“Only in Madeira can I find this hospitality”. Says someone who has been devoted to the Madeiran tourism for a long time and who doesn’t leave by the hands of others the hospitality that has become the island’s hallmark. Gonçalo Ornelas Monteiro is proud of having given birth to the first five-star hotel unit in a Madeiran Quinta (Estate) – Quinta da Bela Vista – and his involvement in the refurbishment of Hotel Porto Santo & Spa, besides the work developed in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Funchal, as Vice-President of the Board and President of the Tourism Sector.
Living in Funchal, Gonçalo Monteiro suggests the visitor should not miss other municipalities perhaps less prominent in the touristic circuits, like São Vicente, “given its authenticity and involvement with nature”, and highlights Porto Santo, “the first Portuguese discovery”, for the uniqueness of its beach. And with this notion of the archipelago diversity, he traces the mandatory experiences in a visit: “a levada, a swim, a trip to the market and a visit to Quinta das Cruzes and Arte Sacra Museums”.
AND HIS BEST OF IS…
VISIT: Botanical Garden, Sacred Art Museum, Quinta das Cruzes Museum, Cathedral of Funchal, Rabaçal, Porto Santo beach; ACTIVITIES: boat tours and swim in Reserva do Garajau, walks in levadas – Levada do Rei, Levada do Rabaçal-25 Fontes, Levada dos Cedros; SLEEP: Reid’s Palace, Quinta da Bela Vista, Casa Velha do Palheiro; EAT: Lá ao Fundo, William Restaurant, Quinta da Bela Vista restaurant, Santo António, Gavião Novo, DC Atelier (Design Centre Nini Andrade Silva); NIGHT: Vespas; SHOPPING: Boutique Portuguesa, Bordal, Casa do Turista, Vinhos Barbeito.
