Vintage Madeira
If you’re looking for a sophisticated stay at a central London hotel, this dreamy four-star establishment is a pretty good option.
The St Paul’s branch of the Berlin-based Leonardo brand has 432 spacious bedrooms decked out in a modern but homey vibe.
Our executive suite’s floor-toceiling windows boasted views of Sir Christopher Wren’s magnificent cathedral and the City skyline.
Every room features a
DREAM bed, which sets you up for a perfect night’s kip after you close the blackout blinds to shut out the hubbub and lights of a city that never sleeps.
However, due to the comfiness of the bed, you won’t want to leave your sheets. But to make mornings easier, visitors can enjoy a cuppa in a soft robe as they watch the Big Smoke kick into gear.
: We sampled the three-course set menu (£35pp) at Leo’s Bar which has a series of crowdpleasers on offer along with some quirkier choices.
I went for the feta gnocchi bites to start, beer-battered North Atlantic cod and thick-cut chips for the main, and sticky toffee pudding to finish. Delicious!
The continental breakfast comes in at £20pp and features a buffet of traditional fry-up favourites, cereals, fruit, smoothies, and even an omelette station.
A key selling point is the luxurious Rena Spa, kitted out with a sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, and indoor pool. There are also treatments available on site, plus an impressive gym.
A must-visit is the Sabine Rooftop Bar. A secret garden oasis that looks over the cityscape – expect delicious cocktails and light bites.
Rooms start from £174 a night. leonardohotels.co.uk
WHAT kind of trip to Madeira is complete without a drink of the famous local wine? And shortly after stepping off the four-hour flight from the UK, I find myself in Blandy’s Wine Lodge, one of the most famous makers of the fortified nectar.
My walk to the wine lodge is a great introduction to Funchal, Madeira’s pretty capital city. A stone’s throw away from our central hotel, we pass under flowering purple jacaranda trees as the April sun shines through.
There is sun pretty much all year round in Madeira, which is known as the Island of Eternal Spring. While the temperatures are on the mild side, and rarely get higher than 250C, it feels like a blessing after months of rainy British weather.
Madeira is Portuguese, although geographically it is closer to North Africa. But walking through the cobbled streets up to Blandy’s, passing locals eating al fresco, I feel as if I could be in a typical Portuguese or Spanish city.
After trying two Madeira wines, one dry, one sweet – although both taste sweet to our British palates – I soon learn that daytime drinking is something of a pastime for locals. No wonder Madeira is so popular with Brits.
As well as their famous sweet wine, Madeirans also enjoy poncha, a much stronger combination of 40-60% alcohol mixed with honey and orange juice.
Poncha bars, much like the traditional British pub, feature in every
rooftop village and town. Madeira wine is strong stuff itself at 20% alcoholic content, so I am relieved that we don’t stumble across a poncha bar on the way back to our hotel – the brilliantly central Barcelo Funchal Oldtown.
After undergoing a full renovation last year, the hotel now stands as a handsome white stucco building with stylish design flourishes throughout.
My room is spacious with a luxurious marble tiled bathroom and double sink.
Although Madeira isn’t known for its beaches, the hotel does have a pool to make up for it. I head up to the top floor to enjoy the afternoon sun from the rooftop, with impressive views overlooking the sea and volcanic mountains.
A generous number of sun loungers make this a perfect place to soak up some rays. The cold, drizzly UK that I left behind that morning suddenly feels a long way away.
Our evening meal is served at a traditional Madeiran house known as a quinta, with a big banana tree growing outside.
Bananas are served at almost every meal we have on the island, even in savoury dishes such as pork with fried banana fritters.
Hybrid fruits including banana apples, also known as custard apples, and passion fruit bananas – a longer, thinner version of a passion fruit – are also common.
We start our meal at Gazebo Experience restaurant by trying a pitanga berry – an unusual combination of
The hotel is stylishly decorated tomato, cherry and chilli – straight from the tree. Inside, the intimate setting makes it feel as if we are dining at an old friend’s house.
The food fuses heritage flavours with newer styles. The Ode to Maderia Greens starter is served with foam and parmesan crisp. Dessert is banana bread with coffee, almond and a honeycomb wafer.
After a meal of this standard I am not surprised to learn that Madeira’s capital is home to three Michelin-star restaurants, even with a relatively small population of 100,000 people.
We drive home passing Cristiano Ronaldo’s mum’s house. The footballer is the island’s greatest export (even bigger than the wine), and the airport is named after him. Despite her four million Instagram followers, Ronaldo’s mum can apparently be seen walking the streets of Fun
Funchal’s pretty streets chal like any other Madeiran.
After eating and drinking pretty much non-stop since I first landed on the island, I am relieved that our guide has some sightseeing in store for our second day, when we explore beyond the capital.
It takes just 10 minutes to drive from our hotel up to the mountains. Our transport for the day is a classic Land Rover Defender 90, which takes us up some of the steepest roads I have ever seen.
The volcanic landscape means much of the island is built on a gradient. Banana trees thrive on every spot of incline, while vines grow above the soil on big lattices snaking up the hills.
As we drive further up the mountain we emerge through the clouds into drizzle and fog. This is our first taste of the Madeiran microclimate and it feels as if we could be in
I am not surprised to learn Madeira’s capital is home to three Michelin-star restaurants