12 Funchal shops you can't miss

12 FUNCHAL SHOPS YOU CAN'T MISS

Living and reviving a holiday in Funchal is also gathering bits and pieces of memories. Crafts, clothing articles, flavours and photographs, bring us back to the thrill of a trip. Each item represents a story, a person, a happy moment.

Funchal offers an exciting variety of regional, national and international products. With this article, we introduce you to some stores of the capital, with a particular focus on the domestic products. You will find traditional items like Madeira embroidery, gourmet products, unique pieces of art, fashion design, vintage accessories, beauty products, among others.

Some of these stores are partners of the PortoBay Prestige loyalty club. With the Prestige card, you will have discounts at the indicated stores in addition to the advantages in the hotels.

Love Shopping ? Make the most of your stay and have fun in Funchal !!

Here are some suggestions:

1. Bordal

Bordal was founded in 1962 and specialises in hand embroidered pieces, certified with the seal of guarantee by the Institute of Wine Embroidery and Handicraft of Madeira, a testimony to the quality and authenticity. Noble women introduced embroideries in Madeira. They were used to decorate the houses, churches and convents. The lightness and meticulous detail of each sheet or tablecloth are royalty worthy. Their baby and lady clothing lines are a real charm. In the store, you can also walk through a historical itinerary, along 150 years (reflected in the photographs and utensils of the era) and understand the manufacturing process of this embroidery.

Rua Dr Fernão de Ornelas, 77

www.bordal.pt

You can also join workshops to learn some Madeira embroidery stitches. They occur on Wednesdays from 10h30-12h00. It has a cost of 25 € and includes the material and the visit to the Historic Route. With the PortoBay Prestige card, enjoy a 10% discount and a free guided tour.

2. UAU CACAU

UAU Cacau is a Madeiran brand of artisanal chocolate.
It combines the delicious chocolate (black, milk or white type) with the characteristic flavours of the island such as passion fruit, cherry, honey cake, poncha, Madeira wine, sugar cane, rum, banana and English tomato.
The passion fruit truffle is a favourite and even won the gold medal in the National Competition of Traditional "Chocolataria”.
The shop is located in the vicinity of the Cathedral and is a great stop for a coffee and a piece of chocolate. It is also popular for its sweet drink, the hot chocolate. If you are looking for a personalised gift for cocoa lovers, this store makes chocolate sculptures with written messages, photos or particular shapes.

Rua da Queimada de Baixo, 11

UAU CACAU

3. Gaudeamus

The name of this store comes from the university students' anthem "De Brevitate Vitae" which symbolises the brevity of life.
And because life is short, buy delicious sugar cane honey cookies, Atlantic aromatic candles, Terramiga beauty products with honey from the Laurissilva Forest or CastelBel soaps that smell like fennel.
By doing so, you’re also contributing to a social cause, since this shop supports University of Madeira’s students, in school supplies and meals. This project began in 2011 with the inauguration of a store in the Penteada University Campus. Then came the shop of the College of the Jesuits of Funchal, that also offers guided visits and cultural events. Recently, a store called Naturalmente Português was inaugurated, on the 1st floor of La Vie Shopping Center, selling exclusively Portuguese products with excellent quality.

College of the Jesuits of Funchal, Rua dos Ferreiros

www.gaudeamus.pt

4. Patrícia Pinto

Patrícia Pinto is a fashion designer who has invented her brand and style. Her fashion shows are always a popular event in Funchal, since she presents her individual collections, in original places like the Museum of Electricity or the beautiful Farmers' Market. She has a unique identity, characterised by particular pieces, created with a lot of love, detail and quality materials. She is known for her hand-stitched pieces, knitted details, props and details that make her style timeless. Her clothing and atelier shop is located on one of the oldest streets in the city centre and is worthy of a visit!

Rua Nova de São Pedro, 56

10% discount with the PortoBay Prestige card.

Patmoondress

5. Caravel Art Center

Located in the corner of the emblematic old quarter of Funchal, this exhibition centre/store/gallery of contemporary art is a great find! Discover the beautiful paintings by local and international artists such as Mark Milewski, Alexander Semenov and Bettina Charlotte Radatz. Be dazzled by creative pieces of crafts or pottery, and offer them to that special person in your life. They also promote several exhibitions, innovative and educational projects. You can check the full program of events at www.artcaravel.com.

