Castanheiro Boutique Hotel combines five buildings into an urban hotel with a contemporary design.
As you walk cross the doors of Castanheiro Boutique Hotel, you might feel as though you were walking inside a house. The pieces adorning the lobby and reception area build a warm, cosy and relaxed environment. With its small gardens and yards, this urban hotel appeals to those who want to travel through back in time right in the historic centre of Funchal.
It was history the general motiff underpinning the design of this hotel, combining five buildings, some of them classified, into one. An old printer’s shop, a pastry shop and a furniture shop are some of the businesses that inhabited these separate buildings in 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries.
The memory of these old establishments was perpetuated. Some were laid down in history in an old typed catalogue that outlived the change of century. Others gave their names to the hotel’s spaces, as was the case of the bar lounge, named Íris after the old pastry shop that used to occupy its space. Nowadays it is vital; it is one of the nooks and crannies breathing life into the Castanheiro Boutique Hotel. There, one can have a cup of tea, a cocktail or many other beverages. You feel as though you have gone out of town without having ever left it.
And it is in this way that we find the Tipografia (meaning print shop) restaurant. Its art deco style is complemented by some pieces common in old print shops like catalogues and drawing boards. The cosy environment fits in with the urban area and has an air of finesse to it. The food that comes from all round the Mediterranean has its flavour enhanced by a totally Portuguese wine list.
The restaurant’s door lead to Rua das Pretas, one of the oldest streets in town that still maintains its design from the 16th century. The main façade leads to Rua do Castanheiro and has the magnificent Jesuits’ College of Funchal, nowadays the administration of the University of Madeira, for a neighbour.
Attending to the fact that the hotel’s buildings are from three different centuries, the decor of the rooms was adapted and interpreted in contemporary manner though always in light of the underlying history.
All in all, Castanheiro Boutique Hotel has 81 rooms, penthouses and suites, most with a balcony and a view, be it interior or of the city. Rooms vary in size as the hotel is made up of different buildings. However, in each and every one of them you can easily tell the investment in comfort and a cosy environment.
The 18th century building has square ceilings and the detail of the lambris while the 19th century one has a circular ceiling. The more recent building was adapted in the manner of art deco with fitted-carpets and a 30s geometrical motif.
The pool in the terrace looks as if leaning over the city. The terrace offers a view that should not be missed. You can see the bay of Funchal and some emblematic buildings like the Jesuits’ College, the Town Hall and the Cathedral.
There you find the Pretas Terrace & Lounge Bar, where you can go for a light meal during the day.
And also, you have the Spa. Its decoration in grey and green shades was inspired by the cellars of some of the oldest buildings on the island. Its, Til, is the Portuguese name given to a specific variety of stinkwood trees endemic to the island.
The Til Spa has an interior pool, with a Jacuzzi area and a Turkish sauna. Some compare it to the wells used to water crops in Madeira. Complementing the spa experience offered in the Castanheiro Boutique Hotel are its gym and two massage rooms. Rising out of the many organic treatments offered is the algae-based massage, both facial and for the body, and the one made using volcanic stones.
This is an urban resort and affirms itself as such. Or, to be more specific, it is an urban resort ideal for those who want to have no time to waste and want to make the most of what the city has to offer.
Likewise, those who want to rest while also feeling the town’s life or simply enjoy the coming and going of ships have here a prime option.
Wanting to dynamize the city, Castanheiro Boutique Hotel opens its doors to the islanders so they can enjoy its bars and restaurants or simply take pleasure in having a look at the interior décor and the architecture of João Paulo Gomes and Lília Correia Gomes.
Be it to rest or to feel the city’s heartbeat, a stay in the timeless monument that is the Castanheiro Boutique Hotel is sure to generate many stories and experiences.
