Apartamentos Funchal by Petit Hotels

Apartment 001, the ground-floor studio at Apartementos Funchal by Petit Hotels, has no real ventilation. The window and patio door open onto an enclosed terrace with a plexi-glass ceiling. There’s a narrow slatted strip at one end, but no air comes through. It faces an alley by the garbage room and a restaurant, so smells come in from those, along with sewage smells and cooking odors from the building. We arrived very late using keyless check-in. It was probably 17C outside in Funchal, but inside the air was stuffy and hot, even with the terrace window wide open. The small oscillating fan only pushed the stale air around, and we had a rough night. In the morning Veronica seemed to think this was normal for a ground-floor studio. I disagreed. We’ve stayed in ground-floor rooms with working windows or terraces that weren’t enclosed by plexiglass. We said we wouldn’t sign the contract unless we were moved or there was a solution. No other apartment was available, but Veronica brought a portable air conditioner. She first planned to charge us 7.50 Euros/day, then waived the fee after we said being able to breathe in a room shouldn’t be optional. Looking back at Booking.com, I saw that this particular room had been mentioned since at least September of 2021. Many people had given up their deposits and left for other places. If we could have done that, we would have too. Portuguese short-term rental laws suggest a property needs at least one window or balcony for proper ventilation. The narrow strip shown in the photos doesn’t qualify as proper ventilation. The Petit Hotels Mission Statement says, “Staying with us at our hotels, feels like resting under a tree in Madeira ... there is nothing more welcoming...” Management should try sleeping in Room 001 at Funchal Apartments. I’ve been happy with Booking.com so far. Most properties seem accurately represented, and the platform makes arranging travel easy. This experience has taught me to read all the reviews and sort from worst to best, since the logarithm pushes positive statements to the top. That part is on me. But this room has been a known problem for years. I believe it doesn’t meet code and violates health and safety requirements. It’s shameful nothing has been done to remove it from the listings.

Our room’s windows all faced a wall just 2 meters away. We could get a bit of air, but there was no view at all, and I was disappointed. It seems there are two rooms like this, so your experience may depend on which one you get. The Booking.com photos appeared to show a street view, but that wasn’t the room we received. Be aware when booking, as they won’t tell you that you’ll be facing a wall.

The location in the center is great. That’s about all I can say. (Madeira @ 2022)

The location couldn’t be better, right in the middle of Funchal city center. The apartment was okay and the bed was good, but without air conditioning I didn’t sleep very well. The owner was really willing to help with that, which I appreciated.