For those of us on the East Coast, Hawaii is a long travel day away, but we have European islands closer to home that mirror Hawaii's lush landscapes like Portugal's magical Madeira - aka the "Floating Garden of the Atlantic." Madeira is home to the Laurissilva Forest with some of the oldest laurel on earth and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This type of laurel forest is only found on Madeira, the Azores, and the Canary Islands - all awesome island options off the coast of Europe.
Starting this year, United flies nonstop to Madeira from Newark three times a week (Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays) June 7 - September 24. Boston offers nonstop flights too.
Madeira offers a brilliant blend of nature, culture, culinary, and historical discoveries like delicious farmers' markets of fresh produce, Madeira Botanical Garden, hikes through lush forests and rugged mountains to hidden waterfalls, dolphin and whale watching, Funchal's historic old town, and of course - the famous wines of Madeira.
Article below produced by Amy Brecount White from 10/17/2024 can found here.
The Atlantic Portuguese territory is always in bloom. "The Island of Eternal Spring” is just one of many nicknames for Madeira, the verdant, mountainous Portuguese territory off the coast of Morocco. It’s a place where bluebird days reign, an abundance of produce thrives on terraced hillsides, and the breeze is perpetually spiked with a floral scent – even on an autumn afternoon inching toward winter.
Portugal’s second-largest island – the centerpiece of an archipelago of the same name – covers a 286-square-mile volcanic landscape of forested peaks and soaring, rocky coastlines. With year-round temperatures averaging 68 degrees, Madeira is often called Europe’s Hawaii, and travelers arrive in search of similar subtropical pursuits: hiking, diving, whale-watching, beach-hopping, but also winding through lush botanical gardens and sampling Madeira wine, a fortified homegrown variety that ranges from bone dry to refreshingly sweet.
As an avid gardener, floral immersions often fuel my travels, so before my husband and I visited in mid-September, I reached out to Sancho Vera Cruz, the chief gardener at my hotel, Savoy Palace, for advice on how best to dive into the island’s riches. The native Madeiran suggested beginning on the 309-room hotel’s grounds, which he helped design during the property’s 2019 renovation.
In the garden, rows of palm trees edge the expansive pool, and blooming bushes, perennials, ferns, and vines line the pathways. Lush leaves in a variety of shapes and many shades of green and maroon brush up against an unusual rose-colored vine called Brazilian Dutchman’s pipe that winds above a walkway, creating a tunnel for guests to stroll through on their way to lunch on the terrace at Alameda Restaurant. Overhead, dewflowers – small-leafed succulents – cascade down the hotel’s undulating balconies like the waterfalls that draw many to the island. Vera Cruz tells me that, in early spring, the plant blooms in myriad shades of purple.
With more than 250 plant species, Savoy Palace gives travelers a proper taste of the island’s botanical bounty. The Portuguese settlers who arrived here in the fifteenth century named the land Ilha da Madeira, or “island of wood,” because of its dense forests. Hundreds of years of Portuguese rule and trade led to a wealth of plants transported to the island by residents, immigrants, and ambassadors bearing blooming gifts. To see a mix of endemic and introduced species, Vera Cruz suggests a ten-minute walk to Santa Catarina Park, a garden in the city of Funchal overlooking the island’s main cruise port.
Dramatic birds-of-paradise and blue-tinted hydrangeas encircle the park’s lake, along with trumpet-shaped orange Datura, which I learn has hallucinogenic properties and can be deadly if ingested. The air smells like citrus. Nearby, in the heart of Funchal, jacaranda trees shade a popular walkway. In the spring, they’ll swell with bright-purple blooms.
A monarch butterfly flits past, pausing to gather nectar from a bloom. Unlike their North American counterparts, these monarchs don’t migrate. Thanks to Madeira’s multiple microclimates, when they want cooler temperatures, they fly to the mountains. Travelers tackle a smaller ascent via a 15-minute cable-car ride from portside Funchal to the city’s Monte parish, floating over terra-cotta rooftops and restaurant- and shop-lined squares.
Near Monte Municipal Park, the island’s levadas, an efficient network of open stone pipe tunnels dating to the fifteenth century, still distribute water from the rain-rich northern mountains to the drier southern coastline. Builders constructed walkways along the tunnels for maintenance; today, they also serve as paths that punctuate Madeira’s subtropical verdure, luring hikers with their fern-lined magic.
The next morning, my husband and I drive an hour north from Funchal, through tunnels and up the steep road toward the Fanal laurisilva (laurel forest), a UNESCO World Heritage site. There, Vera Cruz told me, I would see why Madeira is known as “the four seasons island” (the microclimates make it possible to experience all four seasons in one day).
As we ascend, the air becomes damp and chilly, and mist obscures any views across the 3,800-foot-high landscape. Initially, I’m bummed to miss the vistas, but the scene encircling us as we hike has its own allure. Millions of years ago, laurisilva covered much of southern Europe and North Africa, but this is one of the last and largest stands remaining.
In other seasons, travelers might find blooming violets, heather, and even rare native orchids. Today, the moist air creates a fertile habitat for bright-green mosses, delicate ferns, and grayish lichens that spring from the branches, encasing some in green fur. I imagine fairies and hobbits flitting around the mystical, primeval trees and their twisting limbs.
In our remaining time on Madeira, we venture to the coastal towns of Porto Moniz and Seixal on the island’s north end to see their volcanic pools – swimmable sanctuaries in the warm months. Along paths overlooking the ocean, succulents and wildflowers emerge from what looks like pure black rock. Another day, we hike from the inland forest park of Ribeiro Frio (Cold River) along the seven-mile Levada do Furado, one of Madeira’s oldest pathways. The rush of nearby waterfalls and other levadas accompanies us. Lichen grows on trees, an indicator of the air’s freshness. Leaves, blooms, and mosses burst from every available crevice, and a chaffinch sings in the branches. We’ve wandered up, down, and around this Edenic drop in the ocean, but I still feel like I’ve only begun to explore.
Where to Stay
Savoy Palace: Overlooking the ocean and Funchal’s Old Town, Savoy Palace welcomes guests in 309 rooms with creamy palettes and design inspired by its botanical surroundings, such as floral motifs etched into decorative metal bedside panels. The Laurea Spa is a nod to Madeira’s levadas and laurisilva. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 dining credit.
Reid’s Palace, a Belmond Hotel: British heritage and Portuguese flair combine at the 133-year-old Reid’s Palace, a Belmond Hotel, a 126-room, salmon-hued beauty perched beside the Atlantic Ocean in Funchal. Don’t miss dinner at the Michelin-starred William Restaurant, known for its celebration of Madeiran produce, or afternoon tea on the terrace overlooking the gardens, city, and ocean. Virtuoso travelers receive breakfast daily and a $100 hotel credit.
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