Madeira, Portugal - an Island Paradise

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Madeira, Portugal - an Island Paradise

Friends and I recently stole away for a few days of island hopping. Not to just any islands, but the islands of eternal Spring, the islands commonly referred to as floating gardens in the North Atlantic. We were off on a rare adventure of exploration, nearer to North Africa than the European Continent, beginning at Portugal's island of Madeira.

Funchal is the largest city on Madeira, with a natural harbor that compelled 15th century explorers to settle there. Madeira, which means wood in Portuguese, is a 35 mile wide, cloud-wreathed beauty, two hours by air from Lisbon. One fifth of its surface is covered by the largest remnant of the primeval laurel forest that once spread over Southern Europe. These descendants of ancient trees are draped in moss and lichens, protected by UNESCO in the cloudy heights of the Laurissilva Forest. We simply had to go see them.


Madeira is volcanic in origin, with the dormant Pico Ruivo the highest peak at 6105 ft. There are a wide variety of plant zones and ecosystems spilling down from that height, alpine to subtropical, hosting an incredibly diverse selection of native and imported flowering plants. Throughout the horticultural world, gardeners think of Madeira as their Mecca. That's why we came -- to hike, eat, and enjoy the natural beauty. But first we needed a place to stay.

The range of accommodations is as varied as you could expect in one of Northern Europe's favorite vacation spots. Hostels, B&Bs, and boutique inns and hotels are widely available, as are the oceanfront spa resorts. We toured Funchal, visiting our top choices of four & five star hotels before deciding which suited us the best. It was a very difficult decision.

The most picturesque, Choupana Hills Resort & Spa, is made up of stylish modern bungalows set high above the city in a hillside garden, with a beautiful green tile pool and an excellent restaurant. It is very nice, but not walking distance to anywhere, meant more for trysting than trekking. We enjoyed a delicious lunch of native ingredients creatively turned into haute cuisine, wistfully glanced into the huge spa, and decided to move on.

Next on our list was the Estalagem Quinta da Bela Vista, an old-world sedate retreat where kings and queens are graciously accommodated. Built around a mid-nineteenth century estate, it was lovely, with beautiful period gardens. The rooms are filled with the largest private collection of antique art and furniture in Europe, and it spills out into the public areas. They were exquisite, but this was not the hotel for us. It was more black tie than black t-shirt. We didn't pack the clothes for it!



So, we headed back toward the ocean, stopping to visit the Estalagem Quinta das Vistas, and have a drink on their expansive patio overlooking the entire city. It was gorgeous, with an excellent spa facility and a very cordial staff, but just too far out-of-the-loop for us. We decided that we didn't want to overlook the city, we wanted to be in it!

Both the Crown Plaza, and the Hotel Porto Mare were strong possibilities. Both are walking distance to the cobblestone streets of old Funchal, with clubs and shops nearby, and both had access to the ocean. We could have stayed at either one, but I saw that the last on our list was just down the street - the Hotel Tivoli Ocean Park. Growing up across the Hudson from the town of Tivoli it was just too much of a coincidence. Since all three were equally great - big pools, spa, restaurant, ocean views, and close to the action - we chose the Tivoli. It was a decision we would not regret.

Now, instead of a making you hungry with a tour of all the restaurants, I'll just describe the local food in a typical 5 course meal, and list the restaurants at the end. All of the hotels we previewed had good restaurants, but for the best local color and ingredients you can't beat eating where the natives do.


For an appetizer we were served limpets (think big brother to barnacles) with garlic and lemon butter in a sizzling pan. They were grilled and served in their little half shells, and as chewy/tasty as all that garlic and butter could make them.

The next course was a tomato soup I first learned to make in a culinary school outside of Barcelona, Spain. In Madeira it is called 'sopa de tomate e cebola', and it is also crowned with a poached egg. It isn't thickened with cream or butter, just loaded with caramelized onions and chopped tomatoes simmered to perfection. The uncooked yolk thickens it nicely, and the red and yellow swirls formed when it is stirred are a favorite color combination of mine. It really was pretty, and it tasted good, too! The crusty, toasted garlic bread served with it, called 'bolo do caco' almost made it a meal in itself.

