Carnival Festivities – Madeira Island

from February 15th to the 22nd

The Carnival spirit returns to cheer up Funchal’s downtown between the 15th and the 22nd of February.
For a week, the season’s rhythms, called upon the sounds of marches and philharmonic bands, will turn Funchal into a stage by Excellency, for an annual festivity that links perfection, joy, party, satire and amusement, involving and arousing locals and visitors’ attention.

The great Carnival Parade, which brings together close to a thousand participants in a unique colour that lightens up the main streets of Funchal, will be on the road on the 18th, a Saturday Night.

The holiday programme ends on Shrove Tuesday, on the 21st, with the “Slapstick Parade”, on which hundreds of participants dishallow with their very own dynamic, humour and satire all together. All this carnival merriment finds its way into the Mar Square (Praça do Mar), where, on the pinnacle of the occasion and in a bashing climate, prizes are given to the most creative costumes.

Karneval auf Madeira
15. – 22. Februar

Vom  15. bis 22. Februar ist Funchal in den Händen der Narren.
Mit viel Musik und bunten Kostümen wird der Karnevalsgeist auf die Straßen und Plätze der Stadt gebracht. Das jährliche Karnevalsfest macht Funchal zu einer Bühne in Perfektion, wo Einheimische und Touristen eine Woche lang die Atmosphäre des bunten Treibens verfolgen können.

Bei bekannten  Melodien tanzen und singen verschiedene Gruppen und Orchester auf den  Straßen. Satire, Spaß und Freude stehen im Mittelpunkt. Am Samstagabend  18.02.2012, wird der große Karnevalsumzug, mit über 1000 Teilnehmern, vielen bunten, einzigartigen Festwagen, den Hauptstraßen Funchals, einen ganz besonderen Glanz verleihen.

Festas de Carnaval
15 a 22 de Fevereiro

O espírito de Carnaval volta em força para animar a cidade do Funchal, entre os dias 15 e 22 de Fevereiro.
Durante uma semana, os ritmos próprios da época, evocados ao som das marchas e das bandas filarmónicas, farão, do Funchal, o palco por excelência de uma festa que, anualmente, associa, na perfeição, a alegria, a animação, a sátira e a folia, envolvendo e despertando as atenções de residentes e visitantes.

O grande Cortejo Alegórico, que reúne cerca de mil foliões num colorido único que abrilhanta as principais artérias do Funchal, sai à rua na noite de sábado, dia 18, desfilando desde a Praça da Autonomia, na Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses até ao final da Avenida Francisco Sá Carneiro, concentrando-se na Praça do Mar.

O Programa de Festas culmina na terça-feira de Carnaval, dia 21, com o “Cortejo Trapalhão”, no qual centenas de foliões desfilam com uma dinâmica muito própria, humor e sátira à mistura. Toda esta folia carnavalesca encontra o seu auge na Praça do Mar, local onde, em ambiente de festa, se entregam os prémios aos mais criativos.

Madeira Hotel – Quinta Casa Velha do Palheiro – Luxury Spa & Golf Resort

Quinta Casa Velha do Palheiro

Located in the hills above the Madeiran capital Funchal, next to the stunning Palheiro Golf course, lies the luxury country house hotel Casa Velha do Palheiro.

This wonderful property is situated next to the famous Palheiro Gardens, originally created over 200 years ago by the 1st Count of Carvalhal. There is also direct access to the Golf Course, with privileged tee offs from the halfway house, a short stroll from the gate. If peace, tranquility and re-laxation are requisites of your vacation – then seek no further.

Within the extensive grounds there is a heated swimming pool with sauna and steam bath: Tennisor croquet, billiards or walking. For gentler relaxation they offer a morning room with library, and a very smart, comfortable lounge bar.

The Palheiro Gardens – famous not only for the variety of plants that grow there, but for the beauty of their hillside setting, form a rich collection of plants from so many different parts of the world, gathered together over a period of 180 years or so. These private gardens are open to the public weekdays and attract over 40.000 visitors per year.

