Fodor's Expert Review Choupana Hills Resort

Editor's Note: This location is no longer in operation.

Set high in the hills above Funchal, this deluxe resort exudes a Zen-like calm and is the perfect get-away-from-it-all retreat. Accommodation is in Eastern-theme, spacious luxury wooden bungalows with enormous balconies, each offering dazzling vistas. The pagoda-like main building has a similar rustic design but contains modern comforts in the form of a bar and restaurant and top-of-the-range spa facilitiets. The resort even has an irrigation canal, the Levada dos Tornos, passing through its spacious grounds—if you feel energetic, you can walk from here all the way to Monte.