Think of Portugal and you think of Lisbon, the Algarve, Faro, Cintra, Porto, but not Madeira, the country's hidden jewel, a small island in the middle of the Atlantic 600km from Morocco, and only three and a half hours away by plane from England.
Blessed with year-round sunshine, it is known as the Garden of the Atlantic because its volcanic soil spawns lush vegetation set against a magnificent backdrop of dormant volcanic peaks. Ilha da Madeira means Island of Timber, and when the island was discovered in the 1400s it was uninhabitable due to dense forests that covered the land. However, by 1514, there were around 5,000 permanent settlers.
If you ask around, the only people who've been there are the retired and serious walkers, but times are most definitely changing. I've been to Madeira twice a year since I was two. My mother is an islander, and our family still lives there. I used to hate it, but since coming of age, I've learned to love it - you just need to know where to go to enjoy it.
Where to stay
There are fine quinta-style colonial manor houses that have been turned into boutique hotels, but these are often overlooked in favour of five-star resorts. Quintas provide an intimacy you won't find at the bigger resorts. They are mostly family owned, so the service is usually impeccable, and many of them are working farms, too, so the food is often home grown.
Quinta do Alto de Sao João (+222 667), in Ponto do Sol, is separated into four self-catering apartments and a serviced hotel, with rooms varying in price from €76 for a double room with a mountain view to €144 a night for a one-bedroom apartment with balcony and sea view. The rooms are all individually decorated, with a Mediterranean feel. Beautiful white linens make each room feel fresh and cool, even when the temperatures outside soar. Each room has a large, private en suite bathroom, digital phone and cable television.
Estalagem Eira Do Serrado (+710 060, eirado serrado.com), 12km from Funchal, nestles into the hillside with panoramic views of the island. With only 25 rooms, it's the perfect place to get away from it all - mobile phones don't work here - and it offers a health spa and Jacuzzi. Rooms start at around €70 for a double.
If you're looking for unadulterated luxury in the heart of Funchal, look no further than Reid's Palace (+717 171, www.orient-express.com), opened in 1891 by William Reid and boasting a guest list including Churchill and George Bernard Shaw. Now part of the Orient Express Hotel Group, it features six restaurants, three swimming pools, two bars and lounges. A double room can cost from €275 a night. Prices increase by about a third at Christmas and new year, but look out for special deals off season.
Where to eat
Madeira has a good culinary tradition, with African and Portuguese ingredients making it a destination that gastro-travellers will remember fondly.
Delicious cafe/trattoria-style bars and eateries have arrived, serving local specialities including espada (fresh black scabbard fish) carne de vinho e alho (pickled pork with garlic and white wine) bife de atum e milho frito (tuna steak with fried maze - great with the local red wine). A typical meal for two with wine will start from around €15.
Which brings us to the wine - it's fortified and has a similar taste to port, but the strong flavours complement the local cuisine, particularly the tuna. There are plenty of vineyards to visit around the island, and the quintas often offer their own wine, made and bottled on the premises.
There are restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. Carnivores should head for O Lagar (Sitio de Jesus Maria Jose 9300 Camara de Lobos, +941 865) - the espetada (steak pieces marinaded in garlic and served on a laurel spit) is so filling you won't need a starter. Prices start from around €17.
In Funchal, A Seta (Estrada do Livramento, 80, Funchal, +743 643) is another great local eaterie, specialising in locally farmed meats. Prices start from €19.
You can't leave Madeira without trying a prego, a sandwich of steak has been marinaded in garlic and peri-peri. I've never had a bad prego in Madeira, and never found a cafe that didn't serve them, for around €4.
For speciality fish, try Boca da Panela in Santa Cruz (+523 677). The tuna is delicious. Its traditional accompaniment, fried maize, may not be to your taste, but you can request potatoes instead. Don't forget to try the house red. €20 will buy you a nice meal with wine.