Visit Quinta Casa Velha do Palheiro

Christmas Traditions in Madeira

Madeira’s holy crib, known as “lapinha” is assembled a few days prior to Christmas over a wood ladder, decorated with small bowls with growing rye or wheat, donkey images, sheep and wild greens (“cabrinhas”), “brindeiros” (small loafs of bread), season’s fruit (apples, English tomato and tangerines) and an oil lamp.

At dawn, on the Childbirth Masses, celebrated before Christmas, Madeireans surrender to the ancient tradition of the “pig’s killing”, which meat is used to cook the unique “carne de vinho e alhos” (pork in garlic and wine marinate). The delicious and renowned honey cake, made from sugar cane molasses, dried fruit and spices, which also, in this season, decorates the table.

Find out more at: http://www.visitmadeira.pt

Madeira Island Country Hotel – Quinta Casa Velha do Palheiro, is a graceful luxury 5 star Golf resort with 37 luxurious rooms and a full Spa.

Torneio Bola Amarela

No passado Domingo, dia 11 de Dezembro, realizou-se no Palheiro Golfe o último torneio do calendário de 2011 – a Competição Bola Amarela.
Este torneio foi um torneio de equipas, cada uma composta por 3 jogadores que receberam no início do jogo uma bola amarela. O objectivo era não
perder a bola e quem a perdesse era automaticamente desclassificado, continuando apenas na classificação individual.
Das 20 equipas inscritas neste torneio 10 chegaram ao fim com a bola amarela.
A equipa vencedora foi a tripla de juniores composta por Brandon Hobley, Declan Hobley e Pedro Moreira, com 43 pontos.
Em 2º lugar ficaram Edgar Rodrigues, Tiago Gonçalves e João Pedro Gonçalves, com 40 pontos.
Em 3º lugar, com 38 pontos Hilary Smith; Roger Smith e David Hodge. Na classificação individual o vencedor foi Hilary Smith, com 38 pontos,
seguindo-se Andrew Reynolds, com 37 pontos e em 3º lugar ficou Michael Otto com 36 pontos.
Na categoria júnior, Tiago Gonçalves fez uns magníficos 46pontos, seguindo-se Pedro Moreira, com 45 pontos e em 3º lugar ficou Nuno
Camacho, com 43 pontos. De salientar ainda, que Hillary Smith, fez um fantástico Hole in One no buraco 7.
Após o torneio realizou-se o já tradicional almoço de Natal, no Restaurante do Clubhouse, onde foram entregues vários prémios de diferentes competições realizadas ao longo do ano que agora finda, bem como dos Matchplays e também dos Eclécticos. O Capitão do Clube, Denis Camacho falou um pouco sobre o calendário para o próximo ano, que será mais
preenchido e falou um pouco sobre os Campeonatos da Madeira que serão disputados entre os 3 campos da região ( Palheiro Golfe; Santo da Serra e Porto Santo). Para fechar o dia em grande houve uma tômbola com vários prémios, que foram sorteados pelos jogadores participantes do torneio.
Foi um dia muito agradável, tendo o tempo como seu aliado, com uma temperatura amena e o sol a marcar presença. Um dia bom para o golfe e para o convívio dos sócios, e já com um cheirinho a Natal!

Patrícia Rodrigues
Coordenadora do Clube

Billy Casper recently visited Palheiro golf in Madeira as part of his world golf cruise tour.  He was highly complementary about the course and still managed to play a great round of golf!

Billy can be seen in the picture with Michael Otto the sales manager at Palheiro golf.

Casper’s achievements in golf have been considerably chronicled by the media, in books, and in the minds of millions of fans around the world. Since he joined the PGA TOUR in 1956, and in the years that followed on the Senior PGA TOUR, Billy Casper has been known as one of the most accomplished golfers to ever play the game, recently named among the Top 20 players ever by Sports Illustrated magazine.

