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Luxury property for sale in Madeira, Portugal

The story of the luxury property (for sale) behind Vila Rostrum is a true case of love at first sight. It all began when a Dutch couple embarked on an unlikely trip to the island which they remained linked to the island ever since.

On arrival, they relaxed into the island environment straight away. They found Madeira to be a place full of appealing qualities: sunny, quiet, safe and more importantly, friendly. During their first stay at the Belmond Reid’s Palace hotel and their second, the following year, at the Pestana Carlton, their eyes were set on purchasing or renting an apartment at Reid’s. They decided to take matters into their own hands and wrote a letter expressing their interest. They later placed the letter in several letter boxes of suitable options and were pleasantly surprised when they received a phone call a few days later from one of the owners asking if they were interested in viewing their apartment, as they were due to return back home the same day. Following the viewing, they decided to rent the apartment during the spring and autumn months for years to follow.

Although they spent many pleasant holidays in that apartment they decided they wanted to have a place of their own and preferably in the Old Part of town. They came across João Macedo, a local broker, who was keen to help them finding the perfect place.

Following numerous viewings, they still hadn’t quite found what they were looking for. It was then that João Macedo suggested they purchase a plot of land and build the house they had envisaged. Seeing that they are both architects and had the right tools, they decided it would be a suitable and viable idea. And so they did, together with a young local architect Pedro Souto who nowadays is a very good friend of theirs.

A dream

Vila Rostrum became so much more than a villa of large dimensions featuring a state of the art construction. It is a dream! It is the materialization of everything their mentors would have imagined for their dream house. Step by step, brick by brick, their house came to life on the hill of Pico dos Barcelos, taking advantage of the magnificent view over Funchal and its unique bay.

Work on the property began in 2000 and finished in May 2002. It wasn’t the small house that the promoters had envisioned. The project ended up consisting of a grand house, grand in all senses of the word. Built on 1.800 square metres of land, Vila Rostrum covers an area of 580 square metres. Casa Rostrinha, another house complete with independent access, totals at an area of 220 square metres.

Location

The climate is mild and the view, one of the best in Funchal, is the ideal place to watch the spectacular end of year firework display in Madeira. Sunny, private and facing south, the heated outdoor swimming-pool fully  quipped with jet stream and the indoor swimming pool.

Vila Rostrum is rooted in a quiet place, 10 meters above Rua Encosta do Pico dos Barcelos, a dead-end street. All divisions are ample and totally equipped. Kitchens, barbecue area, bathrooms and remaining leisure areas are elegantly decorated and benefit from plenty of natural light due to the large sliding windows which furnish the property.

The property

The property is spacious in every possible way covering the pools, terraces, wine cellar, the hall, living and dining rooms or even the leisure area at the rear of the house. The hall divides the house into two extensions, one for the exclusive use of the owners, who spend a few seasons of the year here, and the other, totally equipped, for the use of guests. All in all, the villa features 4 bedrooms in addition to a fifth and sixth at Casa Rostrinha.

Top quality finishing on the property is thanks to the working hand of a Portuguese architect and the Dutch owner himself. Everything was thought down to the minor detail such as the terraces paved with the Portuguese ‘calçada’, woodwork and marble used in some of the rooms. A feature detail is the set of paintings encircling the indoor swimming pool by an artist, living on the island, who goes by the name of Lachart.

Technology

The property features the latest technology, be it in the irrigation systems or swimming pool maintenance in addition to the underfloor heating in the living room, dining room and bathrooms as well as the efficient managing systems for lighting and security.

Vila Rostrum is made up of many other details, so many that it is impossible to name them all. All those details ensure a unique experience and contribute towards further comfort.

Casa Rostrinha

Regarding Casa Rostrinha, aside from being completely independent from Vila Rostrum, it is located on the
intermediate floor above the garage and below the main residence, featuring a magnificent view over Funchal’s amphitheatre. It is a luxury apartment which stands its own ground in the combined area of this property envisioned by two visitors who fell in love with the island.