may return and if so would return to Vila Marta.We highly reccommend it.

We had a wonderful stay thanks to the hospitality of Joel, the owner, who went out of his way to help us enjoy our stay, whether it be for directions, a lift to the bus stop, bus timetables, whatever we needed, he was ready to help. He also provided us with fresh bread rolls every morning along with fresh fruit on arrival, very welcoming and the room was comfortable and spotless. Would recommend Vila Marta to anyone!

A nice stay in a quiet place, with a very kind and helpfull owner

The Vila Marta is a great, small, family-run apartment complex on the edge of Funchal in Sao Martinho. The apartments are located on a quiet side-street, however the street is halfway up a steep hill (as with most places in Madeira!) and restaurants and shops are therefore a fair walk away. So, it's extremely handy to have access to a hire car if staying here. Yes, you could use the buses, but a hire car makes life a lot easier!! All the apartments have a balcony with sea views. The rooms are well equipped with a small kitchen area, good sized bathroom, and a bedroom / sitting room separated by a low dividing wall. The rooms are cleaned daily and are spotless and comfortable. The owners provide fresh bread buns every morning to your door which are included in the cost. The local Continente supermarket, a five minute drive away, provides everything else you may need. Bruno and his father are great guys - very helpful and will check the weather for you everyday to make sure that you head to the best part of the island. Nothing is too much trouble for either of them, and you really do feel a part of the family.

We rented three rooms for the New Year in Funchal. The owners were incredibly warm and helpful, and concerned that we have a good time. It was a wonderful place for a family stay! Highly recommended.

What can we say about Bruno? This hotel was such a unique experience. Bruno took amazing care of us. On the first day he even drove us to Funchal, pointing out many places of interest, bus stops and great places to eat. The service at this hotel is truly unlike any other. You feel completely supported by Bruno who ensures that you get the most out of your stay. The complimentary bread rolls in the morning and the madeira cake gift were above and beyond what we expected. The hotel is also in a great location, the bus stop to Funchal is just around the corner and takes only 20 minutes. The area also has quite a few nice places to eat and a great supermarket around the corner for all those who are planning on making the most out of the self catered apartments. The view of the ocean from the balcony was also very beautiful.

We had a wonderful stay at Vila Marta. Customer service beyond compare...every little detail taken care of.

Owners very friendly and helpful. We had a rental car so could get round the island relatively easily and Vila Marta is conveniently situated for the Via Rapida, so easy access to the airport, Funchal and many of the places that we visited during our stay.

Joel and his son Bruno are the greatest hosts you will ever meet. Their hotel is immaculate and the amenities are many. We spent nine nights as if in the comfort of our own home. The kitchenette was fully equipped and I was able to prepare our vegan meals with foods I bought at the nearby supermarket. Every morning we would find a bag, hanging outside our door, that was filled with freshly baked loves of bread. The bed was comfortable. The bath was charming with its classical Portuguese style tile work. Joel and Bruno both speak excellent English along with four or five other languages. I could find no fault with Vila Marta. On the other hand, Madeira is shaped like a steep cone so half of our walks were easy down hill jaunts. The other half of our walks of course were uphill. Funchal has an excellent public bus service which stops nearby the Vila Marta that allows you to bypass the uphill walk. Bruno will help you to navigate the bus system. He will also be happy to sign you up for tours which pick you up at the hotel or to arrange a taxi ride with Mr. Rodriquez. Joel has a quick dry wit and is an entertaining conversationalist. He is very proud of his hotel and offers comforts you would expect from larger hotels without the noise and bustle of downtown Funchal. It is a perfect hide-a-way for anyone seeking to enjoy the ambiance of a high beautiful patio view of the ocean. Our recommendation, as world travelers, is to go to Madeira and stay at Vila Marta with Joel and Bruno.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Vila Marta. The apartment was scrupulously clean and well serviced every day. It really suited us to have our own kitchenette facilities (2 ring hob, microwave, toaster, kettle, crockery,pans and cutlery), living area and balcony and the whole apartment was tastefully furnished with comfortable beds and a great shower. Bruno and Joel were extremely helpful providing information when needed, booking taxis etc, without being intrusive in any way. They have an arrangement with a lovely local restaurant whereby a member of restaurant staff will pick you up and bring you back - we were also offered an aperitif with Joel before we left. Fresh rolls are hung outside your door at about 7.00am every morning and we were given a parting gift of Madeira wine and cake. Although Vila Marta is not in the centre of Funchal it is easy to catch the 45 bus from a nearby stop and Bruno provides a timetable for this - he even gave us a lift into the centre on one day. We also had the use of wifi in our room

Apartment kitted out well and cleaned every day. Good location, being just outside of Funchal and 5 minutes from Expressway. Father, Joel and son, Bruno very helpful, checking the weather in various locations each day and making other useful suggestions. Bread left on door handle each morning, and bowl of fruit on arrival, nice touch! Would readily recommend to those who want a quiet, comfortable stay, as no nearby night life.

This is a small individualised guest hotel that sits between apartment and hotel. It is not in the commercial hotel quarter but on its own in the community of Funchal,on the outskirts but with great transport links to the centre. The family owners went out of their way to help with anything and everything which made the stay more personalised. The apartment was well equipped and very clean. It had a lovely balcony with great views of the sea and surrounding area. We very much enjoyed our stay here and on Madeira. It is a beautiful island and we aim to return soon and stay again at Vila Marta.

