Natural beauty | centuries of Culture | wellness | outdoor fun
Madeira
w hen you think about getaways to lush island paradises, long-haul flights over the Pacific may come to mind. But if you look in the other direction, you’ll find a compelling and convenient surprise: Europe has a secret spot — actually, something more akin to a secret garden — that rises from the Atlantic, with amazing food and culture, to boot. Indeed, the place is so special, it took home the World Travel Awards Leading Island Destination last year. The bonus? Direct flights from the U.S.
The spot in question is Madeira, a Portuguese archipelago that sits about 600 miles from mainland Europe, and about 300 from North Africa. Starting this June, you can board a nonstop United flight from Newark and arrive in the capital of Funchal not even seven hours later. From there, endless wonders await, but we’re focusing on a few of our favorites. Read on to start planning your own exploration.
Europe’s secret spot
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Exceptional natural beauty
Centuries worth of culture
Abundant wellness offerings
Outdoor fun for
everyone in the family
Plan your trip
Seixal | credit: Henrique Seruca
Dining in Madeira | credit: Francisco Correia
Funchal | credit: Francisco Correia
Funchal | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Caldeirao Verde | credit: Francisco Correia
Faja do Cabo Girao | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Belmond Reid’s Palace
Levada Ponta Delgada | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Funchal market | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Clube de Golf Santo da Serra | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
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Museu de Arte Sacra | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Fanal Forest | credit: Ricardo Faria
Levada do Caldeirão Verde | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
If your idea of recreation involves a fairway, clubs and strolling from hole to hole, tee off at last year’s World Golf Awards winner Clube de Golf Santo da Serra. This Robert Trent Jones Sr.-designed course is considered one of the most beautiful on earth, with a view to the same waters that greeted the first Portuguese explorers centuries ago and famously fabulous Holes 3 and 4.
To get your adrenaline really pumping, there’s everything from mountain biking along coastal cliffs, canyoneering through waterfall-adorned interiors and trail-running through multiple microclimates in one outing. Or, if you’re looking for a subtler form of action, consider the islands’ endless birdwatching hotspots, which you can visit on your own or with a guided group.
With so many adventures on offer, everyone in your travel party will find the perfect brand of exhilaration. Beyond the aforementioned natural pool swimming, the local water beckons with stunning snorkeling and diving. Top spots include the Ponta de São Lourenço Nature Reserve, where unique species of corals and fish await at Caniçal, and the Porto Santo UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, where diving will introduce you to not only big, bright fish, but also some fascinating wrecks. You can also combine snorkeling and kayaking into one tour at Porto Santo — and if you’d like to explore dry land there (part of the biosphere as well), book a guided hike.
When it’s time to refuel, the profusion of island-grown organic produce makes every treat feel healthier. A good starting point: Prima Caju, where the signature Cashew Bowl blends housemade granola with Greek or soy yogurt and Madeira-sourced mango, banana, papaya and more. If you have a sweet tooth, opt instead for the build-your-own bowl — a coconut shell filled with the chilled fruit cream of your choosing, sliced fresh fruits, and toppings that range from passion fruit syrup to cashew cream. For something more substantial, try Horta, the Michelin-listed garden-to-table restaurant where sustainably-grown veggies become vegan and vegetarian delicacies such as a sweet potato bonbon with carrot sauce, gochujang and sesame — but also round out seafood and meat dishes such as grilled coastal fish with yuzu cream, ginger and kaffir lime. For even more multicultural, vegetarian-friendly, locally-sourced options, head to Terra Food Concept, where you'll find the likes of chana masala and sumac-roasted eggplant.
You’d have to try hard not to feel a baseline level of wellness here, surrounded by gorgeous seas and slopes in a subtropical climate that feels decidedly springy year-round. That said, Madeira is actually home to exceptional spas. Once again, Belmond Reid’s Palace is a standout, beloved among wellness travelers worldwide for treatment rooms with private terraces that overlook the Atlantic and services such as the Immunity and Energy Boosting Body Massage with Volcanic Hot Stones and Gua-Cha. If you want to immerse yourself even deeper into the local elements, head to a Thalassotherapy spa — that is, one that harnesses the wellness benefits of seawater, such as the Thalasso Sea Spa at VidaMar Resort Hotel, where the soaking, steaming and showering variations alone are impressive.
