The Vine Hotel, Funchal, Madeira
A bold urban hotel where Nini Andrade Silva turns Madeira’s winemaking heritage into colour, texture, and rooftop drama
Why DNA Hotels Loves It
● Madeira-born designer Nini Andrade Silva uses the changing seasons of the grapevine as the creative thread running through the hotel.
● Volcanic stone, sculptural furniture, rich fabrics, and moody colours give the interiors a distinctly Madeiran identity rather than generic contemporary luxury.
● The rooftop changes everything: a heated pool, expansive sky, and panoramic views across Funchal and its bay make it one of the city’s great places for a sunset drink.
Madeira, Through the Grapevine
The Vine takes one of Madeira’s most enduring traditions and turns it into design. Rather than decorating the hotel with predictable references to wine, Nini Andrade Silva looked to the vineyard itself: its earth, vines, grapes, colours, and changing seasons. The concept unfolds throughout the hotel, with each accommodation floor representing a different moment in the grape’s annual cycle. Greens evoke spring, deeper purples suggest summer fruit, warmer tones signal autumn, and greys capture the dormancy of winter. It is a clever idea made convincing through materials rather than gimmicks.
Dark, Dramatic, and Distinctly Madeiran
The Vine occupies an unapologetically modern building by architects Ricardo Bofill and João Francisco Caires in central Funchal. Inside, Andrade Silva gives that contemporary shell warmth and personality. Volcanic stone grounds the interiors firmly on Madeira, while rich fabrics, organic forms, and furniture referencing twisting vines soften the architecture. The palette can be dark and sensual, creating an intriguing contrast with the brilliant Atlantic light waiting outside. The 79 rooms and suites continue the story. Floor-to-ceiling windows bring Funchal into the interiors, while freestanding bathtubs, sometimes positioned dramatically within the bedroom itself, make the city lights part of the evening ritual. This is not restrained island minimalism. The Vine has mood.
The Rooftop Is the Real Showstopper
Take the lift upwards and the atmosphere changes completely. The darker interiors give way to sky, water, and extraordinary views across Funchal. A heated rooftop pool appears almost suspended above the city, accompanied by generous areas for lounging and an elongated Jacuzzi. From here, Madeira’s geography suddenly makes sense: the city climbing the hills behind you, the harbour below, and the Atlantic stretching towards the horizon. The 360º Sky Bar makes good use of the setting. Come towards sunset, order a cocktail or a glass of Madeiran wine, and stay until the lights begin appearing across the slopes. Few city hotels in Madeira make better use of their roof.
Wine Beyond the Design
Wine is more than an interior-design theme here. At UVA Restaurant & Wine Bar, the focus is on polished contemporary cooking built around Portuguese and Madeiran produce, supported by a wine list that makes the hotel’s vinous identity feel genuine rather than decorative. The relationship with local food can extend beyond the dining room too, with experiences such as market visits and cooking sessions offering a more direct introduction to Madeira’s ingredients. Breakfast is generous and local touches sit comfortably alongside the international hotel classics. But if there is one drinking spot not to miss, it remains upstairs. Funchal tastes better with a skyline.
Vinotherapy Underground
The hotel’s spa takes the grape theme in another direction. Set away from the bright rooftop, it is a more cocooning environment centred on vinotherapy-inspired treatments, including rituals using antioxidant grape and wine extracts. A Turkish bath, whirlpool facilities, treatment spaces, and fitness centre add substance to the wellness offering. It may sound like the hotel’s wine concept is being stretched rather enthusiastically. Somehow, it works.
City Below, Island Beyond
The Vine is unusual among Madeira’s design hotels because it is emphatically urban. There are no subtropical resort gardens separating you from Funchal. The hotel rises directly above a shopping centre in the heart of the city, with museums, churches, restaurants, shops, and the waterfront within walking distance. That makes it particularly good for travellers who want Madeira without retreating from its capital. Spend the morning wandering Funchal. Disappear into the mountains in the afternoon. Then return to the rooftop as the city lights come on.
Why It Works
The Vine could easily have turned Madeira’s wine heritage into a theme. Instead, Nini Andrade Silva uses it as a design language, translating vines, volcanic soil, grapes, and seasons into materials, colours, and atmosphere. The architecture is contemporary, the interiors confidently theatrical, and the rooftop provides the lightness and sense of place that balance the darker spaces below. Add strong food, vinotherapy, and one of Funchal’s best elevated views, and The Vine remains a distinctive expression of modern Madeira rather than simply another city luxury hotel.
