Book a flat anywhere in the world soon and the next 5-star review might be yours.
What's not in the pictures is a smell - the apartment is located on a low first floor, right above an open basement.
That's why it is very humid and smelly, especially in a "corridor" near the entrance. No direct sights of mold though.
First days it was really hard to get used to it. Humidifier helped, but not that much.
The second half of my stay when rains finally stopped and the weather improved it became much better.
The Internet is ok. It is stable and enough for having video calls, but is quite slow in general: 15-20 MBit download, under 1 MBit upload (ADSL).
Windows face a small inner garden. Neighbours have tables and chairs there, during sunny days it's nice to sit there.
But during rains it's an extra source of wet, and every evening - insects.
The location is good. Both nearest metro stations are about 10 minutes by walk.
Tram stops are about 5 min and the trams are very convenient in Prague. Run according to a schedule and can get you directly to the center, Malostranka or Vysehrad.
Large mall with hypermarket and ice arena: 10-15 min by walk.
The rest you can see in the photos and judge yourself.
Overall, if not the smell, I would say the apartment is a good value for money - for summer time when it is not that wet.
Sara a wonderful and pleasant!
From minuses - the flat requires a normal general cleaning and work on getting rid of mould
Aunque el piso está decorado muy bonito, lo cierto es que es antiguo y se escucha todo, al menos en el cuarto en el que estuve. El fregadero de la cocina apesta, no sé si tiene humedad o que, pero había días que era insoportable. Supongo que el hecho de que viese a alguien del persoal de limpieza vaciar un cubo de basura de los que tenía debajo dentro de otra bolsa en la que echaban todos los residuos que separamos (chao reciclaje) no ayuda, porque esa bolsa se quedó ahí al menos una semana aunque se vació como tres veces al menos. Tampoco es que dispongamos de muchos productos de limpieza más allá de una aspiradora sin cepillo que se desmonta facilmente, supongo que para fomentar que contrates la limpieza extra, del mismo modo que te cambian las toallas una vez a la semana pero no las sábanas a no ser que pagues por este servicio. En definitiva, me esperaba algo mucho mejor, pero parece que es todo fachada. Por cierto, el ascensor estuvo averiado durante toda mi estancia, y a saber cuánto tiempo lleva así. Me hubiese gustado saberlo, ya que llegué muy cargada y contaba con al menos poder poner las maletas en el ascensor y no cargarlas dos largos pisos de escaleras.
But, they're also a downsides: don't expect much, as we did, since the apartment is partially a basement. But despite that, the apartment has its own entrance, which is plus!
Keep all of your food in the fridge, I'm not joking, ALL OF YOUR FOOD should be kept Ina fridge. Otherwise it will attract the cockroaches. Don't repeat our mistake, we had to kill tree of them, while we stayed for two week. and they're really big =)
Apartment also has constant smell of humidity. We also had a shortage of the garbage bags.
During two weeks, the cleaning was done only once: towels and sheets were replaced, but garbage wasn't thrown, and kitchen surfaces wasn't wiped.
The apartment itself was advertised as luxury accommodation. In summer that may have been so, but in winter it was cold and draughty as the french doors didn't quite shut properly and the heat pump wasn't coping. There was no double glazing. The kitchen was well equipped.
The ensuite shower needs a good scrub around the bottom of the doors and in the grouting.
Unfortunately we left the appartement 3 months before the end of the contract. The bathroom smelled the cigarette and the landlord didn't found a solution. The landlord doesn't matter of our health and our confort, it's a shame.
I would say it's a good place to stay for a really short stay (couple of days). Don't book it for long term.
The landlord was always responsive and the front desk staff were helpful in answering questions and assisting with needs. The coffee machine stopped working and they sent a replacement. We left the keys in the apartment and Sandra drove in to provide a duplicate set on the weekend. The key to the back gate did not work to open the gate so we always had to access through the front door. Parking is sometimes an issue but we usually found a way to park either in front or on the side. A car is necessary if you want to get around since the building is at sea level and you have a mountain to climb to go up to Monument. We rented a car after 2 days from Sixt located at the roundabout by Reids
The view from the apartment and large terrace is jaw dropping. The promenade along Praia Formosa provides a lovely walk in either direction toward Lido area and Funchal (through the tunnel) or to Camara de Lobos. There are restaurants and snack bars along the promenade.
The apartment was not comfortable for our needs. It was bare bones in terms of furniture, bed, cookware and linens.
The bed was like sleeping on a hard floor and the linens made it worse since they were rough and did not fit the bed. The pillows were a mystery to us, large, full of lumps and bumps. We both had restless sleep and woke with back aches on most days. The towels, 2 bath and 2 hand should have been retired years ago. They were old and acted more like an exfoliator for the skin instead of absorbing moisture.
The kitchen was not outfitted to properly cook a small meal and most of the equipment is old and worn.
The washing machine worked well and accompanied by a dryer rack to use on the terrace.
We love Madeira and were fortunate to spend the Christmas and New Years Holidays on Praia Formosa. Ultimately, we were able to overlook the discomfort and enjoy the view.
The furniture is overall ok; most everyday items are already provided. The owner is cooperative enough, communication is good and timely.
Issues with cockroaches due to the zone in town, although it has been addressed by the landlord multiple times.
The apartment is exploited for both long and short stays, so there is quite a change of roommates and the hygienic standard can sometimes suffer from this.
- The door to the apartment was very hard to open and close
- There is no lift and the common area smells bad
- The apartment has problems with ants (but poison for it was provided)
Good things are that things were mostly in a good shape and looked nice. The internet speed was good, TV was good and the apartment is spacious
- The kitchen was well-equipped but most of the pans were missing their handles
Things I didn't like that can be fixed: the bath didn't work (emits boiling water only).
Things I didn't like that might not be able to be fixed: the floors are thin and I can always hear the downstairs talking or with the TV on. They also smoke so I can't open the window. No other problems.
HOST'S REPLY:
The bath water worked correctly after check but could not be demonstrated as the guest required self-checkin. The neighbour noise probably
happened but could be circumstantial. Currently it is pretty silent and TV inaudible, improvements could be due to recent interactions with neighboorhood.
Care when moving heavy objects might help avoiding noise conflicts as floor is effectively thin, and closing the bedroom door or windows
will completely shut same-floor noises.