Casas Valleparaizo

We booked a cottage in this park estate on the mountain slope just above Funchal. The estate used to be for agricultural purposes, but is repurposed for tourism. Our cottage, Pinhas, was perfect. Not luxurious, nor modern, but as romantic as the cottage from Kate Winslet in the Holiday, when she swapped with Cameron Diaz. When we arrived the fridge was stocked for a week of breakfast (optional). Every morning fresh bread hanging on the door knob (optional). These were the best breakfasts ever. Complete privacy thanks to the magnificent trees. The sun coming around the mountain in the morning. And maybe some peacocks passing by. This is luxury. Not the luxury of hotels in Dubai and Las Vegas. A 10k luxurious penthouse suite is still a prison. This is the opposite. There are some good restaurants and a good supermarket at walking distance. But the roads do not always have pavewalks, and are steep and sunny. So, use the Levadas instead.

We stayed here for exactly one week and were overall very satisfied. These are, as seen in the pictures, beautiful small apartments, which are located in the middle of nature. Everything was clean and the contact with the landlord always direct and good. Highly recommended.

A beautifully situated cottage with all the comforts. The garden has plenty of privacy and is lush green and it always blooms a bit. The whole estate is beautifully overgrown and well maintained. Spotless. Friendly people. You can order bread. A bit of a pity is that the higher, not too busy road is audible.