Babysitting and help with children
Travelling with children eventually means wanting a few hours free: a dinner out, a boat trip, a levada walk that is not built for short legs. A local babysitter covers that.
Agree the details in writing: hours, the exact address, the children's ages, allergies, bedtime routine and a second contact number. If you do not share a first language, check which languages the sitter works in before booking.
Ask the sitter to arrive early the first time. Twenty minutes with the parents still there makes the evening easier for everyone, children included.
A photographer while you are here
Photo sessions are one of the most common requests from visitors, especially on family trips, proposals and milestone birthdays.
Weather decides a lot. A clear morning in Funchal can be thick fog at Fanal and rain in São Vicente at the same hour. Photographers who work here know that and usually offer a fallback location for the same day.
Agree the location, the length of the session, how many edited photos you get, when you get them and in what format. Popular viewpoints have crowded hours, and it shows in the pictures.
- A main location and a backup for fog or rain
- Time of day, allowing for early or late light
- Number of edited photos and delivery time
- Whether travel to the location is included
Transfers and getting around
The airport is in Santa Cruz, some way from Funchal, and arriving with luggage and children is simpler with transport arranged before you land.
For groups, and for days when you want wine with lunch, a driver is more practical than a rental car. In the older parts of Funchal and on the hillsides the streets are narrow and steep, and parking eats time.
Always state how many people, how many bags and whether you need child seats. That is the information most often missing, and the reason pickups run late.
Deliveries, shopping and errands
On a longer stay the supermarket becomes part of the plan. Grocery deliveries, water and anything heavy take the least pleasant part out of a self-catering holiday.
People also need luggage moved between accommodations, a parcel collected that arrived after they changed address, or a trip to a shop outside the centre.
Give an address plus a landmark. Many houses on the hillsides sit on narrow lanes where numbering is not much help to a driver who has never been there.
Hairdresser, massage and beauty at your door
Hairdressing, manicures, makeup and massage are all services plenty of professionals on the island will do at your accommodation rather than at a salon.
It is worth it in three situations: with a baby asleep in the next room, before an event, and when you do not want to lose an hour travelling. Just confirm the property has the space and conditions needed, particularly for massage.
Say what you want in advance. A colour treatment, wedding makeup or a specific type of massage all mean different materials and different amounts of time.
If you rented a car
Madeira's roads are narrow, twisting and steep, and scraped wheels or a folded mirror usually happen during an ordinary manoeuvre in a tight street.
If something goes wrong mechanically, the first call is to the rental company, because assistance and repair are set out in your contract. A garage you choose yourself can complicate the return.
Outside a rental contract, a local mechanic is useful for your own car, for a second opinion, or for simple things like a battery, tyres or a service during a long stay.
- Photograph the car at pickup and again at return
- Save the rental company's assistance number
- Check whether your cover includes wheels and glass
- Fold the mirrors when parking in narrow streets
Arranging things without Portuguese
Many professionals on Madeira work in English, and some in other languages too. It is still worth confirming this in your first message, so nothing is lost about times and addresses.
Write down the essentials every time: what you need, where, when and for how long. One photo of the place or the problem does more than a paragraph of description.
On HomeFix you post the request, local professionals send offers, and you settle the details in chat. Payment goes directly to the professional, with no commission and no middleman.