- Madeira Holidays
- Funchal
- Estalagem Quinta da Casa Branca
Located near the centre of Madeira's capital, Funchal, Quinta da Casa Branca boasts a modern design surrounded by a majestic botanical garden where you will be blown away by the astounding range of tropical trees and plants, including a Banana plantation, spanning 27,000 m2 in total.
The Quinta da Casa Branca is split across two buildings, the stylish and modern main hotel as well as the more traditional Manor House, the previous owner's residence, which houses luxury suites along with the hotel's restaurant. Guests will also enjoy a fabulous range of facilities to complement their stay including a swimming pool and well-equipped spa.
Boasting award-winning design features, all Gardenview rooms feature terraces furnished with sun loungers, which open onto the gardens. All rooms are air-conditioned and equipped with satellite TV, a safe, tea and coffee making facilities, FREE Wi-Fi, a telephone, mini-bar, hairdryer and the added comfort of bathrobes and hotel slippers. Premium rooms with a balcony or terrace, deluxe suites with balcony and manor house suites with a balcony or terrace are available at a supplement.
Set in the botanical gardens of an old converted garden estate, Quinta da Casa Branca is a tranquil boutique hotel set in the hills above the city of Funchal. While its location provides a peaceful retreat from the bustle of city life, Funchal city centre is just 2km away, allowing guests to enjoy the historic sites, restaurants and harbours of this coastal city.
We just had our sixth holiday at the wonderful hotel on Madeira. Thhe staff are fantastic and ensure a relaxed holiday for all. The hotel is an oasis and a 30 minute walk from central Funchal. It's a great place to relax and unwind and also a great location from which to explore the rest of the island. Bus transport is excellent and provides an option to renting a car or taking a taxi. The hotel places emphasis on wellbeing and has a spa and pools as well as options for massage and other therapies. Restaurants in the hotel include and informal terrace as well as a Michelin starred restaurant. There are plenty of local resaurants where locals eat so don't be afraid to try out their authentic dishes. We may well be drawn back again in the future - I hope so.
Amazing, fantastic, superb in every respect. Staff wonderful. Food and service excellent.
A wonderful stay! The staff were very friendly and helpful, the rooms clean and comfortable. The grounds of the hotel are beautifully kept and the exotic trees and plants clearly labeled. The swimming pool was well kept and very welcome in the warm weather. The food in the restaurant was delicious and very varied. A highly recommended hotel!
The gardens are beautiful and the hotel feels like an oasis within busy Funchal. Service was excellent and we enjoyed our stay. However, because Funchal is so busy/crowded the property is surrounded by roads, and traffic noise was more noticeable than we expected for a hotel marketed as a peaceful retreat. Indeed the sound of roadworks and building nearby was noticeable. It's also funny that access to the Quinta is from the northwest (guests can't even use the drive of the old house) which is the "wrong side" for the City centre, so there's a fair bit of walking up and down hills.
The hotel’s Green Key credentials and beautiful gardens are impressive, but some of the sustainability practices were inconsistent during our stay. The bathroom notices asked guests to leave towels in the bath only if they wished them to be replaced, yet towels and flannels left hanging were frequently changed anyway. We also saw no obvious provision for guest recycling or waste separation. Neither issue spoiled an otherwise enjoyable stay, but they did seem at odds with the environmental messaging.
Odd too that the bells to call for refreshments at the pool were intermittent at best.
Quinta da Casa Branca is a sensitively designed haven of elegant calm. In all my years of staying in hotels, rarely have I been better looked after and had my expectations so repeatedly exceeded.
On arrival guests are presented with a reception located in an elevated, glazed Miesien pavilion. This proves to be a precursor of the architectural delights ahead. The ‘Garden Rooms’ in which we stayed are a long single storey annexe by architect João Favila Menezez built in 1998 & 2002. We were particularly fortunate in that a renovation project had been completed just weeks before our arrival so that we were staying in what felt like new rooms. The renovation itself has been sensitively handled and has achieved the (intentional) effect that the interior treatments could always have been thus, albeit with a slight mid-century modern inflection. Comments by previous reviewers about ’tired’ rooms have now been thoroughly addressed. One odd omission is that there is no full length mirror in the rooms but perhaps these are yet to be fitted as part of the renovation. And some wall hooks in the entrance area would be appreciated (a surprisingly common failing in hotels worldwide).
This is not really a hotel for families, nor for children. There is an 'adults only' swimming pool but children’s noisy antics would NOT be appreciated around the main pool. The guest profile is ‘mature’, well dressed adults with thankfully few instances of ‘athleisure wear’ or baseball caps worn the wrong way round. The atmosphere is civilised and privacy is respected. This is a full 5 star hotel; gowns & slippers, twin bathroom basins, turn down service, professional and well trained staff.
The grounds have the character of a sub tropical botanic garden, with clear but discreet labelling on most of the flora. The only noise is the occasional rasping note of an un-silenced motorbike engine from surrounding roads but sadly this seems to be a global problem (what is the matter with these people?)
Breakfast is lavish and well managed; a comprehensive buffet with hot dishes cooked to order. Other dining options include a pleasant casual cafe/brasserie and a more formal fine-dining option in the Manor House (with dress code). The food was generally accomplished, the experience only marred by excessive wine prices. There is need for lower opening price points and greater generosity in single glass quantities. There isn’t a proper bar as such which is a shame although this could be partly addressed if there was a courtesy drinks offer for after dinner digestifs in the Lounge/Library; Madeira or rum perhaps
Walking into Funchal town is an easy downhill 20 minute stroll but the return is best handled by taxi or bus, especially in the heat of the day.
Despite these caveats, the Quinta da Casa Branca is truly wonderful and we may well become one of it’s regular patrons.
