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Madeira Christmas & New Years Festivities

PC Staff — Sun, 30 Nov 2025 13:31:00 +0000

Madeira is alight with the spirit of the holidays. Holiday lights line the streets, a Christmas market is bustling with festivity, and a fireworks spectacular returns to bring in the New Year. The program of activities begins 1 December and runs through the month, culminating in a joyous festival of songs for Three Kings Day on 7 January. The city of Funchal plays host to much of the program, which touches on cultural, religious, ethnographic and artistic themes. Highlights include: […]

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Carnaval in Funchal, Madeira, 26 February to 9 March

PC Staff — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 14:37:00 +0000

Carnaval season is here…and no one celebrates these pre-Lenten festivities quite like the city and people of Funchal on Madeira Island. For 12 days, the city is decorated with in festive colors and lights. Residents and visitors alike flood the streets in brightly adorned costumes. And pure joy and celebration radiates form the streets. Carnaval takes place every year just prior to the beginning of the Lenten holiday. For 2025, the party starts Wednesday the 26th of February to Sunday, […]

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Atlantic Festival in Madeira, 6-29 June 2025 – Arts, Music & Fireworks

Greg Boegner — Sun, 01 Dec 2024 13:14:00 +0000

Summer 2025 has officially begun on the Island of Madeira. The Atlantic Festival is Madeira’s month-long celebration of arts, music and culture. Lots of fun scheduled throughout June, but certainly the highlights occur on Saturday nights with a major fireworks and music. The Atlantic Festival usually runs throughout the month of June. The 2025 program is still in development. Check back soon for more information about events and performances. However, it is the internationally famous fireworks pyromusical that is what […]

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A Taste of Excellence at William Restaurant, Madeira

Greg Boegner — Wed, 20 Nov 2024 10:42:00 +0000

Perched on the cliffs of Funchal, Madeira, the iconic Belmond Reid’s Palace is a retreat synonymous with timeless elegance. Amid this sanctuary of luxury lies William Restaurant, a jewel in the island’s culinary crown. With its Michelin star recognition and panoramic views of the dramatic Atlantic coastline, this dining destination is a feast for all the senses. William Restaurant pays homage to the vision of Mr. William Reid, the hotel’s founder, blending classic charm with contemporary sophistication. The menus celebrate […]

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Desarma, Disarming Fine Dining in Funchal, Madeira

Ann Abel — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 15:06:03 +0000

To disarm someone—Desarma—could be seen as taking them by surprise. And that’s exactly what happens at Desarma. The restaurant is chef Octávio Freitas’s fine dining flagship on his native Madeira—the first locally-helmed and locally-owned Michelin star recipient on the island. Desarma occupies space inside the four-star, family-friendly Views Baía hotel in the touristic Lido area of Funchal, which is part of the locally owned Views chain of big resorts and all-inclusives. Perhaps that’s not the place one would look for […]

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The Reserve Madeira – Intimacy and Luxury in a Hotel within a Hotel

Ann Abel — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 08:39:42 +0000

Towering above the center of Funchal, the Savoy Palace was already the most grandly luxurious place to stay in Madeira, an urban resort with some 300 rooms, a massive spa, and a half-dozen restaurants. The only thing that was missing was intimacy. That changed with the arrival of The Reserve, a hotel-within-the-hotel that they carved out on the top couple of floors. Guests enter the Savoy Palace through a separate entrance and private lobby before they’re whisked up by elevator—the […]

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Best Cities to Live in Portugal

Greg Boegner — Thu, 01 Feb 2024 15:56:42 +0000

You’ve heard about the great quality of life. You appreciate the generally lower cost of living. And, you’re looking for something a little different and quaint to start a new life, whether it be a cosmopolitan setting or traditional village. Let us breakdown some great places for foreigners to consider when moving to Portugal. Starting in the north and travelling south…. Braga BEST CITIES TO LIVE IN PORTUGAL Points for Consideration Braga is a large (by Portugal standards) city, but […]

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Savoy Palace in Funchal, Madeira

Ann Abel — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 15:10:48 +0000

“Game changer” is an overused phrase when talking about travel. Except in some cases, it’s accurate. The new Savoy Palace in Funchal is one of those cases. It’s unlike anything else in Madeira, both in terms of contemporary style and in terms of size. The style comes courtesy of Madeiran interior designer Nini Andrade Silva, who has been internationally celebrated for her work on residences and hotels. Here, she made artful plays on typical Madeira lace and floral motifs and […]

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