There are several “Quinta” hotels in Madeira, part of the Charming Hotels group, and we stayed at Quinta das Vistas as part of our package holiday through Broadway Travel. It is a very pleasant hotel, attractive reception area with plenty of room for everyone. Very good food and service in the restaurant and we loved our room overlooking the garden and pond at the front of the hotel. An interesting mis-match of geese and swans in the tiny pond were very noisy if people dared to walk past!
The best thing about the hotel is that you can book ahead to have dinner at one of their sister hotels, no extra charge, with a minibus to take you there and back – brilliant idea.
We loved Quinta Bela Sao Tiago in the old town of Funchal. It was a great way to spend Friday evening with a first-class meal in a fantastic setting, and we would choose this Quinta hotel to stay at in the future. Quinta do Monte was the other option for Tuesday evening and again, this was excellent food beautifully presented. This hotel is near the Gardens and Cable Car terminus so is very high above Funchal city – great views but you would need to use local transport to get into town.
If you booked ahead, our hotel offered a free shuttle bus into the old town each day, dropping off and picking up at Quinta Bela Sao Tiago with its sunny patio area and views across the harbor, particularly pleasant with an ice-cold drink while waiting for the bus! As it is on the edge of the old town, a walk along the cobbled streets is a must, passing the brightly-coloured artworks on all the doors. Not sure why they are painted like this, but it certainly brightens up an afternoon’s stroll.
The whole trip was well-organised by Broadway Travel, especially the two and a half days’ trips included and the airport transfers. Note the last time we visited Madeira, they still had a short runway and we were delayed for two days until the wind dropped sufficiently for planes to land and take off. We did stay in a very nice 5* hotel during this delay, but you could spot our lot as we all looked like the proverbial “bag of rags” as clothes packed were assumed not to reappear. The trips were a bonus as they allowed us to see virtually the whole of the island with our own minibus driver and guide.
We are looking forward to our return to Madeira for New Year’s Eve, though not to this hotel.