While bonito and sword fish are also favorites, the fish course has to be Black Scabbard fish. Called 'espada', it is a rare Medeira delight. This perfect white-meat fish is adaptable to almost any recipe, but little used in soups or stews. The fish is over three feet long, with the body of an eel and the head of a barracuda. It is a fierce looking, scale-less local anachronism, only recently discovered in one or two other places in the world. Skinned, and easily boned, the flesh is commonly seasoned with pepper, salt and lemon, then dredged in flour, dipped in beaten egg, and rolled in bread crumbs or corn meal, before it is fried. For a strong tropical flavor it can be served with fried fruits and fruit sauces, but it's pleasant mild flavor can stand alone, too. It doesn't freeze well, though, and must be eaten fresh. Because of that, one must go to Madeira for this very unusual dish.


I'm told that the meat course can be any kind of grilled beef, lamb, pork, chicken, rabbit or goat, but I couldn't find goat on any menu. All the rest were fine, but the beef is often too well-done. The black & blue sirloin I had one afternoon was a rare event, accomplished only with the expert help of a bilingual native (my Portuguese is terrible!) and a skeptical chef. On your own, you'll be lucky to have your steak pink in the middle. For local flavor you could order 'espetada'. It is made of large chunks of beef rubbed in garlic and salt, skewered on a laurel stick and left to grill/smoke over wood chips. The laurel skewer contributes a unique "bay" taste that identifies this as typically Maderian. I also had this served on metal skewers in one restaurant. There, our waiter told the apocryphal story of Roman soldiers using oleander sticks instead of laurel for their 'espetada', and being poisoned by the toxins in the wood. True or not, be careful of the wood in the skewers you use, or the flavor may be "death". (Those metal ones look better to me all the time.)

Madeirans have a sizable sweet tooth, much larger than mine. There were endless progressions of pastries and sweets served for dessert. They all looked great, and my colleagues loaded their plates, but I opted for the ice cream every time. Most unusual flavor - Madeira! And while we're talking about this sweet sherry that is the most famous product of the island, let me warn you, it is everywhere. A small glass of Madeira was served to me as early as 9:30 in the morning, and routinely throughout the day. Any hint of a social occasion, from an introduction to a meal, is a reason to imbibe. I'm not a sherry drinker, but by week's end I found myself actually enjoying Madeira whenever it was served.

The other local drink is 'poncha', which can be served cold or hot. It is a mixed drink of a potent white alcohol made from distilled sugar cane called 'aguardente', mixed with 'mel de cana' (sugar cane honey) and fresh lemons & (possibly) oranges, mulled and strained. It is a very fortifying concoction, best consumed after an evening meal. Instead, we downed ours just before this 12 kilometer hike!


To truly experience Madeira one must walk through the Laurissilva, and follow the narrow canals, called levadas, that channel the much-needed mountain water to irrigate the crops below. On our most exciting levada walk, the path started as wide and inviting as an old carriage road. We were lured just beyond a reasonable distance to turn back before it curved sinuously through a tunnel, and, narrowing at the exit, became a foot-wide path hanging off the cliff, with only a thin strand of wire between us and a thousand foot drop to the treetops below. This was rated as a "moderate" hike. Thank goodness for the poncha! The trail continued in and out of tunnels, in turns easy and hard, with fingerling trout darting into the shadows as we passed. It was a wonderful four hour look at the incredibly diverse ecosystems and rugged mountain scenery of this truly magical isle.


All too soon our visit ended. We left gardens unseen, and paths untraveled, perhaps for a future visit. My friends returned home, but I moved on to the next destination - the Canary Islands.

HOTELS
Choupana Hills Resort & Spa http://www.choupanahills.com
Estalagem Quinta da Bela Vista http://www.belavistamadeira.com
Estalagem Quinta das Vistas (Charming Group) http://www.charminghotelsmadeira.com
Crowne Plaza Resort Hotel http://www.crowneplaza-madeira.com
Hotel Porto Mare Three hotels side-by-side http://www.portobay.com
Hotel Tivoli Ocean Park (we stayed here) http://www.tivolioceanpark.com

GARDENS
Jardim do Monte A beautiful Asian style garden with an incredible Museum of African Sculpture Jardim das Orquideas (Pregetter's Orchid Garden) http://www.madeiraorchid.com

RESTAURANTS
Adega da Quinta with metal skewers of 'espetada' hanging over the table
Quinta do Furao (in Santana) - great food in spectacular ocean view setting
Victor's at the entrance to the Ribeiro Frio to Portela levada walk
TOURISM
Madeira Island tourism http://www.madeira-island.com/

My Canary Island tour will appear here soon.