Rua Dom Carlos 1, 19-20 / Rua de Santa Maria, 58-60

6. Portugal Labels

This store offers a glimpse of what’s new in Portuguese design, through brands and creators that are defined by authenticity and quality. Two of the Portuguese names that this store sells exclusively are the Maria Malta and Pallas suitcases, which seek to combine unique pieces of handcrafted manufacture with a quality design. Concerning footwear, you will find sneakers inspired by Madeira Embroidery, or Portuguese tiles. In decorative ceramics, you will find the unusual work of Trindade Vieira. Concerning accessories created in Madeira, discover the beautiful necklaces of the "Miúda do Calhau”, or the Intermadeira, with traditional motifs. From the Pedagogical Farm of Prazeres comes the award-winning sweet pepper, the liquor of berry, and the passion fruit vinegar, aged over seven years in oak wood.

Rua da Carreira, 92

Portugal Labels

7. São Rosas

São Rosas store opened in 1999, by two sisters who love travels and animals. They decided to recreate the Madeiran gifts offer. Discovering this store is entering the warmth of a wonderland. The store concept is no concept! This quirky little shop is full of curiosities, unique and tastefully selected items, most of them made by themselves. Many articles are allusive to animals. Some fabrics come from their travels, especially from Vietnam.
It sells suitcases, pieces of clothing, handmade gifts, salt shakers, cups, sardines, swallows, paper lamps, wooden jewellery, porcelain, decorative trees, necklaces made of dried flowers, illustrated postcards, cuteness and exclusivity.

Avenida do Infante, 29

São Rosas

8. Jacarandá Sé Gifts

It's located in one of the oldest and most emblematic shops of Funchal, the ancestor Casa Tavares. You’ll find it next to the Cathedral, with a black-tiled façade, wooden doors and iron characters, that will certainly capture your attention.
It specialises in the traditional Portuguese Cork. Products include bags, shoes, frames, jewellery and even leashes and collars for your pet! You will find gifts for the whole family.
In the gourmet section, they sell Madeiran products, namely jams, fennel sweets, honey cake and Madeira wine. It also offers Portuguese preserves, the famous canned sardines. In the footwear section, you will also find the folklore Madeiran boots.

Rua da Sé, 30

9. WalkingFrame

Located in the heart of Rua das Pretas, next to St. Peter's Church, the sui generis t-shirts and the "dog lamp" in the shop window, will capture your attention. The beautiful and elegant dog of the designer called Mitra inspired this creation.
WalkingFrame is the creative shop by Jorge Rosa. He produces exclusive images and illustrated messages that somehow speak for themselves. The images are printed in editions of 15 units. Only 15, because 14 are not enough and 16 are too much. Only 15, because he does not want half the world to wear the same as the other half. That is the purpose of these t-shirts, to be a "walking frame" of an image, that makes half the world think.

Rua das Pretas, 49

15% Discount with the PortoBay Prestige card.

WalkingFrame

10. Madeira Duck Store

Inspired by the classic rubber duck, the Madeira Duck Store is exclusively dedicated to the iconic toy that everyone loves. With hundreds of versions - from the elephant, diver, doctor and fireman to the Batman, Snow White and Cristiano Ronaldo duck - this store will entertain anyone, no matter what their age! Drop in, choose the duck that is most like you and take it home as a souvenir.

Rua de Santa Maria, 85

Madeira Duck Store

11. Comur

Located in the centre of Funchal, Comur is a Portuguese cannery that produces around thirty varieties of canned food, employing more than one hundred women to turn the flavours of the sea into tasty treats using traditional artisanship. Besides the delicious flavours, Comur is known for its colourful cans with original illustrations that make visiting its stores a visually unforgettable experience.

Av. Arriaga, 13

Comur

12. Blandy's

Madeira wine is one of the main products of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, and has become an iconic symbol of the island throughout the world. Founded by the Blandy family in 1811, this store has produced wine for over two centuries and currently has over 500 Madeira, Portuguese and international wines in stock.

In addition to visiting the store, you can also enjoy a guided tour of Blandy's Wine Lodge cellars and find out about the whole production process behind this wine.

Av. Arriaga, 28

Blandy's

Now, which of these shops will you visit first ?
Enjoy !!