Returning after 17 years, I was pleased to find that Madeira still retains its original colonial charm and the scenic views that have made it a premier short break destination.

The island is an extinct volcano rising out of the Atlantic covered in lush tropical gardens at the lower levels giving way to forests and moorland on the peaks. The white houses with traditional Portuguese red tiled roofs spread up the steep hillsides. Located in the Atlantic 600 km off Casablanca , Morocco it is a popular all year round destination with pleasant average temperatures of 23C in summer and 17C in winter.

Life in Madeira is centred on the main harbour of the capital Funchal which spreads high up into the surrounding hills enabling residents and holiday guests to enjoy spectacular views of the harbour with its visiting cruise ships and the sea beyond. Mass tourism and the overdevelopment which has blighted the Costas and the Canary Islands appears to have bypassed Madeira.

Until about ten years ago it was difficult to travel around the island on the step narrow roads with many hairpin bends and few passing places. Since then the government has utilised EU funding to transform the road infrastructure and extend the airport runway further into the sea. They have built new dual carriageways which use many new tunnels and bridges to bypass the old roads and link Funchal to the airport and the other towns. Our driver said that the island was now like a “Swiss cheese” after all the tunnelling.

Luxury Accommodation in the Quintas of Madeira

The travel improvements have been matched by new investments in hotel and apartment developments which are in keeping with the traditional Portuguese architecture. Many of the fading Quintas or manor houses ringing Funchal have been carefully renovated and extended enabling the guests to enjoy the original tropical gardens and dramatic sea views.

The Charming Hotels Madeira group offer four luxury hotels located in and around Funchal which retain the original style and character of the Quintas on which they are based. Guests staying at any of the group hotels on half board can take advantage of the “Wine and Dine Around” option to experience all of the hotel restaurants and the leisure facilities. This is made possible by a regular shuttle bus service which links all the hotels with the harbour in Funchal and a ready availability of yellow Mercedes taxis.

Monte and the Quinta do Monte Hotel

I was surprised by the speed of our transfer from the airport along the new fast roads before we took to the steep narrow lanes up to the picturesque village of Monte and our first hotel Quinta do Monte on the high ground above Funchal. The original Quinta building is retained as the reception area linked to the new wings set into the hillside. The bedrooms and public areas are spacious and comfortable with views of the extensive gardens and Funchal harbour far below. The hotel also has a large indoor pool and Jacuzzi.

This is a good place to relax on the hotel terraces or take a stroll to explore the gardens and the small church with the statue of Madeira’s patron saint Our Lady of the Assumption. Alongside is the restored Monte Palace Tropical Garden with many plants from around the world and interesting water features. The gardens also house two unusual and interesting museums devoted to contemporary stone sculptures from Zimbabwe and a large collection of minerals and gemstones collected by Jose Berardo. He left Madeira to make his fortune in South Africa before returning to restore the gardens to their former glory.

View of Hotel Quinta do Monte

Cable Car or Toboggan?

After a good night’s sleep and a pleasant breakfast we left Monte for a tour of Funchal . You can be boring and take the shuttle bus or taxi or try two exciting and memorable alternative modes of transport – the cable car or toboggan. Monte is linked to Funchal harbour by a cable car providing a breathtaking 15 minute “flight” above the houses and deep green valleys. The other way down is to take one of the famous wicker toboggans pushed, pulled and steered by two men in traditional straw boaters down the steep and narrow cobbled streets – the only braking being provided by their boots specially soled with rubber treads from old car tyres!

Exploring Funchal

Funchal is the busy shopping and business centre of the island. On our short visit we first visited the Madeira Story Centre which provides and interactive history of the island from the time it was discovered in the 15th century, through the pirate raids, the establishment of the banana and sugar cane plantations, the planting of the vineyards and the arrival of the first air travellers by “first class” flying boats from Southampton via Lisbon.

Next stop was the Blandy Wine Lodge where we had an interesting guided tour of the cellars and learnt about the history of the wine trade based on the sweet and dry fortified wines similar to sherry and much valued by the Royal Navy. At the end of the tour we had a wine tasting and I made a mental note to book in for the promising Vintage Wine Tasting tour on my next trip. You can never learn enough about good wine!

The Farmers Market in Funchal is a focal point for the locals and is worth visiting to see the displays of exotic fruits, tropical flowers (orchids, Birds of Paradise and Proteas), locally made wickerwork and a large fish market.

