Encosta Cabo Girão in Madeira is a delightful, fully serviced private resort of well-appointed holiday villas and apartments situated atop one of Europe's highest sea cliffs. It is located some eight miles from Funchal, the island's capital, and enjoys panoramic views across the valley to the capital and out to sea.

Nothing quite compares with Madeira when it comes to fantastic scenery and spectacular views. Here, Laurisilva rainforest and distinctive hilltop houses give way to verdant terraced ravines, and thence to the azure blue waters of the Atlantic. In fact, this beautiful Portuguese island offers the best of all worlds: enchanting countryside, temperate climate and a lavish helping of history and culture.

If you wish, you can spend days relishing the stunning natural beauty of the island. Here you'll find absolute peace in parks and stunning gardens, gentle levada walks and delightful villages that appear unchanged in decades. Yet the capital, Funchal, is modern and lively, with countless restaurants; six cinemas; lidos and water parks; superb shopping; markets, museums and more.

With a luxury holiday in Madeira you can enjoy all of this plus the many amenities on offer including a swimming pool, pool bar, restaurant, spa centre and much more.

Visit the village Winston Churchill painted

Winston Churchill was a big fan of Madeira and particularly enjoyed going there to relax and paint the wonderful scenery. Camâra de Lobos was one of his favourite villages to capture, and it's easy to see why; it's so picturesque. There are many sites of interest here, from the beautiful bay to the Pico da Torre peak and Bocca dos Namorados viewing point – so bring the hiking boots along!

Enjoy a levada walk

Levada, or mini-canals, make for great walking trails. They criss-cross Madeira's mountains, and there are a variety of routes to choose from – travel through tunnels, under waterfalls and through forested mountains. These walks really are one of the best ways to experience Madeira.

Celebrate a festival

No matter what your passion is, there's a festival celebrating it in Madeira. Throughout the year, expect to see special events focusing on food, flowers, music, fireworks and more. No matter what season you visit the island in, the locals will be celebrating something!

Learn more about Madeira's natural history

Want to know more about how the Madeiran Archipelago was formed? Then visit the Volcanism Centre, which recreates the evolution of the area's caves and the volcanic eruptions that happened here. Make sure you see some caves in person too – Sâo Vicente's are famous for its lava accumulations and stalactites. The 700m underground walk really is fascinating.

Admire more than 2,500 exotic plants at the Monte Palace Gardens

The Monte Palace Gardens is one of Madeira's most popular attractions. Covering an area of more than 70,000m², the garden boasts in excess of 2,500 exotic plants from across the world. The colour and beauty of this space really will impress you.

Once you've explored the Gardens, you can take the Monte toboggan ride down towards Funchal's city centre.

Concessionary long stay holidays

If you would like to stay at Encosta Cabo Girão for longer than a week, you can take advantage of our concessionary long-stay specials. Please read the brochure or get in touch with us for more details.

Encosta Cabo Girão is part of the Holiday Property Bond portfolio offering exclusive access to over 1,400 properties to its 41,000 investors ("Bondholders"). If you are not already a Bondholder and would like further details please see below.