The same Madeira apartment, around 15% less.
If you found us on Airbnb, this page is the honest version of the maths. Same apartments, same on-island team, same synced calendar. The difference is the platform fee sitting on top of your total, and who you talk to when something matters.
Where the extra 15% goes
Airbnb charges a service fee on most bookings: 14.1 to 16.5 percent of the booking subtotal on the older split fee structure, and around 15.5 percent taken from the host under the single fee structure many hosts moved to in 2026, which folds the same cost into the nightly price. That fee funds the platform, not your apartment. Booking direct simply removes it. Here is a worked example on a seven night stay at a nightly rate of 120 euros. Every fee explained in detail.
Illustrative example. Airbnb guest fees vary by stay length, dates and account. Your exact direct total, including any city tax, is shown before you pay on each apartment page.
What actually changes when you book direct
One honest total
Utilities, fast WiFi, linens, towels and cleaning are in the nightly rate. No service fee lands at checkout, and long stays from 28 nights unlock a further automatic discount.
A named human in Funchal
You message Steve and Aisling directly on WhatsApp, not a support queue. Restaurant bookings, late luggage drop, a levada recommendation, a broken anything: same day, same person.
Real protection anyway
Card payment is handled by Stripe, you get instant written confirmation, a published cancellation policy, and a guest portal with your address, door code and arrival guide.
What you give up, said plainly.
Airbnb gives you a familiar checkout, a public review history and its own resolution centre. Those are real things. Booking direct means trusting a small team instead of a large platform, so we try to earn that: every review on this site is from a real stay, our cancellation terms are published in full before you pay, and you can message us with questions before you commit to anything.
Book one of these direct
Central Funchal, walkable to the old town and the market. Live availability and your final total, with no fee added at the end.
Booking direct FAQ
Is it cheaper to book a Madeira apartment direct instead of Airbnb?
Usually yes. On Airbnb's split fee structure guests pay a service fee of 14.1 to 16.5 percent of the booking subtotal, and hosts on the newer single fee structure pay around 15.5 percent instead, which gets folded into the nightly price. Either way roughly 15 percent of your total buys the platform rather than the apartment. Booking the same Bond apartment direct removes it.
Are these the same apartments listed on Airbnb?
Yes. Bond apartments in central Funchal are the same spaces you may have seen on Airbnb, managed by the same on-island team. The calendars are synced, so availability you see here is real.
Is booking direct safe without Airbnb in the middle?
Payment is taken by Stripe, the same card processor used by most major travel brands, and you get an instant written confirmation plus a booking portal with your address, door code and arrival guide. You also get a named human in Funchal on WhatsApp rather than a support queue.
What happens if I need to cancel?
Our cancellation policy is published in full on the site and applied to every direct booking. You can read the exact terms before you pay, and changes to dates can often be handled directly with us rather than through a platform form.
Do I lose anything by not booking through Airbnb?
You lose the platform review history, which is why we publish real guest reviews here, and Airbnb's own resolution centre. In exchange you get a lower total, direct contact with the host, flexible check-in and luggage drop, and repeat-guest rates that platforms do not allow.
Same apartment. Lower total.
Pick your dates and see the direct price with everything included, before you pay.