3 Nights BB & 2 Golf Rounds

Palheiro Golf Course Funchal, Madeira

Palheiro Golf Course, high above Funchal, within the 200-year-old Palheiro Estate, this is one of Europe's most scenically dramatic rounds of golf. Designed by Cabell B. Robinson and opened in 1993, the par-72 course sits nearly 500 metres above sea level, looking straight down over the harbour and out across the Atlantic. Two holes were reworked in 2003, and the land freed up became a six-hole academy course, adding a genuinely useful practice option alongside the main event.
This is a course that rewards precision over power. Fairways are tight, greens fast and properly undulating, and four of the five par 3s play downhill, none more memorable than the 154-yard 11th, widely reckoned the most photographed hole on the island. Deep valleys and abrupt ridges keep the elevation changes coming, and bunkers have been deliberately trimmed back over the years without softening the challenge one bit. Book this if you want a proper test with a view that genuinely stops golfers mid-swing.
The clubhouse terrace looks straight down over Funchal and the ocean, with the Vista Balancal restaurant, a driving range, academy and resident professionals all on site. The course is working toward GEO environmental certification and already uses biodegradable, coffee-ground tees. One thing worth knowing before you book: buggy hire on Madeira runs higher than on the mainland, so factor that in. For golfers who want spectacular Atlantic views to go with a genuine test of golf, Palheiro is the one to book on Madeira. (...)