The rooms are comfortable and spotlessly clean with everything you could need for your stay. Beds were particularly comfortable with lovely linen. It is not the best location but the number 45 bus will take you to Funchal centro and runs quite regularly and quite late. On arrival we were presented with a timetable which proved most useful. There is great restaurant nearby who will collect and return you to accommodation at no charge. Joel and his son Bruno could not have been more helpful, with tips and advice on where to go and how to get there. Little extras like books to borrow, flowers and milk on arrival make this a very special place to stay and I would not hesitate to recommending it for your trip to Madeira - don't be put off by the distance from the town - this is easily overcome by using the bus

I am the sort of person who always, ALWAYS tries to obtain as much info as possible from other travellers via review sites, so I aim to help others by giving my review. The reviews for Vila Marta seemed all good, so I went ahead and booked. Everything I had read was true. Joel and his son Bruno are the most polite, helpful and friendly villa owners I think we have ever met. We were greeted by Bruno who spent time with us when we arrived, gave us a map, suggested a few places to eat and was generally very, very helpful. We had read on the reviews that fresh rolls would be hanging on our door handle every morning and leading up to the holiday this became quite a talking point with our family who started to tease us that the 'rolls would never arrive'. They did! And what a lovely treat having fresh bread delivered to your room every morning! Wonderful idea. The room was spotless, very comfortable and all of the eight apartments face the sea. The villa is up on a hill overlooking part of Funchal. Every time we saw Bruno or Joel during our week long stay they took time to chat and asked how we were enjoying Madeira and Bruno suggested a couple of trips that we might like to do up into the hills. (And Madeira IS very hilly!) Funchal itself is lovely. It's quite spread out between the old and new town. There are lots of restuarants to choose from. It's nice to walk into the hotels right on the sea front, some of the views are lovely. There is a bar called The Hole In One on one of the corners on the Estrada Monumental. It's opposite an Irish bar called O'Briens. The atmosphere is good, is always popular and has lots of seating outside and live music. IF YOU NEED TO PARK in this area drive down the little road straight opposite the Hole in One which in fact is the driveway to a large hotel (can't remember the name) - it goes down the side and round the back of O'Briens. As you go round the bend there is an underground car park. THIS IS A LITTLE GEM OF A FIND in Funchal where parking is VERY difficult to find on the streets. It's cheap and you get in a lift from underground that just pops you up onto the street next to OBriens. Don't FORGET this car park. You WILL struggle for a car parking space! Around the corner from the Hole in One is a road with restuarants on the left. We went into the first one (cannot remember it's name) which does a set menu for about £12. FANTASTIC FOOD. And as with everywhere in Madeira, you are full up before they even bring out the meal you've paid for! Because they 'gift' you things before you start, i.e. large baskets of garlic bread and a plate with 'tasters' of all sorts of fish etc. Wonderful. Remember, this is the first restuarant you come to, you go 'down' into the restuarant from the street. Do not mix this up with the one next door which has three poor parrots chained up outside. Everyone should boycott that restuarant! On the subject of food, our best 'find' was a restuarant recommended by Bruno. Oh my goodness! If you go to Funchal and do not visit this restuarant, it would be a sin! It is called Barquaro and is in Rue da Ponta (find on a map). Don't plan to go ANYWHERE after eating at this restuarant because you will not be able to MOVE afterwards. Again they 'gift' you little treats, only much more than anywhere else and then the actual portions are so plentiful that you begin to wonder if they are ever going to stop bringing food to your table! Its very reasonably priced! And I have never ever tasted swordfish like it. BEAUTIFUL! There is also a seafood restuarant straight opposite which has a wonderful setting (although we never ate there) down some steps and is jutting out over the sea. This one is called Doca do Cavacas. This was also highly recommended by Bruno. During our stay I was talked into a ride on the cable car up into the mountains by my husband. Unlike my husband, I hate heights! But I'm glad we did it because once up the top, not only are the views wonderful but the little village at the top is lovely and we had a nice cold beer and some lunch. A lovely way to spend a morning. From up at the village you can also take a ride on the famous taboggans if you so desire! We just watched a few. Seems quite expensive for what it is but I guess if that's what floats your boat, go for it! All in all our week in Madeira was wonderful. I would DEFINITELY recommend it. It would also be nice for a long weekend break. Funchal is really the place to stay. We had a car (and would really recommend this) and we did travel around a bit to nearby little villages etc for a coffee and a cake. It's a very peaceful place. I could actually probably write another two thousand words about Madeira! It's difficult to know where to stop. But if you've never been, my recommendation is, just go. But be aware that it IS very hilly... everywhere! Driving and walking. Just enjoy! Oh.. and be prepared for the fun of the landing at the airport. It's a very short runway (even though they have lengthened it in recent years!) It was quite windy when we EVENTUALLY landed and it's quite an experience wondering if the plane is actually going to stop at the end of the runway! Everyone applauded when it did! Vila Marta - if you're after a quiet stay, away from it all, with great hospitality and wonderfully clean rooms - this is the place for you. But you WILL need a car to get you from the apartments to anywhere further along in Funchal. Or of course there are always taxis. I would very highly recommend Vila Marta though. Oh, forgot something, don't eat at Granny's restuarant. Both my husband and myself had upset stomachs after eating there. And the other thing I meant to mention, upon leaving Vila Marta, Joel presented us with a bottle of Madeira Wine and a box of fresh Madeira flowers to bring home, all sealed up and ready to take on the plane. The box contained so many flowers, including Bird of Paradise! What a lovely thing for him to do and presumably he does this for all his guests. A very kind man. I'd better stop writing now because YOU need to stop reading and just get on the website and book your trip!

The owners of the Vila Marta were very friendly and helpful. They helped us out with trip ideas, even taking us to the Porto Santo Line ferry early one morning. The map and where to shop was a great help. We will be back, the fresh buns and flowers were great, and a quiet evening together with Joel and my wife was very pleasant as we tested the Madeira wine, and the local honey cake. It was a wonderful stay and we will be back.