Quintas, the island's own idea of a hotel

Historically, a Madeiran country estate — the manor house, gardens and farmland of a landowning family, many dating to the wine-trade fortunes of the 18th and 19th centuries. A good number were converted into small hotels through the late 20th century, keeping the house, the gardens and usually some of the family. Staying in one is the closest the island offers to sleeping inside its own history: breakfast under a dragon tree, dinner in the old dining room, and grounds that take an hour to walk properly.

Honestly, most quintas suit couples better than families with young children. Quintas run quiet — reading-on-the-terrace quiet — and their antiques, koi ponds and unfenced garden levels were not designed around toddlers. That said, the gardens themselves are spectacular playgrounds for school-age children, and Quinta Jardins do Lago’s giant tortoise Colombo has charmed multiple generations. If your family wants pools, kids’ menus and flexibility, the resort five-stars handle it better; the quintas reward travellers whose children are old enough to be bribed with cake.

Two compete seriously. Quinta Jardins do Lago keeps two and a half hectares of botanical collection above Funchal — five hundred species, century-old camellias and lawns kept like billiard tables. Casa Velha do Palheiro borders the famous Palheiro Gardens, among Portugal’s finest, with the hotel’s own grounds blending into them. For working-landscape rather than showpiece gardens, Quinta das Vinhas’ terraced vines and Quinta da Casa Branca’s banana plantation offer greenery you can taste at dinner.

Almost every quinta on Madeira has a pool — usually heated, garden-set and sized for lengths before breakfast rather than afternoon crowds. Spas are smaller affairs: Casa Velha do Palheiro runs a proper one with a pool and treatment rooms; the others offer treatment rooms or arrangements rather than thermal circuits. If a serious spa is central to your trip, pair a quinta stay with day access at a five-star — or accept the quinta logic, in which the garden is the wellness programme.