Funchal west area
Along the coast, there is a set of hotels that compete for the title of the best Funchal bay view. A beautiful garden is only 400 meters from the marina.
Santa Catarina Park
- Coordenadas: 32.64549,-16.914068
Santa Catarina Park (20th century) is a good spot for a picnic. On the top, there is a playground. Below, a small lake and esplanade.
La Vie
- Coordenadas: 32.647397, -16.914088
If you need to go shopping, 500 meters away there’s La Vie (Doutor Brito Câmara street), a small shopping center with 70 stores, a supermarket (Pingo Doce) and a dining area.
Quinta Vigia
- Coordenadas: 32.643975,-16.920311
On Avenida do Infante, 10 minutes away, you can see the Quinta Vigia, the current official residence of the President of Madeira.
It belonged to the Empress of Brazil, Dona Amelia de Leuchtenberg, who lived on the island because of her daughter’s illness.
Visitors can only see the gardens and the beautiful 18th-century chapel covered in tiles depicting St. Francis’ life.
Pestana Casino Park Hotel & Casino
- Coordenadas: 32.643801, -16.917379
300 meters to the west is a complex designed by Oscar Niemeyer – Pestana Casino Park Hotel & Casino (Rua Imperatriz Dona Amelia).
It is home to the Casino da Madeira with various table games such as roulette, blackjack, and popular slot machines.
- Coordenadas: 32.64418,-16.916196
Inside, we find Copacabana nightclub. On the top floor are a restaurant and a music venue. The casino is popular on New Year’s Day.
Funchal Port
- Coordenadas: 32.642193, -16.916890
Funchal Port is busy, and the departure point for the ferry to the island of Porto Santo – is a 2-hour journey (costs around €60).
Nossa Senhora da Conceição do Ilhéu Fort
In the port, we see Nossa Senhora da Conceição do Ilhéu Fortress (17th century) – where João Gonçalves Zarco lived.
- Coordenadas: 32.641211, -16.915915
It used to be an islet but joined the coast as the Port got bigger.
Nowadays, it houses the Design Center Nini Andrade Silva, with exhibitions and a restaurant.
Pestana CR7 Funchal & Cristiano Ronaldo Museum
- Coordenadas: 32.644117, -16.913642
Nearby is the Cristiano Ronaldo Museum and its statue, in a polished area.
Perhaps the sculptor (Ricardo Velosa) wanted to emphasize the player’s virility. Clearly, the detail did not go unnoticed…
The Portuguese star opened the museum in 2013.
This space opened in 2016 after CR7 won the UEFA Champions League (with Real Madrid), shortly before becoming European Champion with Portugal.
- Coordenadas: 32.643922,-16.913804
The museum displays player accolades, including a European Champions League Cup, personal effects and a virtual reality system to interact with a virtual Ronaldo.
- Coordenadas: 32.643588, -16.914159
Next door is the Pestana CR7 Funchal Hotel, with several details that remind you that CR7 is involved in the project.
It was the first of 4 hotels to be built in a joint venture with the Pestana Group.
Belmond Reid’s Palace
- Coordenadas: 32.640586,-16.923989
A 10-minute drive is the beautiful Belmond Reid’s Palace Hotel – truly one of the finest hotels in the world.
Scotsman William Reid moved to Madeira to improve his health and, in time, saved enough to buy Quinta das Fontes. He converted the farm into a hotel.
Several famous people stayed here overnight: Winston Churchill, General Fulgencio Batista, Karl von Habsburg, Roger Moore, Gregory Peck, and George Bernard Shaw…
In 1936, the Blandy family added the swimming pool. Later renamed Belmond Reid’s Palace.
