The most stylish hotels in Madeira for a spring escape
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4) Reid’s Palace, A Belmond Hotel, Funchal
From its iconic chequerboard tile dining terrace, to its white liveried staff and ornate marble bathrooms, everything at Reid’s Palace is done with a touch of class. The island's most famous place to stay and known as Madeira's best hotel, it combines elegant interiors and first-class dining with a wealth of spaces to explore, relax or get active.
You can immerse yourself in a blaze of colour wandering through the hotel’s 10-acre gardens, lined with exotic plants from all around the world, re-vitalise and breathe in the soft sea air in the beautiful indoor-outdoor spa, and choose between three pools, a gym and tennis courts for a work out. Or, if you prefer, simply order a cocktail and admire the views!
Reid's Palace, Belmond Palace - 2/12
1) Hotel The Vine, Funchal
Right in the heart of Funchal – and with a rooftop pool that looks out across the bay – this ultra-modern luxury hotel draws design inspiration from Madeira’s world-class reputation for wine-making.
At The Vine, So The Terrace restaurant’s romantic outdoor space is surrounded by vines, with chic furniture that copies the twisting branches, while at Uva (Portuguese for grape) up on the roof, you can drink and dine with magical views. The theme continues in the spa, where you can enjoy treatments like a crushed grape seed body scrub or an antioxidant red wine bath.
Booking.com - 3/12
2) Saccharum - Resort & Spa, Calheta
The perfect choice for a romantic couples’ break, Saccharum bills itself as a ‘Hedonist Design Resort’, and it definitely lives up to the name, offering a sophisticated but fun atmosphere right by Calheta Beach, one of the island’s few sandy stretches of coast.
Facilities in the spa are the main draw here, featuring a jacuzzi, Turkish bath, sauna, ice shower and Halotherapy room, plus a heated indoor pool. Then outside there’s a stylish contemporary terrace with shaded beds for sunbathing, and an infinity pool where you can watch mesmerising sunsets off Madeira’s south-west coast.
Booking.com - 4/12
3) Quinta da Casa Branca, Sao Martinho
Set in beautiful botanical gardens in Funchal’s chic seaside suburb of Sao Martinho, Quinta Da Casa Branca is a stylish boutique hotel in the grounds of an old Manor House, which offers five luxury suites of its own. Bedrooms have private terraces and huge windows offering panoramic views of the gardens, where you’ll find an amazing array of fragrant and exotic plants including Indian rubber trees, banana trees, olive trees, African tulip trees and Norfolk pines.
Plus, there’s a gorgeous outdoor swimming pool surrounded by bougainvillaea, a health club, gym and spa, and a smart restaurant in the Manor House serving sophisticated Portuguese cuisine, as well as a less formal Garden Pavilion restaurant for breakfast, light lunches and afternoon tea.
Booking.com - 5/12
5) PortoBay Serra Golf, Santo da Serra
Another glorious option for nature-lovers, Portobay Serra Golf is named after the island’s famous Santo da Serra Golf Course next door, and prides itself on its extensive and beautifully maintained gardens, featuring more than 90 varieties of colourful plants and flowers.
The hotel is a charming colonial-style house dating back to the 1920s, which has been lovingly restored with rich oak furniture, gorgeous fabrics and chic chandeliers, as well as the addition of a heated indoor pool, spa and gym. After a day exploring the stunning mountain landscapes all around you, head back to sample traditional Madeiran dishes in the hotel’s Avó Micas Restaurant.
Booking.com - 6/12
6) Acqua Natura Madeira, Porto Moniz
Set in the pretty fishing village of Porto Moniz on the island’s north coast, Acqua Natura Madeira sits just above the area’s renowned natural rock pools, formed by volcanic lava millions of years ago. These are incorporated into the hotel’s spacious sun terrace, with a wellness centre and Jacuzzi perched above looking out across the sea.
