Afternoon tea at Reid’s Palace
The most precisely-searched thing on this island, and almost universally priced wrong.
€65 per person, taxes and service included, from the menu Belmond currently publishes for 2026.
Almost every guide says €50. That figure is not invented — it comes from a PDF menu Belmond still serves, whose own file was generated in 2023. Two menus from the same hotel, both live, three years apart. If you have read €50 somewhere, that is where it came from.
Served on the terrace, 14:00 to 16:30.
The dining page advertises it every day; the booking system showed a closed date when we checked. Both are the hotel’s own, so book rather than assume.
The dress code, in the hotel’s own words
Smart casual (to maintain the elegance of this timeless experience, we kindly ask you to avoid wearing any sportswear, flip flops or hiking gear).
Booked through SevenRooms. Card details secure the booking rather than prepaying it, and parties over 6 are asked to email instead of booking online.
Madeira in the 2026 Michelin guide
Taken from Michelin’s own listing rather than from press coverage of it.
| Restaurant | Distinction | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Il Gallo d’Oro | Two stars | Temporarily closed |
| William | One star | Listed as open |
| Desarma | One star | Listed as open |
| Casal da Penha | Bib Gourmand | Listed as open |
The two-star that is currently closed
Il Gallo d’Oro is shut for refurbishment, and for once there is no ambiguity: Michelin’s page carries the closure note and the operator says so in its own words. During the closure the team is running a separate, more informal concept — The Atlantic Tribute by Benoît Sinthon.
The one thing that does not agree is the Green Star. Michelin’s page shows none; the operator lists one and the local press reported it renewed at the 2026 gala. We report the disagreement rather than pick a side.
Why we do not name the chef at William
Michelin’s own page for William names no chef at all. Other sources do, and they disagree with each other — one of them the official tourism board, which was at least two chefs out of date. There is also a trap in the name itself: William honours William Reid, the Scottish crofter’s son who founded the hotel in the nineteenth century. It is not a chef’s name.
Limpets are a June to October dish, and that is law
Under Portaria n.º 187/2026, gathering limpets is closed from 1 November to 31 May — every method, including gathering for your own family. Minimum size 40 mm; family gathering capped at 2 kg per person per day.
The part that matters on a menu: the same article prohibits selling or displaying for sale fresh limpets taken during the closed season. So limpets offered in March are frozen, imported, or illegal.
This is a reopening, not a clampdown. The previous instrument had suspended limpet harvesting outright after surveys found the rock habitat effectively without juveniles; the 2026 rules follow documented recovery, with a longer closed season than before.
Sources
menus.belmond.com
www.sevenrooms.com
guide.michelin.com
www.portobay.com
joram.madeira.gov.pt