Register or log in —

Newer blog post
more in Blog
Older blog post
Newer blog post by Mrs. Bell Pepper
more by Mrs. Bell Pepper (oldest)
Older blog post by Mrs. Bell Pepper
Mrs. Bell Pepper's Picture
Mrs. Bell Pepper, Philadelphia Age and Occupation: 28, Resident Physician Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Resident Physician Engagement Date: May 30, 2006 Wedding Date: June 2007 Venue: Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts About Me: I love whimsical details and design, everything that *sparkles*, sipping on hazelnut lattes, pugs, shopping for antiques and second-hand goods, scenic photography, delicate flowers, and checking out new restaurants in the city with my fianc??. We are planning our wedding at a unique city venue for about 75 close family members and friends. I have a lot of DIY ideas and I like to blog about ways to save money on your wedding.
About Mrs. Bell Pepper

Yesterday I had my last call of the month and I’m sooo exhausted.. I told Mr. BP that I really need something to look forward to so I can keep truckin’ along for the rest of the year. I did a bit of research online for the entire month and I think I found the perfect cure for my intern blues:

z11159806

Madeira is the ideal place to relax and restore the balance of mind and body that you need to face the stress of daily life.”

This future destination sounds so perfect. Our honeymoon in Paris was a lot of fun, we got to see a lot of interesting places and dine at romantic bistros. Although it was such a wonderful city to visit, I have to say we were overwhelmed by how much there was to see and how crowded the city was with all the tourists. Instead of doing a lot of sightseeing, for our next trip we would like to take our time to relax more and enjoy the view.  

z111597 Madeira is a small island situated in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Portugal and Africa. “A Floating Garden” best describes the island -t’s abundant with exotic flowers and there are numerous botanical gardens all over the city of Funchal.

z11159807

There is a tropical feel to the island yet being close to Portugal, the city of Funchal is very Eropean and has a lot of historic sites to check out.

z11159808

z111606

I love fresh fruits and vegetables, so I can’t wait to check out the fruit markets in the center of Funchal.

z111596

Madeira is also famous for its levadas, man-made water channels created all over the island to bring water from the highlands to the fertile lower regions. If you love to hike, the levadas might be of interest.

z11160601

z11159809

There’s a lot of beautiful hotel spas around Funchal, here’s one of my favorites

z111598010

z111598011

z111598012

z111598013

z111598014

I like the hotel and spa packages, but the cons for this hotel is that it is located outside of the main city Funchal. I’m leaning more towards finding a hotel near the coast - there’s a bunch lining the coast and they mostly offer pretty good rates.

Here’s my 2nd favorite: this hotel’s location is perfect and tripadvisor has pretty good reviews about the services and rooms. The rooms don’t have a modern style compared the first hotel.

z111600

z111603

z11160301

z11160302

Here’s a hotel tied in place with the 2nd one. It’s also in an ideal location, close to the coast and the city. The cons about this hotel is that the rooms and the hotel in general has a very sterile appearance, perhaps not as romantic as I would like. Although the pool are does look impressive!

z11160303

z11160304

z11160305

z11160306

It’s so difficult to decide just based on what I see online! I wish I could check out the rooms before we make our final decision! Anyways, I think I’ll decide on a hotel by the end of this week. In the meantime, please tell me what you think looks best out of the three hotels I featured. Thanks!

Tags: , |   Link for this post | Share this post: Our Next Destination: The Floating Garden      
Newer blog post
more in Blog
Older blog post
Newer blog post by Mrs. Bell Pepper
more by Mrs. Bell Pepper (oldest)
Older blog post by Mrs. Bell Pepper
advertisement below

13 Responses to “Our Next Destination: The Floating Garden”

1.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Magnolia (message)  252 posts, Helper bee

Yay! Madeira!

Mr. Magnolia and I spent a day in Funchal last fall during a cruise, and it was just beautiful!

Personally, I think I would go for hotel #3, for the pool area alone…it’s gorgeous!

 
2.
Bee Icon
Bee
Mrs. Emerald (message)  901 posts, Busy bee

Dumb question: where is Madeira? hehe

 
3.
Member Icon
Member
LM (message)  120 posts, Blushing bee

Hotel #3!

 
4.
Guest Icon
Guest
Emily

wow, beautiful

 
5.
Guest Icon
Guest
Sarita

We considered Madeira for our HM but were concerned about lack of beaches…we’re sand people…but these pictures are making me reconsider!

 
6.
Guest Icon
Guest
Jennifer

That looks ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL. I want to go right now!

 
7.
Bee Icon
Bee
Miss Dahlia (message)  412 posts, Helper bee

We actually looked at some of the hotels in your post in our never ending quest to find the perfect honeymoon locale. I would pick either 1 or 3- or you could split your time between them :-)

 
8.
Guest Icon
Guest
Lara

Thank you for posting! My hubby & I are looking for something off the beaten European path. This is right up our alley!

 
9.
Guest Icon
Guest
tmcconne

#3 for sure! What hotel is that? We are considering Madeira for our honeymoon and I would love to look into that hotel.

 
10.
Guest Icon
Guest
Leesuh1

#3! oh wow…Madeira is GORGEOUS. maybe i will decide on lounging by the water instead of going tour crazy in europe.

*drool*

 
11.
Guest Icon
Guest
Thea T

i just love the look of #1! and MADEIRA… i’ve been dying to go there. went around mainland Portugal two years ago and it was amazing. Maybe if you’re lucky Cristiano Ronaldo will off from playing with Man United and you can see him… mmm!

 
12.
Guest Icon
Guest
Vanessa

Since you chose The Cliff Bay as the first pic I suggest you take a look at this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/portobay/sets/72057594065894272/

 
13.
Guest Icon
Guest
One Year Ago.. » Weddingbee » The Wedding Blog

[...] there was quite wonderful and so different from our honeymoon in Paris, and many thanks to all of our weddingbee readers, we chose the ultimate resort hotel to stay at during our trip. I’ll post about all the [...]

 


You can also just...

Newer blog post
more in Blog
Older blog post
Newer blog post by Mrs. Bell Pepper
more by Mrs. Bell Pepper (oldest)
Older blog post by Mrs. Bell Pepper
Visit our sister sites Project Wedding
Wedding Songs
eHarmony Advice
Dating Advice
JustMommies
Pregnancy Calendar
Fertile Thoughts
Infertility Support
Copyright 2004-2009, eHarmony, Inc., Advertise
 


Sponsors
Mrs. Bell Pepper
Mrs. Bell Pepper Mrs. Bell Pepper, Philadelphia Age and Occupation: 28, Resident Physician Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, Resident Physician Engagement Date: May 30, 2006 Wedding Date: June 2007 Venue: Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts About Me: I love whimsical details and design, everything that *sparkles*, sipping on hazelnut lattes, pugs, shopping for antiques and second-hand goods, scenic photography, delicate flowers, and checking out new restaurants in the city with my fianc??. We are planning our wedding at a unique city venue for about 75 close family members and friends. I have a lot of DIY ideas and I like to blog about ways to save money on your wedding.
Weddingbee PRO
 
Boards
 
Classifieds
 

Blog Calendar
November 2009
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
2930

Weddingbee Bios
Wiki
More