The country house which received kings and princes is celebrating its 210th anniversary and is now a boutique hotel.
Quinta do Palheiro is a beautiful country house that celebrates 210 years of existence this year. Its construction works were finished in 1804 as a country location for the Count of Carvalhal.
It all started in 1801 when hundreds of trees were planted in that same place. The country house was a bit of a consequence from that and it used to serve as a private hunting lodge too.
A french landscape architect designed both the construction and the surroundings: the house, the gardens, the walks, the chapel and the manor houses. He also transferred water from the mountains that were quite far from the place to water the estate’s land.
And this is what made it possible for João do Carvalhal, the wealthiest nobleman at that time, to bring into the island something it didn’t have until that point, bringing it closer to the parks that had started appearing all over Europe. An improvement from the estate’s untamed look before then.
After the first Count of Carvalhal’s death, in 1837, his nephew took over the estate. He was known for being a bohemian life lover and therefore the estate became famous for the outrageously delightful parties that he Count hosted.
The Counts of Carvalhal had a large fortune and known for being wonderful hosts, and for that reason they had many of the time’s most illustrious personalities.
In 1817, Princess Leopoldine of Austria stayed in the very house on her way to Brazil to marry Peter IV and consequently become that country’s Empress. In 1858, the Infant D. Luís stayed there too. He would become King of Portugal later on.
The 2nd Count of Carvalhal left no descendants and spent most of his fortune in his lifetime. And this is how the Old House became an accommodation facility for the first time, in 1890.
Years later, in 1901, when John Burden Blandy was already the estate owner, it was visited by another illustrious visit: During their official visit to Madeira, Portuguese kings Carlos and Amélia were invited for a banquet in the estate’s gardens.
After that visit, darker times came for the estate. The house got more and more degraded over time and 1910 it ended up being emptied and abandoned. It was as if a part of Madeira had gotten lost in time.
Seventy-seven years later, the Portuguese President at the time, Mário Soares, visited the Palheiro Gardens and gets interested in the Old House, now a victim of time and a fire. He reminded its owners that there was funding available for historical old houses restoration.
Adam and Christina Blandy, the current estate owners, took advantage of Palheiro Golf’s tourist flow and turned the idea of renewing the Old House into reality, opening it to the public as a Luxury Hotel that is now part of the Relais Chateaux Hotel Group. In April 1997, after renewal and restoration works, the house is open once more to the public, receiving its first guests on May 1st.
To mark the initial building’s 210th anniversary, Casa Velha do Palheiro created a special designated package: seven nights in a double bed room with entrances to Palheiro Gardens and either a game of golf or a massage at Palheiro Spa are just a few of the elements on offer.
This package also includes a dinner with tasting menu and offers a book about Blandy family’s history in the Region.
