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One of the biggest benefits of living in the grey and drizzly UK is its proximity to Europe. The baguettes of Paris (both bag and bread), the pasta in Italy, the beaches in Greece. In recent years, Portugal has taken over as being one of Europe’s most beloved destinations for its climate, culture and low cost, perfect for weekend trips out of London. But though Porto and Lisbon are frequented, one of Portugal’s best spots is relatively unknown: that of the island of Madeira.
Situated above Morocco–just like the allure of its neighbouring country, there are warm temperatures all year round—Madeira is a mountainous island perfect for hiking, wine tours and, thanks to its all-year warm climate, taking a relaxing holiday to lounge by the beach or pool. The latter of which makes up my favourite kind of holiday.
Though there are Airbnb options on the island, recently I and a lot of my friends have been discussing how much better hotels are. Were we just tricked into staying in someone’s spare bedroom and cleaning up after ourselves for relatively the same price by Silicon Valley tech billionaires? That’s a question for another time, but it does answer why we opted to stay at Savoy Palace while in the country. The Savoy Palace is found in Funchal, Madeira’s main city, and, if you engage in conversation with a local for longer than five minutes they’ll tell you it’s also where Cristiano Ronaldo is from. (In fact, his home can be spotted from the hotel).
The first thing to note is that the Savoy Palace is huge: it’s one of the biggest hotels I’ve ever stayed at, boasting a whopping 352 rooms over 16 floors. A resort this big is, again, something millennials generally push against. We want boutique, darling. But after a week at the Savoy, I understand the meaning of bigger is better. Despite its size, the Savoy Palace felt intimate, likely due to its stunning architecture and the way plants interact with the space to make it cosy and homely.
The exteriors draw on the hotel’s proximity to the sea, with a curved, wave-like structure, which makes the building unmissable on the drive-in and inside, there’s a stunning entranceway complete with a 13lb chandelier, underneath which sits a huge table filled with flowers. The rooms, too, are beautiful and modern—each of which has a sea view.
What makes the Savoy Palace unique is that not only are the interiors and views amazing, but they’ve thought of everything to make the experience feel boutique to guests while they simultaneously can enjoy all the luxuries of being in one of the Leading Hotels of the World. For starters—and of very high importance—there’s an incredible buffet breakfast—I’m talking anything you want with fruit options (the island known for its fruit) to die for.
For those staying in suites, the Savoy also has a separate breakfast option on its rooftop named Jacarandá where an infinity pool and restaurant is open exclusively for breakfast and lunch with Instagram-friendly views. This added area helps to add to the intimacy of a boutique hotel within the larger resort and also helps to elevate the hotel for those after something more refined. But despite having the option, we’d often opt for the regular buffet downstairs where we’d fill the table with options alongside the huge outdoor pool.
On top of the Jacarandá, the Savoy also has another poolside restaurant downstairs perfect for lunch in the sun as well as an upscale rooftop restaurant, Galáxia, with views across the city. The meat skewers—a traditional dish which the chefs have reimagined—was a particular highlight, as were the meal’s drink pairings.
The Savoy Palace also has a gym with all the equipment you could need pre-buffet (necessary for the incoming pancakes), as well as state of the art spa facilities that make you want to spend the day inside in the hydrotherapy rooms, rather than lounging by the pool. The spa is actually, a fact I found by Googling just now, the largest in Portugal, boasting a whopping 32,000 sq ft. It was inspired by Madeira’s Laurissilva Forest, the biggest surviving laurel forest in the world, with relaxing earthy green tones throughout.
Just visioning it now on my couch in grey London makes me want to book a trip back immediately.
Despite the number of guests staying at the hotel at the time (we went when the country was one of the only greenlit places to travel to from the UK), the Savoy Palace managed to make us feel like the only ones there: from the mini Portuguese tarts (pastel de natas) brought round on a tray at breakfast—the best I’ve tried to date—to the little treats left in room in the afternoon and the complimentary kombucha you get upon leaving the gym in the morning.
It’s worth visiting Madeira just for a routine consisting of heading to the gym, buffet, lounge and then spa at the Savoy Palace, as we did daily, but hotel luxuries aside, the island has many beautiful sights. There are stunning beaches, volcanic pools and delicious local Portuguese restaurants up in the mountains (our favourite was Casa de Pasto Justiniano). Madeira is known for its hike and the sunrise one is well worth doing, just don’t believe the locals who’ll tell you it’s 20 minutes to the top! (Double that and you should be safe).
Finally, make sure you try a casa da bobo from a local spot and then head back to enjoy that hydrotherapy room once more, knowing you’ve at least ticked off a few of the sights. A holiday done right.
Book your trip to the Savoy Palace here.
