Pedra Sina Residence, Funchal, Portugal

Also serving as an artists' retreat this villa offers an alternative, hostel-like stay in Madeira Island.

This villa was built in the 50s for a rich American factory owner and his family. It has eight rooms plus a kitchen and two bathrooms, a big terrace/viewpoint in front of the house and a garden in the back. Two of the bedrooms we offer for travellers who would like to live and share this magnificent space with us for a while.

The villa is situated on an eastside hill of Funchal in a tranquil, non-touristic part of Santa Maria Maior. By foot you can walk to the central old part of Funchal in about 15 minutes but it's a quite steep walk back (we recommend using a bus).

For artists (/engineers/researchers) we can offer longer stays with access to indoor and outdoor workspaces. We will also host residencies the aim of which is to bring together people working in related areas, to exchange ideas and knowledge and possibly collaborate. During residency periods we will host 4-7 artists.

Please note that we do not have a 24 hour reception so if you show up without a booking we may not be at the residence. Earliest check-in is 13:00 but you may show up earlier (from 10:00) to drop off your bags or hang out. We speak English, Danish, Russian and a little bit of German.

From city centre: you may take a taxi (5-7 EUR) or bus number 34 (2 EUR, schedule: http://www.horariosdofunchal.pt/carreiras2011/34.pdf). You may also walk (20-35 minutes) - the easiest way to find us is by walking out Rua Santa Maria and continue until you reach Travessa do Lazareto, then continue uphill by that road until you have the residence on your right. Note that the last part of the walk is quite steep so if you are carrying a lot of luggage you probably want to use a taxi or bus.

From airport: you may take a taxi directly to our residence (25-30 EUR). You can also use the 'Aerobus' (5 EUR) or a local 'SAM' bus (3 EUR and a bit slower, bus stop is to the right of the airport exit) to the city center and from there follow the directions above.

From highway: if you are coming by car on the highway you need to use the exit 'Funchal (Boa Nova)'. It is possible to park on Rua Pedra Sina and it doesn't cost anything.