Reid’s Palace, A Belmond Hotel review, Madeira: Timeless elegance

Why e book?

To fully change off in probably the most glamorous setting.

Hotel handle: Reid’s Palace, Estrada Monumental 139, 9000-098 Funchal, Madeira, Portugal
Web site: Booking.com
Telephone quantity: +44 1223 30 60 30
Worth from: about £284 an evening

Set the scene

Step contained in the pink palace (you may spot the salmony pastel shade every now and then on the 20-minute drive from Funchal airport) and a fleet of pleasant employees are there to welcome you. On the craggy cliffs above the Atlantic Ocean, an air of historical past is woven into the material of the resort. Interiors see its British heritage splashed all through – smooth whites and blues and chunky marble combined with Portuguese tiles and classic images of a cigar-smoking Winston Churchill tapping away on his typewriter (he spent many months right here earlier than and after his second stint as PM). Discover newlyweds, younger households and long-time Belmond followers out on the terrace amidst a subtropical breeze – Madeira is nearer to Africa than mainland Portugal – with a fruity glass of Poncha.

The backstory

Image this: company who arrive by boats are carried up the cliff in hammocks by strapping porters. This was the dream of younger Scotsman and resort founder, William Reid. Since then, the resort has been luring in a wise set of travellers (again within the day it was the place for European royalty) for over 125 years. Passing the reins to his sons, and with the assistance of the Madeira-winemaking Blandy household, they turned the resort into its legendary standing right now. Belmond took over in 1996, giving the palace a recent makeover whereas retaining the essence and allure of the place, attracting their international cult following to their island hospitality.