The Perfect Place?

 

In my year of travel, I’ve stayed in a handful of hotel rooms and at least 20 Airbnbs in seven countries.  In most of the places I’ve stayed, my biggest concerns are the cleanliness, the comfort of the bed, and the ease of using the kitchen.  Some places have been serviceable for only a short stay due to being too cramped or too noisy or what have you.  Some places had me attempting to extend my stay because I was so comfortable.  Some places I fled in disgust while leaving money on the table (I’m looking at you, Negril and Athens).

Then we get to the special category of places.  Ones that stand out so much that I start imagining a life lived within the walls.  Now, as much as I love Istanbul, none of the top three apartments I stayed in there (including lucky #7 in Balat) are big enough to live in long term.   I have an extensive collection of craft supplies that really need their own room.

The top place I’ve stayed in this entire year is (shocker) located in Funchal, but that apartment is way too rich for my blood (though I love it so).

Guess where the new number two place is located?

But first: getting out of the last place required waiting on Fine Ass Fabio to arrive to collect the key.  Once he did, notably not helping out with my bags this time, it was up to me to figure out how to bide my time until I could check into my new place. 

This is an issue I’ve encountered a bunch of times when I’m moving from one apartment to another in the same city.  Checkout is usually at 10 or 11 while the check-in time is 12 or 2 pm.  What to do in the interim?  This time I decided to hit a nearby brunch place to camp out and get some breakfast.

The Loft is this funky little café with boardgames and playing cards on all the tables.  They have a big menu featuring American, Portuguese, even African dishes all on the cheap.  I’d been there twice before and was eager to sample more of the menu … had they been open.  Apparently, the place was shut down for repairs (two guys appeared a few minutes after I did and started banging away at the façade).  And I’d just dragged all my crap over there.  Sigh.

The restaurant next door was open, an Italian place called Al Forno that didn’t serve breakfast.  I ordered some coffee and later a Caesar salad and garlic bread.  The meal was excellent and made the place another I’d have to visit again.

After a while, I hauled my stuff back up the street to hail one of the cabs in front of Forum Madeira.  We found our way to the other side of the city and slowly counted the house numbers until we arrived at #116.

As I whipped out my phone to get the check-in instructions, a man came down the stairs and opened the gate.  This was the host, Rodrigo, trying to give Fine Ass Fabio a run for his money.  As he grabbed my roller bag and started up the stairs, though, he mentioned how he lived next door to my place with his son.  Oh.  So much for that idea.  Not interested in single fathers, so I’d just have to enjoy the view.

Speaking of which … Hold up!  Hold up now!

The apartment is kind of amazing.  The outdoor deck, the huge bedroom, the spacious kitchen, the separate office space on the other side of the deck.  

Beautiful cherry hardwood floors.  Screens on the many windows (Europe has an issue with not providing any protection from bugs getting in the home).  No one stomping on my head. And, oh yeah.  The view.

Even my canine neighbor can't resist it.

There’s also a tiny upper deck patio that makes you feel like you’re on top of the world.  I’ve already gushed about the beauty of the island, shared plenty of pictures in this blog.  But the 360-degree views from this place are on a whole other level.

Portugal still translates in English to “them hills be a b!tch”.  So while the harbor is easy to see from the street, the reason it’s so easy is because of the elevation.  Going down that bad boy is never the problem.  Coming back up though? With groceries no less?  Ew.

Yeah, I would definitely get in my daily steps living in this apartment.  Fortunately, there are bus stops just a few feet away from the front door.  Number 31 or 31A will take you directly to Pingo Doce.  Unfortunately, there are barely any sidewalks in this part of town. Going down the windy roads means that traffic is usually inches away from you at any given moment. 

I do have issues with the place.  The bathroom is a decent size with a good amount of counter space though I’d really like to have a tub instead of a corner shower.  I’d prefer a double sink to the single one in the kitchen.  I have already expressed how much I HATE induction stovetops (but at least there’s an oven).  The fridge should open in the opposite direction as the way it is now is kind of awkward.  I’m not crazy about the lights hanging from the strings.

Besides all that though, I could really see myself living in this place.  I know I had intended to live on the other side of town in one of the more modern high-rise apartments, but there are too many amenities of this location to just overlook. 

There’s a vet hospital across the street.  As I’m very much looking forward to becoming a crazy Madeiran cat lady, I already looked up the nearest shelter where I can get a couple of kittens.  I just had to figure out where I was going to put the litterbox.  The bathroom is too small and I didn’t want to put it out on the patio because I wasn’t sure I wanted the cats to have outside access.  I didn’t want them getting down to street level and risk getting run over.

Yes.  The place is that serious.  I spent the first 20 minutes just wandering around in shock.  Within the first few hours, I was figuring out where my furniture would go, what I would keep in the apartment (the sofa and dining room table), and what had to go.  I was debating the placement of the smaller bed in the bedroom – I’d want to have a bed if my stepmom came to visit, but it took up a lot of space that I could use for other things.  My mind was just racing.

There was a brief hiccup with the water heater that had me concerned.  Rodrigo was quick to get the issue fixed (he’s the one who messaged me to tell me the hot water wasn’t on).  The heater is in my apartment so it took a couple of visits from the electrician before the issue was resolved.

I was able to extend my stay for another week.  Rodrigo suggested bypassing the website for a lower price and even gave me a 30-euro discount to make up for the heater issue.  When I gave him the cash and he gave me new sheets and towels, I asked if he would consider renting the place out long term.  He said no, that he often has friends staying over to assist in his music career.  I figured as much.  I had no idea what a place like this would cost to rent on a monthly basis, but it was probably nothing compared to what he made as an Airbnb host.  Oh well.  There was no harm in asking.

Even better, Rodrigo told me he would keep an eye out for any other rentals in the area.  I let him know that I had just started the visa process, still had no job or budget for a rental, and had no idea when I would be able to move in.  I don’t know if he’ll remember me once I’m gone (he’s a somewhat forgetful man), but I do like the idea of having an inside man on the Portuguese real estate scene.   We’ll see how it pans out.