Whether or not you dine (or stay) at Reid’s Palace, don’t miss a stroll through the fabled gardens on any given Wednesday, when guided tours are open to guests and the public alike (but you do need to reserve). And these are just the start of the lush landscaping that the island is famous for. Other musts include the 19th-century Paleiro Gardens and the kaleidoscopic Madeira Botanical Garden. As you’ll quickly gather, garden-strolling is very much a part of the local culture, but there are also cultural treasures worth going indoors for occasionally: gorgeously folkloric bailinho music and dance performances; exceptional art both sacred and modern; and whatever play, concert or festival happens to be on at 19th-century Baltazar Dias Municipal Theater.
Claimed for Portugal in the 15th century during the Age of Exploration, these previously uninhabited islands soon took on some of the gorgeous hallmarks of their mainland counterparts: the black-and-white cobblestone mosaics, the elaborately painted wall tiles, the red-roofed homes and businesses. But the archipelago came to incorporate British influences as well thanks to England’s sporadic trade, military and royal presence here. Arguably the best way to get a taste? The famed eponymous local wine, i.e., Madeira, whose makers are often descendants of British families who’ve been in the business since the Victorian era. Take, for example, Blandy’s Wine Lodge, where seven generations have perfected the clan’s craft.
Water plays no less a role in Madeira’s natural beauty, with emerald-green slopes funneling misty falls into the sea (don’t miss the Véu da Noiva, or bridal veil) — and into hidden pools you can walk to (check out 25 Fontes). You'll also find abundant wild swimming ops in Madeira, where natural pools line the coast and rival the best resort pools you’ve ever experienced. For more active outdoor explorations, scroll down to the family adventure section.
Volcanically birthed tens of millions of years ago, this archipelago is nothing if not dramatic. It’s made up of two main inhabited islands —the namesake Madeira as well as Porto Santo — plus two uninhabited groups: Desertas and Selvagens (“desert” and “savage,” but that’s savage in the sense of wild landscapes). Both of these clusters, which have a certain barren beauty to them, are nature reserves. And while you can visit the former on guided day trips, the latter are more remote and require special permission.
Of course, movement is a key element of wellness — all the more so out in nature, where the happiness-boosting, nerve-calming component of exercise tends to get supercharged. Beyond the lovely coastal walking and swimming opportunities you’ll find near some of the best spa and wellness centers, you’ll find hiking trails — locally known as veredas — all over Madeira. Note that the irrigation canals known as levadas also double as hiking trails sometimes. Some of the best wellness hikes blend not only trekking, but some of those forests and waterfalls you read about earlier. Consider Levada Fajã do Rodrigues (an almost five-mile out-and-back) or the shorter Vereda da Lagoa do Vento (about two miles round-trip). And while you'll find several organized yoga retreats that take you to the island's mountains and beaches for a week of mindfulness, you can also book one-off sessions with local providers such as Emilie Mangoni.
Further f&b proof that you’re never too far from European civilization here: the two Michelin-starred restaurants in Funchal. One is called Desarma, where the vistas from the terrace of The Views Baía hotel pair beautifully with Chef Octávio Freitas’s locally-inflected tasting menu (it is, of course, ever-evolving, but is always likely to include cured North Atlantic fish, butter and cheese from Madeira farms and breads made of island-grown flour). The other is William, named for William Reid, who built the surrounding iconic hotel nearly 135 years ago: Belmond Reid's Palace. Pairing once again with dazzling coastal views, the tasting menus here are the brainchild of chef José Diogo Costa, who loves to blend traditional local ingredients with modern techniques.
But the classic Madeiran beauty isn’t barren at all. On the contrary, greenery and gardens of all kinds have come to define the local esthetic. Because this is a land of myriad microclimates — starting at sea level along the beach-dotted coastline and rising to skyscraping, vapor-wrapped peaks — you’ll find the lushest of cloud forests, the serenest of pine groves and perhaps most famously, the World Heritage-designated Laurisilva of Madeira, that according to UNESCO, is the largest surviving area of laurel forest and probably 90% primary forest.
Levada Ponta Delgada | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Pta de Sao Lourenco | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Funchal (left); Blandy's Wine Lodge (right) | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Ponta de São Lourenço Nature Reserve | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Trail running | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Canyoneering | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Mountain biking | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
William | credit: Reid's Palace
Desarma | credit: The Views Hotels
Madeira Botanical Garden | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Paleiro Gardens
Natural beauty | centuries of Culture | wellness | outdoor fun
Natural beauty | centuries of Culture | wellness | outdoor fun
Natural beauty | centuries of Culture | wellness | outdoor fun
Bica da Cana | credit: Francisco Correia
Bica da Cana | credit: Francisco Correia
Levada Ponta Delgada | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Museu de Arte Sacra | credit: Ricardo Faria Paulino
Fanal Forest | credit: Ricardo Faria