Eat in a dining room that oozes the old-style grandeur of an English country home, located on sub-tropical Madeira.
Set amid trees exotic gardens planted with trees from all over the world, entering Estalagem Quinta da Bela Vista is a little like time travelling to some tropical outpost of the British Empire.
Narrow cobbled paths lead deep into the 25,000 square metres of gardens, shadowed by towering palms and other exotic species, all labelled with their Latin name and place of origin, so that you feel as though you are strolling through a living museum, with bulbs strung from sturdier trunks to illuminate the greenery after nightfall.
Slightly separate from the botanical collection, you’ll find the hotel’s large pool, set in a clearing that offers views of Funchal bay and the sea beyond, with the distant Desertas Islands visible on clear days.
My husband I reach the hotel after taking a trip to the Desertas Islands nature reserve with the Gavão Yacht company, which has close links to the hotel. After a whole day at sea, much of it spent watching waves cresting all the way to the horizon, we’re ravenous.
The concierge welcomes us warmly and leads us to the à la Carte restaurant, set within the old manor house where the hotel’s most romantic bedrooms are found. This part of the hotel is just as grand as the newer annexe, with the added charm of masses of character.
The dining room is large enough to comfortably host a dozen families, but small enough to feel intimate, with gleaming antiques providing an impression of what Madeira must have been like when the British first began to visit its green shores.
The very well-to-do British family sitting at a large table in the centre of the room, discussing boarding schools and polo matches, only add to the sense of stepping into an elegant time warp, while the French couple who sit to our right, disappearing between courses for leisurely cigarette breaks, add some enigmatic glamour.
We eagerly devour three delicious courses, though we struggle with the exquisite petit fours that arrive with our coffees. Each dish is beautifully presented, often making use of local flora such as hydrangeas to enhance to appearance of an already attractive meal. Candle light adds an ambient glow, and the feeling of utter relaxation that we gained aboard the Gavão remains until long after our meal.
Estalagem Quinta da Bela Vista
Caminho Avista Navios, 4
9000-129 Funchal
Tel: +351 291 706400
www.belavistamadeira.com