Portugal

Ilb 30, Engenharia e Arquitectura lda

The villa was absolutely fabulous and very well cared for; spotlessly clean throughout. The Villa owner and Mrs Rubina, the caretaker, could not have been more helpful and welcoming. We loved Porta da Cruz as a location. Their contact with us prior to arrival was excellent. 

This was our first visit to Madeira and we thought the island beautiful. Although we didn't have the best weather, this didn't stop us getting around and seeing places.

Just one comment on the directions given from the airport, particularly if you arrive after dark! It would be helpful if it was suggested that visitors take the second exit off the main road to enter Porta de Cruz, and that SECOND is emphasised, as this makes finding the villa so much easier, and avoids a nasty piece of road.

We would happily recommend the villa, and its pool, to others.

Villa Ricardo - A charming Villa with heated pool

United Kingdom

Couple from Sedgefield, United Kingdom

The contact and service from the owner, but more so from his representative was first class. However, what needs to be stated more accurately is that the villa is only suitable for able bodied people. 
Overall the villa was ideal for a base for hikers and superb for site seeing. My only reason for declining to recommend to other people is that the location has a immense amount of constant road traffic from the road immediately in front of the property. Which could be a negative with most people. With this in mind it would be a love or hate situation.
The actual Villa itself could not be faulted.

Family from Dudley, United Kingdom

Excellent property.  Pool and view were fantastic.  The small town of Porto da Cruz was very nice and laid back, facilitating a more relaxing vacation.  It was a short and easy drive into Funchal or to many levadas.

The only difficulty was in finding the property the first time.  The directions provided were fine for getting to Porto da Cruz but not that helpful in finding the property in town.  However a cell phone number was also provided so once in town you could call and be talked the rest of the way in.

Canada

 From Etobicoke, Canada

As a small group of 20-something friends, we very much enjoyed our stay at Villa Ricardo.  It is everything as described (in detail) on the website and more.  On arriving, we were met by Betty and Mr Ramos and shown around the villa, offered a tasting of the in-house Madeira wine and told to eat as many bananas as we liked supplied from the banana trees in the grounds of the villa!
The villa and pool facilities were excellent and well maintained, and the villa was thoroughly cleaned twice during the week.  One possible improvement would be to have some ceiling fans or portable air conditioning units in the bedrooms as they do get a bit warm at night, but otherwise 10/10.

 From St. Albans, United Kingdom

The villa suited our needs perfectly. Being a family with grown up children scattered around the UK, it provided a perfect place to enjoy each others company in a delightful setting and very comfortable villa.
Mrs Betty was extremely welcoming and as well as showing us around, showed us to a restaurant where we could still eat at 10pm. Everything was well thought out. There is only a very small oven and a two ring hob but we were able to be creative in our cooking!
The use of the internet was invaluable, if a little expensive. The extra charge for 4th, 5th and 6th persons did mean that this was not a particularly cheap option but having said that, it proved to be a wonderful holiday and we would have no hesitation in returning to this property or recommending it to others. The owner, Ricardo, met us before we left and invited us to sample his home made wine in the impressive winery under the villa, giving us a lovely send off.

 From Hitchin, United Kingdom

We had a brilliant stay in this beautiful house. Particular plus points were: views of the enormous surf from most of the windows of the house and the real wood fire. Mrs Betty looks after the cleanliness and is very helpful with recommendations - she even took us to the centre of town when we arrived at lunchtime to show us around. Each of the three bedrooms has an en-suite bathroom (showers/no baths). The garden is a real treat as well - bananas and mangoes, and it backs onto a vineyard. 
Thank-you for such a wonderful stay.

 From Reading, United Kingdom

We have hired many properties abroad and are not that easily satisfied but I can find nothing but praise for our Madeira holiday.  The villa was of very high standard for the price charged and the care and help we received was first class.  The property was clean and well equipped and any minor problems we had were speedily and effectively dealt with.

We are likely to return to Madeira in 3/4 years and will use your services again without hesitation.

 From Headley, United Kingdom

We very much enjoyed our stay at this lovely villa.  The description and the pictures of the villa are very accurate and we particularly enjoyed the terrace and the pool and spent some lovely evenings playing cards and enjoying the breezes. The local village has a few restaurants and bars and a few shops for the basic supplies. However we preferred a drive to Machico for the supermarket and a lovely restaurant in the hills overlooking the town.  We were made very welcome by the owner Ricardo and Rubina who was a mine of information and very helpful in every way. Madeira is a very beautiful island and to explore it properly you do need the use of a car.   We spent a interesting if hot afternoon treading the grapes grown on the property to make Madeira wine which helped to make the holiday more memorable.

 From London

A really nice property, located in a lovely village on the north side of Madeira.  We were really pleased with a number of things.  Porto da Cruz is a great little village with sufficient amenities (restaurants, bars, etc), but is not smothered by tourists as is the case in Funchal. Because of the excellent tunnel &amp; expressway system there is rapid access to all other parts of the island.  The villa itself is everything one could ask for - and you get great introductions to the area from Rubina (who is like the concierge, speaks perfect English, and goes out of her way to help when you arrive and during your stay) and Ricardo who introduces you to the local fire water.   As well as touring the island, try the fish stew at the local village restaurant, Pipas.  Highly recommended.

 From Adelaide

Villa Ricardo is indeed the best accommodation that we have experienced on any European holiday of this kind. A superbly maintained property that is very clean and extremely comfortable throughout. The owners provided really good customer service and we were made very welcome from the moment of our arrival. 
The description of the villas position was indeed accurate. Porto da Cruz boasts superb views and character whilst being close to connecting routes to other places on Madeira Island. The restaurants in the village seem pleasant although there are greater choices in the nearby town of Machico which also boasts a very useful supermarket! Infact, Machico is a good focus for night time activity that Porto da Cruz does not offer to the same extent. 
We would gladly return to Villa Ricardo and would recommend this accommodation to anybody looking to discover the beauty of Madeira Island!!

Ilb 30, Engenharia e Arquitectura lda

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