Reccomendations for Madeira in April

[kmason]

Reserved a house for a week in Arco da Calheta. It’s been at least 10 years since I’ve been to Madeira. It’s not far from Camara da Lobos so I’ll try to arrange a visit to Barbeito. Any suggestions for restaurants etc. welcomed.

[Patrick_Taylor]

Otto was there recently. Do everything he says.

Otto's Madeira travelogue

Yes, that’s what we think. It’s just that everyone was so taken by the Olim brothers that we’d like more of a memento. I’ve only a few bottles.

[Eric_Ifune]

Artur Barros de Sousa closed some years ago. The few bottles are now extremely difficult to find and prices have soared. They were bought by D’Oliveiras next door who are refurbishing the old lodge, but it’s not open yet.

[mattgw]

We were there in July and I posted some thoughts in Otto’s thread. Definitely do a tasting at D’Oliveiras while you’re there–if you show the slightest interest in the wines and stick around after the random 5 years they pour they’ll bring out great stuff. Here are some restaurant thoughts:

@mattgw

A few other parting thoughts. Our best meal on the island was at Desarma, which was substantially better in our view than the other Michelin-starred restaurant we visited, William. Both are incredibly expensive, but the dishes were simply more memorable and enjoyable at Desarma. Both wine lists are heavily focused on Portuguese wines (Desarma’s is exclusively Portuguese other than Champagne, William’s is a bit broader than that), but the markups were less egregious at Desarma as well. The only strange moment was serving a glass of 1994 Barbeito Verdelho from a Coravin, a choice I can’t understand at all since Madeiras are virtually indestructible and need air to show their best. Lunch at Jaket on Rua de Santa Maria was also enjoyable, though I thought the small plates were better than the mains. Maybe we ordered incorrectly, but dinner at Casal de Penha (which appears in the Michelin guide) was very underwhelming.

As far as activities go, we really enjoyed hiking along the Levadas and above the clouds on Pico de Arieero, and had a fabulous cruise seeing several species of dolphins. We also took a drive out to Porto Moniz and visited the natural pools there, which was also a good way to see some more of the island, especially the northern side where a lot of the vineyards are. Hopefully some of these thoughts are useful for people planning a trip to Madeira–we had a wonderful time and I’d warmly recommend a visit.

[kmason]

Thanks. I reread Otto’s thread. Good tips. Really looking forward to being back on the island. Stopping off in Lisbon for a few days on the way home

[mattgw]

Enjoy–we had a nice time in Lisbon for a few days before going to the island. Dinner at Encanto, the vegetarian counterpart to Jose Avilez’s Belcanto, was memorable and enjoyable, as was lunch at O Frade near the Jeronimos Monastery.

[TKazi]

Hope you get to spend some time in Funchal, too. The d’Oliveiras tasting is very much worth it if you can demonstrate the slightest serious interest in their wines. So much good food to be had. William is very good, as is Casal da Penha, but the greatest enjoyment for us was from simply dropping in off the street to a good place.

[Mattstolz]

Funchal is worth the stop for the farmers and fish market if nothing else. If you hike at all, Pico Ruivo or do areeiro are must dos.