Hotel Quinta da Serra

The Hotel Quinta da Serra is a restful countryside retreat, far from the busy streets of the capital Funchal.

High in the hills of the Jardim da Serra, you’ll find that peace and quiet are the maxims at Quinta da Serra, with spacious en-suite rooms overlooking terraces of fruit trees, seasonal vegetables, and herbs – organic produce which is used to great effect in the hotel’s restaurant. There’s also an indoor pool, sauna and spa, a well-equipped gym, tennis court, billiards room and a library.

Both the quinta and gardens were the brainchild of Henry Veitch. Scottish by birth, Henry was the British Consul to Madeira and a local legend – back in 1815, the ship transporting the exiled Napoleon Bonaparte weighed anchor off Madeira. Officially, Henry boarded the ship for an audience with General – unofficially, it’s said that Napoleon and Josephine accompanied Henry to Quinta da Serra as his guests before continuing their journey to St Helena. Legends aside, Henry loved the highland-feel of the area and in building his home and gardens, he was able to preserve some of Madeira’s oldest native trees.

Spring’s a special time at the quinta, when the surrounding hillsides turn white as the cherry trees blossom. So’s early June, when the colourful, week-long Festa da Cereja celebrates the cherry harvest. Due to its fairly remote location, we usually recommend staying on a half-board basis and including a hire car will allow you to explore the wider island.