Hotel Quinta da Serra
High in the hills of the Jardim da Serra, you’ll find that peace and quiet are the maxims at Quinta da Serra, with spacious en-suite rooms overlooking terraces of fruit trees, seasonal vegetables, and herbs – organic produce which is used to great effect in the hotel’s restaurant. There’s also an indoor pool, sauna and spa, a well-equipped gym, tennis court, billiards room and a library.
Both the quinta and gardens were the brainchild of Henry Veitch. Scottish by birth, Henry was the British Consul to Madeira and a local legend – back in 1815, the ship transporting the exiled Napoleon Bonaparte weighed anchor off Madeira. Officially, Henry boarded the ship for an audience with General – unofficially, it’s said that Napoleon and Josephine accompanied Henry to Quinta da Serra as his guests before continuing their journey to St Helena. Legends aside, Henry loved the highland-feel of the area and in building his home and gardens, he was able to preserve some of Madeira’s oldest native trees.
Spring’s a special time at the quinta, when the surrounding hillsides turn white as the cherry trees blossom. So’s early June, when the colourful, week-long Festa da Cereja celebrates the cherry harvest. Due to its fairly remote location, we usually recommend staying on a half-board basis and including a hire car will allow you to explore the wider island.