A two-time U.S. Open Winner (Winged Foot, 1959; Olympic, 1966) and Master Champion (1970), Billy Casper’s record on the PGA TOUR is one of the most prolific. He has an astonishing 51 TOUR wins in his career, a figure surpassed by only a select few. And Billy Casper won at least one tournament in 16 consecutive years (1956-1971).

Add to that nine wins on the Senior TOUR, including the U.S. Senior Open (Hazeltine, 1983), and membership on eight Ryder Cup teams – winning more points (23.5) than any other American player. He won the Vardon Trophy five times, a record matched only by Tiger Woods and Lee Trevino. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1978 and the PGA Hall of Fame in 1982.

While his playing accomplishments clearly make him one of the greatest golfers ever, his commitment to family make him a role model to all. Married to wife Shirley for 50-plus years, Billy and she raised 11 children, five of whom were adopted into their home. Add 40+ grandchildren and great-grandchildren – with more on the way – it is easy to see that the Caspers’ are proud of their family.

Today, Billy Casper lives outside Salt Lake City, Utah surrounded by his family, and regularly tours the country and the world visiting with fans of the game. He competes in several tournaments each year, visits BCG-managed courses throughout the country, and is a member of the Grand Champions TOUR. His charitable contributions are numerous, with a distinct focus on investing in the future of America – our children.

In Billy’s words…

“My focus has always been on the youth of America. I believe that these youngsters, the future of our great country, are our most precious commodities. The proceeds from my charitable work help support youth many wonderful programs. All our benefactors are terrific organizations dedicated to broadening our children’s views, and teaching them invaluable life skills necessary to compete in an ever-changing world.”

Visit Palheiro Golf on Madeira island.

Funchal, 5 de Dezembro 2011

Torneio realizado no Palheiro Golfe – “Batalha dos Sexos”.

No passado Domingo, dia 4 de Dezembro, teve lugar no Palheiro Golfe o já tradicional Torneio Batalha dos Sexos que contou com a presença de
11 elementos femininos contra 11 masculinos.

Os capitães (masculino e feminino) – Énio Andrade e Fernanda Cuckney – fizeram as equipas. O torneio foi disputado no formato “singles matchplay”,
onde um elemento feminino competia com um elemento masculino. A equipa feminina mostrou-se mais forte e venceu a equipa masculina por 7 contra 4.

No final do dia era notória a enorme satisfação das senhoras participantes, já que durante 3 anos consecutivos a vitória era masculina.

No fim do dia esta “guerra dos sexos”, transformou-se num grande e agradável convívio entre todos os participantes.

Patrícia Rodrigues
Coordenadora do Clube

Gardens of Madeira Island – Gardens of Quinta do Palheiro Ferreiro

Palheiro Gardens lie adjacent to Madeira Island Hotel Casa Velha do Palheiro in the grounds of the Palheiro Estate.

By the gatehouse, take the main drive, lined with plane trees and huge camellias. On the left is a mass of mimosa acacia that flower in early spring.

The ground here is also carpeted with agapanthus, arum lilies and belladonna lilies that bloom according to season.

To the left of the car park are several Corymbia ficifolia – red flowering gum trees – and from China, a Paulownia tomentosa (empress tree). There is an impressive metrosideros on your right, and various magnolias.

Around the house (which is not open to the public, nor is it part of the gardens) are several Araucarias (pine), palms, Magnolia grandiflora and a fine old “tulip tree” – Liriodendron tulipifera – from North America whose autumn hue is a clear bright yellow. Neighbouring this is a huge Sequoia sempervirens – a California redwood.

Continue down a narrow path that snakes in between a line of box hedges and a generous plantation of Cryptomeria japonica, turn right over the ornamental bridge and you arrive in the main gardens.

Pause for a while and note the Sunken Garden to the left, which hosts a number of brightly coloured flora, especially tangerine-hued Gazanias and multi-coloured Lampranthus. Thriving too are freesias, banks of rose-tinted Ixias, pink nerines and scarlet tritonias.

