Hotels near Câmara de Lobos

Câmara de Lobos is a working fishing village 9 km west of Funchal where Winston Churchill set up his easel in January 1950 to paint the colourful boats in the harbour. The viewpoint where he stood (Miradouro Churchill) is signposted on the cliff road above the port, and his hand-painted plaque is one of the most photographed spots in Madeira.

The harbour itself is still full of black scabbardfish (espada) boats - the unusual eel-like fish caught at depths of 1,000 m+ that you will see on every restaurant menu on the island. Above the port, the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (1420) is the oldest in Madeira. The village also claims to be the birthplace of poncha, the local rum, honey, and lemon cocktail.

Pro Tip: Stop at the no-frills bar Taberna da Poncha on Rua Dr João Abel de Freitas at sunset and order a poncha pescador (fisherman's poncha) for around 2.50 EUR. It is the strongest version, the way the boatmen drink it.