Restaurante Bar Garajau (Edf, Cedro, Garajau, 9125 Canico, +935 900) serves great seafood in one of the most beautiful parts of the island with sensational views across the Atlantic. Prices start from €17.
If you don't want an entirely Portuguese menu, try Moamba (Estrada Monumental, 306, Funchal, +765 410) for international dishes such as chicken in white wine. And make sure you leave room for the huge array of desserts. Moamba is one of the more expensive restaurants on the island, with a three-course meal for two with wine setting you back about €30.
A few doors up from Moamba on Estrada Monumental is a superb, family-owned bakery offering freshly made bread and cakes on a daily basis. Try the annas (Portuguese-style custard tarts). Stop off on your way to the airport and grab a box - they keep for about a week.
Where to party
There are a few nightclubs on the island. The main venue, which flies DJs over from the mainland, is Vespas (Avenida Francisco Sa Carneiro; +234 800; admission varies depending on who's playing, but starts around €8), right in the heart of Funchal.
One thing Madeira doesn't quite have a handle on, though, is cocktails. They're mostly too potent, so if you're thinking of a few pre-clubbing concoctions, try the local speciality Pe da cabra (goat's hoof), which tastes much better than it sounds.
Disco pub Formula 1 (5 Rua Favilla, Funchal; admission free until 11pm) has pool tables, a dance floor and is popular with locals, but as mentioned earlier, go easy on the happy-hour cocktails.
What to buy
Madeiran cottage industries extend to more than bakeries and wine. The island is also famous for its hand-made lace. Both wine and lace can be bought in Funchal, but the prices are relatively high, so it will be worth your while venturing out of the capital, not only for bargains but to see the lace being made.
Visit the Adegas de Sao Francisco in Funchal (Avenida Arriaga 28; to book a guided tour, call +740 110, admission free) to learn how Madeira wine is made. These are the most ancient cellars on the island and offer tastings. Its oldest bottles date from 1772, and for a special souvenir you can buy a bottle from your date of birth.
Festivals
There are flower festivals, gastro festivals, wine harvest festivals - basically, any excuse for a party. The best are outside the capital. Try Ribeira Brava, Santa Cruz or Camara de Lobos.
The flower festivals take place in April and May. In Funchal, you can pick up a huge bunch of local flowers from a street trader - they will box them for you to take home - for around €10 a bunch.
Funchal celebrates saints festivals in June, and food festivals in July and August. Its annual Madeira wine festival is on September 10, 11 and 12 every year. The Festa de São João in Ribeira Brava is on June 22-23.
What to do
After a hard night's dancing, relax on the fairways. The island has two championship golf courses. Santo de Serra Machico (+200 620) is home to the Madeira Island Open, with 27 holes. The full 27-holes will cost you around €90, but a one-week unlimited voucher costs €161.
You can't visit Madeira without going on one of the levada walks, small irrigation channels that carry rainwater to the drier parts of the island. Ribeiro Frio is one of the highest points on the island and the walk takes about 4 hours. Turivema (+763 898) pretty much has a monopoly on the levada walks, and will pick up and drop off from your hotel.
The beaches of Madeira are mostly stone, but just an hour's boat ride away is Porto Santo with a 9km stretch of soft golden sands. Christopher Columbus visited the island, married the governer's daughter and had a son on the island. His former residence, Casa Colombo, has been turned into a museum. The boat leaves daily at 8am from Funchal pier. Booking is not necessary for foot passengers.
Way to go
Getting there: British Airways (0845 7733377, ba.com) flies Gatwick-Funchal from £71 one way. Air 2000 (0870 7572757, air2000.com) flies to Funchal from 28 regional airports for £259 return. Cheapflights (cheapflights.com) offers Gatwick-Funchal tickets from £79 return.
Further information: Madeira Tourism Board (+21 1900, madeiratourism.org); Portuguese Tourist Board (0870 9031004, portugalinsite.com; portugal-live.net.)
Country code: 00 351 291.
Time difference: +0hrs.
Flight time: 3hr 40m.
£1 = 1.40 euros.
