Reid's Palace
Reid's Palace is a luxury hotel in São Martinho on the Portuguese Atlantic island of Madeira . The five-star hotel has been part of the Orient-Express Hotels chain since 1996 .
location
The Hotel Reid's Palace is located above a cliff on a headland about 1.5 kilometers west of the center of Funchal . The hotel complex includes more than 40,000 square meters of space designed as a subtropical botanical garden. The street front is designed inconspicuously; the front of the hotel complex faces the sea.
history
The Scot William Reid, who had settled in Madeira in 1836 because of the climate and who became prosperous as a wine merchant and later as a landlord of wineries to wealthy tourists, wanted to fulfill a dream by building a luxury hotel. He bought a rocky piece of land called Salto do Cavalo west of Funchal and had architect George Somers Clarke design the hotel, which began to be built in 1887. Reid died a year later. The hotel was completed in 1891. It served as a luxury hostel for travelers traveling to Madeira by ship. The hotel was initially mainly visited by wealthy British people who shaped tourism in Madeira. It later developed into a meeting place for international guests. A six-story annex was added to the five-story main building.
The guests included the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill , who from 1950 onwards relaxed and painted several times in Madeira. The two presidential suites in the main building are named after Shaw and Churchill, each with an area of around 120 square meters. Even Charlie Chaplin , the Hollywood star Gregory Peck and British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher lodged at Reid's. Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary stayed at Reids for a few months.
In 2006 the hotel was closed from mid-January to mid-April and was completely renovated. The hotel has 163 rooms, 35 of which are designed as suites .
Afternoon tea and dinner dance
Afternoon tea is part of the hotel's tradition , with tea with cucumber sandwiches and scones and clotted cream on bone china from the British company Wedgwood served on the covered terrace with a view of the Atlantic Ocean or in the English-style lounge , with the hotel's own dress code .
The tradition of dinner dance on Saturday is also maintained, for which George Bernard Shaw had a dance teacher prepared for him at the hotel at the age of 68.
Equipment and atmosphere
The hotel offers two hard tennis courts, a spa, table tennis and a children's playground. The two rectangular swimming pools (one with sea water, one with fresh water) are located high above the sea on a ledge. For those wishing to swim, a few loungers have been created on the rocks. Access to the water is via a steep vertical ladder on the rocks. There is no beach.
There is a computer room with various play options. The walkways in the hotel are equipped with classic furniture. There are historical photos of guests of the hotel, including many members of the nobility.
The hotel has several grand pianos in various passageways, sitting areas and bars. Every evening there is live music in the bar. The hotel has its own restaurant with a French orientation. In a neighboring building is another restaurant that serves more Mediterranean dishes. On Christmas Eve, a dinner with classical music will take place in the baroque hall. Tours, excursions, wine tastings, dance performances and small information events are offered daily for a fee.
The room categories differ significantly from one another - from the standard room (for a few hundred euros per night) to the suite (for a few thousand euros per night).
Web links
- Hotel website (German)
Individual evidence
- ^ Cosmopolis.ch: Reid's Palace. Retrieved July 12, 2016 .
- ↑ Lynn Barber: Address to impress In: The Observer , November 12, 2006, accessed May 27, 2008
Coordinates: 32 ° 38 ′ 25.9 " N , 16 ° 55 ′ 26.5" W.