Tucked into the surrounding rockeries you will find perennials like agaves, succulents such as aloes, and many other bulbous, ornamental plants.

Look out for the grass tree – a uniquely Australian plant that develops a thick, fire-resistant trunk and is reputed to live for hundreds of years.

At the bottom of the garden below the magnolias are a number of different banksias, Australian wildflowers that belong to the plant family Proteaceae that are characterised by their barrel-like heads and flower spikes – a rich source of pollen.

Here too can be found fine examples of the rare and endangered Camellia granthamiana – Grantham’s camellia, from Hong Kong.

Close by is the rose garden, a delightful collection of traditional and English Rose varieties of all shades, tints and perfume.

In the centre lawn to the right of the main esplanade is an atlas cedar of gigantic proportions, its silver-blue needles defining it as belonging to Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’ (blue Atlas cedar).

An example of the very rare Saurauia nepalensis, a native of Burma, distinguished by its red and pink flowers and berry fruit crop, is close by.

Backtracking slightly from the well-manicured lawns, visitors will notice the tiny chapel of St John. Built by the 1st Count of Carvalhal, the original owner of the Palheiro Estate, the building is in typical Baroque style and features Venetian-style windows. A plasterwork ceiling depicting Christ being baptised by John the Baptist heightens the simple interior design. To the north of the building is a cluster of proteas, among them beautiful crimson waratah (Telopea speciosissima), the official emblem of New South Wales, in Australia.

To visit the Jardim da Senhora, or ‘Lady’s Garden’, return along the wide esplanade past more camellias until arriving at the herbaceous border. Note the delphiniums and daylilies. Look out also for the daturas with their trumpet-shaped flowers of white, orange, amber and yellow. Equally eye-catching are the sprekellia (sometimes known as “Aztec lilies”).

The Lady’s Garden is set out in a more formal pattern with neat box-edged hedges, though rapid growth in this sub-tropical climate means it’s almost impossible to preserve too much of a prescribed design.

Look out for the Cantua buxifolia, the national flower of Peru, and lagerstroemias, clianthus and banksias, among other flora. Towering over the habitat is a splendid Araucaria angustifolia – a candelabra tree from Brazil. Also worth pointing out is Hymenosporum flavum, native to the rainforests of Australia.

This is a good opportunity to partake in a little light refreshment at the Tea House and perhaps recount your steps before exploring the rest of the gardens.

Actually, from your table you’ll most likely see Casa Velha, the “Old House” built in 1804 by the 1st Count of Carvalhal and now a luxury five-star country house hotel, Casa Velha do Palheiro.

Casa Velha’s private grounds, accessible only to hotel guests, features a formal terraced lawn that includes a pond bordered by ornate iron railings. Within the vicinity are several fine conifers, eucalyptus and magnolia. A huge, sprawling metrosideros, a Christmas Day Tree from New Zealand, leans over the terrace.

An area of the gardens often overlooked by visitors is Ribeiro do Inferno, the unusually named “Hell’s Valley”.

The valley is located beyond the main garden; a sign-posted path takes you past a terraced plantation of wonderful camellias to an area of wild, native woodland and knotted bamboo. The undergrowth here is predominantly made up of sturdy acanthus and tree fern – dicksonia and cyathea.

During damp, misty weather, paths here can become slippery and in some places unstable. On days like these, less sure-footed visitors are advised to explore the valley during another occasion.

Having completed the tour, you can leave by following Camellia Avenue past more proteas, species like leucadendron and leucaspermum, and Protea cynaroides – the king protea noted for its large flowering head.

Much of the flora at Palheiro Gardens is rare, and some species are endangered. The visiting public is therefore playing a key role in the conservation and sustainability of the gardens so that future generations may continue to enjoy this celebrated botanical wonderland.

Madeira Hotel – Quinta Casa Velha do Palheiro – Luxury Golf Resort

As a second home destination, Madeira is gaining international attention – one major UK based property agency recently identified it as “one of the top 5 places in the world to buy overseas property for investment or as a lifestyle choice”.

