Peering at the rows of vegetables, fruit trees and aromatic herbs that snake along sloping terraces at Socalco Nature Hotel, my earth-loving heart begins to beat faster. The boutique venture nestled in the cliffs above the seaside town of Calheta, on Madeira’s southwest coast, was created with permaculture in mind. Think a cluster of solar-roofed, self-catering houses and rooms that face the Atlantic, levadas (natural irrigation channels), a lush organic garden and vineyard, and a serious dedication to gastronomy.
It’s heartening to see how this corner of the rocky Portuguese island in the Atlantic has taken strides to appeal to visitors like myself, who seek out the indefinable but palpable “good energy” that comes from sound ecological stewardship and the pleasures of agritourism.
