Travel Like Your Agent

Rachael Eldridge
Jan 21
4 min read

so you want to know how travel agents do travel? You've come to the right place! Rebecca and her friend, tevin, recently visited the new Dreams Madeira resort. Rebecca gave me the rundown on this luxurious Portuguese resort so I could bring it all to you.

By Rachael Magruder

first, Let's eat!

Something about Smiley Travelers, when we are on vacation, we're gonna eat! Rebecca broke down some of her favorite restaurants at Dreams Madeira, so you know exactly where to go for the perfect pastel de nata, Portugal's official pastry.

For breakfast

When you're in a hurry...

Go for Cocoa Cafe. Visitors to Dreams Resorts might recognize the name of their signature coffee shop. I love how they always have items on their menu that's local to the area, like the pastel de natas. These are flaky pastries with a creamy custard filling, and Rebecca recommends eating as many as possible. They just don't make 'em the same here.

When you've got time to kill...

You're going to want to check out the World Cafe. This is another Dreams Resort staple, offering a great breakfast buffet. While it was well-stocked and offered plenty of breakfast food to choose from, Rebecca noticed that the omelet bar only had ham as a protein option, which was different from other Dreams Resorts she's visited in the past.

for lunch

If you're out exploring the island during the day, take the opportunity to stop in one of Funchal's many premier restaurants. Madeira has an impressive culinary landscape, with

three Michelin-starred restaurants under it's belt, and several more jockeying for the distinction. If fine dining isn't in your scene (or your budget) don't count yourself out! Madeira's food scene has something for everyone. If you're feeling brave, find a restaurant that serves espada com banana, Madeira's traditional dish. Its a black scabbardfish wrapped in bananas---and before you knock it, try it! The sweet bananas and delicate white fish apparently pair together really well.

for dinner

Rebecca's favorite restaurant during their stay at Dreams Madeira was Oishii, so you know you have to try it when you visit the resort. She said this Asian grill focused on fresh, high quality ingredients, and the result was heavenly. The fantastic food made up for the lack of dinner entertainment. In other Dreams Resorts, their Asian restaurants feature a hibachi-style show, but this one was much more focused on delivering perfection to your plate.

If you're looking for a good place for date night, you'll want to make reservations at Nouvelle Brasserie. Located in an old lighthouse, this French restaurant has all the best romantic vibes with breathtaking views of the Atlantic Ocean right outside the window. Rebecca and Tevin both raved about the steak and the creme brulé. This restaurant does require reservations.

Heads up, both Oishii and Nouvelle Brasserie have formal dress codes, so if you packed nothing but board shorts and sandals, or you just want something more casual, head back over to World Cafe. They have a dinner buffet that is phenomenal.

If you're familiar with resorts, you might be caught off guard by the menus in the restaurants at the resort. They have prices! It threw Rebecca off at first, too. It's actually because the restaurants in the resort are open to the public, which is not common at resorts.

Let's do something!

Now that our bellies are full, what are we going to do with our time while we're in Madeira? Well, if we're travelling like our travel agent, we're going hiking! The Portuguese island of Madeira is chock full of beautiful natural scenery and Rebecca took several hikes around the island while she was there.

She was impressed with how easy it was to get in and out of the resort, and loved how it was so seamlessly integrated into the city. This is probably because Dreams Madeira is actually a remodeled resort instead of a newly built one, like their other locations. This means you get to experience all the traditional Madeiran architecture, along with the luxury one expects from a Dreams Resort.

If you're a bit more like Tevin and I, you might want to just spend the day by the pool. That's totally understandable after all that food! If you're childfree this vacation, I'd suggest you check out the adults-only pool. While you're there, visit Sugar Reef, the swim-up bar, and order yourself a drink. You deserve it ;) Heads up, though! The pools here are not heated to the same temperature as the pools we're used to. It was pretty chilly.

You could always pop over to the gym and have a climate-controlled workout, instead. Keep in mind, though, their gym is more "European-style" and has no mirrors and a limited supply of workout equipment. Similarly, their spa might not be what you have come to expect from a normal resort. It was fully indoors, and while the spa had nice, big windows to let the light in, it wasn't quite the same and didn't feel as romantic as spas Rebecca's visited in Caribbean resorts.

If you're feeling a bit restless and want to go exploring, you should go down to the marina and walk around. It's actually on resort property and it's full of cute little shops and restaurants to poke around in. There's also a black sand beach for resort guests. It's a little underwhelming, but if you want a beachier experience, consider heading a short ways off resort property to one of the local public beaches, which are bigger and still have the

mesmerizing black sand Madeira beaches are famous for. Madeira is one of the places that Rebecca does encourage her travelers to explore off resort property. Travelers should always be aware of their surroundings, prepared for emergencies and have local emergency numbers saved in their phone.

Smiley Travelers, we have went over a lot of details about Dreams' new resort in Madeira, Portugal. From the fantastic food scene to the black sand beaches, we've explored one Europe's first all-inclusive resorts from top to bottom. If you're ready to book your next vacation, or if you just have questions I didn't answer, don't hesitate to reach out to Rebecca for more information on Dreams Madeira.