Now is the time to buy!

For those considering an investment in a luxury home, consider the advantages:
Sub-tropical climate – warm & pleasant year round
Natural beauty – dramatic scenery, lush & colourful:known as the “Garden of the Atlantic”
Ease of access – within 3 hours flight time from most European cities, direct flights from over 40 destinations in Europe
Protected environment – 70% of the island is protected parkland & forest
Activities – wide range of sports & leisure activities
Tourist infrastructure – long known as a qulaity tourist destination, with lots to see & do
Quality of life – a friendly, safe & clean place to visit and to live in

The Palheiro Estate – the best address in Madeira:
Location – key location with easy access from the airport and to Funchal
Natural beauty – heavily-wooded hilltop location with mature forested areas, gardens and dramatic views
History – a blend of history and affluence still evident more than 200 years after its inception
Amenities – luxury accomodation, fine eating, sporting and leisure activities that together form an appealing international resort destination
Palheiro Village – an award winning development of 79 freehold apartments and villas, with central amenities and full property management services available, including property rental.

Now is the time to buy!

For further information, please contact Anne Marchington as follows:
Tel: + 351 291 794 015
E-mail: real.estate@palheiroestate.com

Further information at: http://www.palheirorealestate.com

Christmas and New Year Celebrations – Madeira Festivities
From the 8th of December to the 6th of January of 2012

The arrival of the decorative lights in the streets of the city centre of Funchal, during the month of December, marks the beginning of the Christmas and New Year festivities.
These commemorations consist of a rich and extensive programme of cultural, religious, ethnographic and artistic manifestations that takes place throughout the entire month of December and ends with the celebration of Twelfth Night.

At this time of the year, Funchal transforms itself into a crib of real life proportions, the streets become decorated with multi-coloured flowers and lights of all sizes, forming shapes and figures allusive to the season. In the streets and squares, everyone partakes in the sound of the contagious music of the concerts, the performances of the philharmonic bands and of the folklore groups, in addition to the Christmas exhibitions, authentic living portraits of Madeirean traditions.

In Madeira, the preparations for “A Festa” (the Festivity) are lived with special enthusiasm, which is the nickname that the Madeireans have given to identify Christmas as their party par excellence. They commence at the beginning of December with the setting up of the “lapinha” (crib) and with the confection of various delicacies and pastries, namely the famous honey cake, corn bread, homemade liqueurs and the preparation of pork in wine and garlic, which is one of the most famous culinary dishes of Madeira.
Another living tradition of this season is the celebration of the 9 Childbirth Masses, which take place at dawn to announce the Birth of the Boy Jesus, accompanied by hymns sung by locals, normally in churchyards, filled with Christmas decorations and where traditional drink and food typical of the season is offered to those present. On 23rd December the traditional Market Night Party celebration is held, where the Madeireans do their last-minute Christmas shopping and where one can savour the various traditional snacks and drinks of the season.
After the Christmas commemorations the high spirits continue, in anticipation of the New Year Festivities, with the famous fireworks display, officially recognized by the  Guinness World Records, in 2006, as the greatest display of fireworks in the world. This magnificent scenario, of rare beauty, is simply unique, with thousands of multi-coloured lamps decorating the amphitheatre of Funchal, transforming it into a grandiose stage. As the clock strikes twelve, on the 31st, the sky is lit up with colour, light and hope in a new year that is just beginning.
Don’t miss it and come lo live up this event in Madeira!

8th December to 6th January 2012 – Christmas Lights, Decorations and Exhibitions

31st December – New Year’s Eve Firework Display

Beginning on the 8th of December, the preparations for Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations will commence.

The main streets of downtown Funchal will be decorated with colourful lights, composing the most varied designs evocative of the Christmas season on the island. Take the opportunity to come shopping for Christmas or simply stroll in the small and typical streets which invite to a union and harmony spirit, with us and with others.

Book your Special packages for Christmas and New Year with  us  JOIN  on this special time of year!