The 25 rooms (twin or double) are modern and stylish, all with private balconies where you can enjoy more of those wonderful sea views, and the hotel’s three restaurants make the most of its enviable coastal location too, offering fresh seafood by the ocean down at Lapa Bay, or contemporary Japanese cooking right up on the roof.
Booking.com - 7/12
7) The Cliff Bay, Funchal
One of Madeira’s finest resort hotels, the five-star Cliff Bay rises elegantly from a peninsula above Funchal and boasts unbeatable views of the sparkling Atlantic ocean, indoor and outdoor pools, a full-service spa, tennis courts, private sea access, and Madeira’s only two Michelin star restaurant, Il Gallo d'Oro.
Overseen by French chef Benoît Sinthon since 2004, it presents artful Iberian dishes made with produce grown in the hotel’s own gardens – making the most of Madeira’s wonderful climate. Inside, the bedrooms are spacious, modern and comfortable, and all have private balconies that either overlook the gardens or offer spectacular views of the bay.
Booking.com - 8/12
8) Albatroz Beach and Yacht Club, Santa Cruz
The main draw at this peaceful little hotel on Madeira’s east coast is without a doubt its outdoor sea-water pools, carved out of the cliffside of its 450 yard stretch of private seafront. At Albatroz Beach and Yacht Club, there’s also a third, heated pool at the hotel level, as well as a spacious sun terrace, smart lawns and grass tennis court.
The grown-up atmosphere continues inside, where you’ll find a library, spa and sauna, and light-filled rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies, plus marble bathrooms stocked with Molton Brown toiletries. If you fancy eating in, Restaurant Hibiscus offers an a la carte menu at lunch and dinner with an extensive wine list, or head over to Funchal for Portuguese fine dining at the hotel’s sister restaurants Casa Velha and the Dona Amélia.
Booking.com - 9/12
9) Sé Boutique Hotel, Funchal
Ideal for really getting to know Madeira’s lively capital, Sé Boutique Hotel is right by Funchal Cathedral and its historic Old Town, where you’ll find plenty of atmospheric bars and restaurants to explore.
As well as its fantastic location, the hotel has a small indoor pool, an ESPA spa and a cute rooftop terrace for soaking up the sun. The bedrooms are light and contemporary, but the décor in the public rooms is far more striking – featuring artworks from the hotel’s private collection and carefully selected antique furniture.
Booking.com - 10/12
10) Quinta da Bela Vista, Funchal
The family-owned Quinta da Bela Vista in Funchal is a country-house hotel within a 19th-century manor and its acreage. The latter consists of walled gardens, a palm-lined pool and pristine lawns. True to the historic setting, there are lots of antiques and artworks gracing the estate.
Many of the rooms, which are spread across two buildings, have balconies so you can enjoy the bucolic backdrop over an alfresco breakfast. Many of the staff have worked at the quinta for several years and their love of the property shows in their charming, friendly service.
Booking.com - 11/12
11) Hotel Quinta Do Furão, Santana
Quinta do Furão has been a popular restaurant for three decades now – the retreat started out as just a restaurant, with rooms added due to popular demand. The locals love it for the smart Sunday lunches in the traditional restaurant, which has an open fire and rustic brick walls and sloping wooden ceilings.
For out-of-towners, it’s an excellent cliff-top base on Madeira’s spectacular north coast. Guests can enjoy the views of the emerald green shoreline and Atlantic Ocean from balcony-enhanced bedrooms.
Booking.com - 12/12
12) Castanheiro, Funchal
In the capital of Madeira Funchal, Castanheiro is formed from five historic buildings near the Palace of Jesuits in the city’s protected zone. The oldest, which was once an atelier, dates back to the 18th century; there’s also the 19th-century mansion of a wealthy mercantile family and various centres of 20th-century industry, including typography and embroidery HQs.
There’s a lap pool with a view of the Bay of Funchal and the location is perfect for exploring the centre, since it’s close to the main museums and lots of restaurants and bars, too.
Booking.com
