Destination: Madeira
In 1419 - before Columbus and before Vasco da Gama’s great voyage around Africa - two Portuguese ships were driven by an Atlantic storm onto a small island group some 250 miles west of Morocco. Safely back in Lisbon, the captains reported back to their employer, Prince Henry the Navigator, and within a year, an expedition of colonization set sail to claim the isles. The settlers found the main island to be a beautiful place with flowering cliffs, steep hillsides clothed in laurel forests, fertile volcanic soil, and a year-round climate like a never-ending springtime. It was the first colony Portugal ever claimed, and she has never been sorry.
The early successes of Madeira were first in becoming the world's leading sugar producer when sugar was still a pricey luxury, and secondly, in developing the fine wine that gained prestige throughout Europe. The modern success story is tourism: over a million visitors arrive in Madeira annually from every part of the globe..
A decade or so after Napoleon’s final defeat, there were British visitors enjoying the sea and mountains, some staying in bucolic inns run by Scots immigrant William Reid. Years later he developed a masterpiece: an elegant, relaxed 5-star hotel, Belmond Reid’s Palace, topping a scenic promontory just outside of Madeira’s capital, Funchal. Ever since the doors opened in 1891, it has played host to the elite and well-travelled, including statesmen and famous artists.
Today staying at Reid’s is like being taken back to a more leisurely time, while at the same time enjoying the finest 21st century amenities. The first treat of our three-day stay will be a visit to Monte, a picturesque mountainside community located above Funchal, where the wealthy of Madeira have built superb manors and villas. There’ll be free time to enjoy Reid’s (including those legendary afternoon teas on the Terrace) and to explore on our own, and we’ll take a catamaran along Madeira’s scenic coastline through dolphin and whale-inhabited waters. The local restaurants are excellent, and our final gala will be held in Reid’s truly “palatial” grand Dining Room.