A raft of new hotel and spa openings has repositioned the island of Madeira as one of Europe's leading spa destinations, and new flights to Funchal from Manchester with Jet2.com, starting in May 2010, will make the island increasingly accessible for travellers from the north of England.

Until recently, only the Choupana Hills resort (choupanahills.com), on a hill outside the capital, stood apart from Madeira's old-school, tie-and-tea hotels, but in the past year a clutch of new properties has opened, aiming to pull in a younger, hipper crowd.

Last winter, The Vine (hotelthevine.com), became Funchal's coolest address. Sleekly designed, with a rooftop pool and panoramic views, it's also home to the island's first vinotherapy spa and a restaurant overseen by Antoine Westermann, holder of three Michelin stars. The newest kid on the block is the Melia Madeira Mare (meliamadeira.com), which opened in July on the coast just west of the capital, and has a state-of-the-art Malo Clinic spa, specialising in thalassotherapy treatments. Away from the city, the Palheiro Spa (casa-velha.com), which opened in June, is set in the grounds of the historic Palheiro Estate country house hotel, and is open to non-residents.

Dedicated spa-lovers should take advantage of increased flights between Madeira and the island of Porto Santo, 50km north-east of Madeira, with Air Portugal (tap.com), and book into the Hotel Porto Santo (hotelportosanto.com) which opened a destination spa earlier this year. The island is renowned for the curative properties of its seawater and sand (thanks to its high mineral content), and both form the basis of the spa's signature treatments, including a hot "sand bath" (exactly as it sounds).

If your budget doesn't stretch to five-star swank, there are simpler properties dotted around the island. The Summerplace Guesthouse (hotelsummerplacemadeira.com) opened this year in the south of the island and has just five rooms (from €90 B&B), a gorgeous infinity pool and great walks from the front door.