For lunch we gravitated, as most visitors do on sunny days, to the restaurants on the Marina beside the harbour and sampled the most typical fish dish of Espada with roasted bananas.

Hotel Quinta das Vistas Palace Gardens Hotel Funchal

This is the flagship five star hotel of the Charming Hotels group with a commanding view across the bay from the terraces to the harbour below (see the picture at the top of this article). The hotel has large public lounge areas with a colonial feel and two levels of indoor and outside swimming pools and a luxury Asian Chandra Spa offering a wide range of treatments from around the World in a restful setting. The hotel is featured in Conde Nast Johansens Guide for 2009.

The staff really made us feel welcome and I particularly enjoyed the extensive breakfast buffet which, of course, you can take on the terraces. In the evening the La Belle Terrasse restaurant offers an a la carte gourmet dinner menu and a weekly Fado show.

This hotel is popular as a viewing point for the famous New Years Eve fireworks display over Funchal harbour but you will have to book early to secure a room!

Madeira Excursions

The new road system using the extensive tunnels makes it much easier to travel around the island and visit the more remote north coast facing into the Atlantic with its high cliffs and waterfalls. The old single track cliff roads I remembered have been thankfully bypassed by new tunnels making the journey much smoother.

Our guide from Blandy Tours took us on a minibus tour to the north west corner of the island to a small seaside town of Porto Moniz . We enjoyed lunch on the terrace of the Orca restaurant overlooking the seawater bathing pools and the pounding Atlantic breakers. The pools have been developed from the naturally occurring lava pools and a ticket costs a few Euros.

Levada Walking

The most striking thing about Madeira is the greenness of the landscape both on the “rainy” Atlantic facing north coast and the fertile valleys of the “dry” south facing region around Funchal. We discovered the Madeirans have developed an advanced irrigation system over several centuries which takes the rain water from the north and distributes it to farmers in the south. Incredibly this large network of manmade water channels and tunnels extends over 1550 miles (2500 km). The channels, known as levadas, snake around the hills following the contours and have a secondary purpose as a pathway system for the local villagers - living high on the hills away from the roads. In recent years levada walking has become a popular tourist activity especially in the spring and autumn.

We had the opportunity to take a Madeira Explorers guided tour along a stretch of levada on the terraced hillside high above Porto da Cruz on the north coast. This was January and we had been warned to expect a few showers and come equipped with walking boots and a waterproof jacket. We soon realised that we were very fortunate have Alvaro as our expert guide. He provided a running commentary on what life was like for the small farmers on the hillsides and guided us safely through the more difficult stretches of the path. He stopped to point out the bamboo and banana plants, the sweet potatoes that can be used as animal feed and the scented mimosa flowers.

Taking Our Leave

As we departed for the airport, I was pleased that Madeira has found a way to expand its tourist industry without impacting the environment with unsightly modern developments. The new roads and tunnels enable visitors to gain easier access to the rest of the island beyond Funchal to enjoy the slower pace of life and the stunning scenery.

Getting There

The writer flew to Madeira with Easyjet from Gatwick (just over 3 hours) with Classic Collection Holidays and the Charming Hotels Madeira group. There are daily flights to Funchal from many of the UK regional airports by several airlines including TAP Portuguese Airlines, Easyjet and Thomson.co.uk.

Where to Stay

You can book rooms in the four Quintas luxury hotels at the Charming Hotels Madeira website or alternatively contact Classic Collection Holidays website to create a tailor made holiday including transfers, car hire and golf packages. We stayed at Quinta do Monte and Quinta das Vistas, two of four luxury quintas of Charming Hotels Madeira, all in and around Funchal.

Classic Collection Holidays feature all four Quintas properties in the Charming Hotels Madeira group. Prices in March start from £385 per person for three nights and £637 for 7 nights at Quinta das Vistas; £332 for 3 nights and £467 for 7 nights at Quinta do Monte, based on B&B in a twin/double garden view room, including flights & private taxi transfers (visit the Classic Collections website  or freephone 0800 294 9315).

Activities

You can book guided Levada Walks with Madeira Explorers. Charming Hotels Madeira also offer inclusive golf packages. Additional information about Madeira can be found at the official Madeira Tourism website .

Copyright Mike Knuckey  2009  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it