Travel and leisure
Destinations
A floral feast in Madeira
Madeira cake has long been popular with Brits - as has the flower-filled sub-tropical island from which it takes its name, writes Penny Visman
Think tracts of blue hydrangea, pink hibiscus, white lilies and flaming red poinsettia all growing wild in the countryside. Lilac-blue jacaranda trees grace the boulevards of Funchal. The flower market there features buckets of vivid blue and orange Bird of Paradise flowers - or, Strelitzia, pictured above - sold by women in colourful striped costumes. And there are more gardens to visit than you throw a palm frond at.
Madeira is the Portuguese word for wood, hence discoverers named the island for its thickly-forested steep slopes. Bus tours give an overview of this dramatic scenery. A popular stop is the fishing village of Camera de Lobos, where Winston Churchill used to paint.
Afternoon tea on the terrace of Reid's Hotel is a well-loved ritual. But did you know that now you can also visit Reid's gardens by booking with the concierge to join a guided walk.
Another lovely garden is 'A Quintinha', where a gardener will explain the use and history of the aromatic plants and herbs. Orchid lovers will relish the Blandy Gardens and Orchid Farm.
The main Botanical Gardens and Tropical Palace Gardens at Monte can be reached by cable car, which gives a panoramic view. The return trip can be made in one of those incredible wickerwork sledges. Men wearing white clothes and straw boaters guide you down, using their shoes as brakes. Hair-raising, but great fun.
The Levada walks are another unique attraction. Guides lead you on paths alongside the miles of irrigation channels, some of which are linked through tunnels cut into the rock.
When taking part in a tasting of the island's distinctive wines, the old Flanders and Swann music hall tune sprung to mind: "Have some Madeira m'dear. It's so much nicer than beer."
Speciality Madeira wines evolved when it was realised that ordinary wine shipped in old brandy casks was transformed by the heat and motion of long voyages. It was then purposely shipped back and forth across the equator until a technique was developed to replicate this effect on the island.
Popular in Elizabethan England, and mentioned several times by Shakespeare, Madeira wine was also known as sack (pirates plundered and 'sacked' shipments, you see).
Another famous famous reference comes from the reputed drowning of the Duke of Clarence in a butt of Malmsey in 1478.
I was offered the rich-sweet Malmsey to pour over strawberries instead of cream: delicious. The bone-dry Sercial also makes an interesting alternative to sherry.
Exquisite Madeira embroidery is considered among the best hand-work in the world. This cottage industry was pioneered in 1860 by an English woman, Elizabeth Phelps, to help local women earn money.
Specialist shops still stock heirloom items. Look out for a tiny metal tag and certificate of authorisation, which ensures that the item you are purchasing has been made by hand on the island. Many cheaper pieces are imported from China.
Saga links:
- Saga Travel shop
- Saga Holidays: Madeira holidays at a glance
- Saga Resort Holidays: Madeira Regency Palace Hotel, Madeira
- Monte Mar Palace Hotel, Madeira
- Madeira Regency Cliff Hotel, Madeira
- Pestana Bay Hotel, Madeira
- Pestana Casino Park, Madeira
- Saga Bridge Holidays: Duplicate Bridge in Madeira, staying at the Madeira Regency Palace Hotel
- Madeira: an overview
- Classic cruising with Saga
- More travel and leisure
- Plant portrait: tulip 'Ballerina'
- Plant portait: rose 'County of Hampshire'
