Old Money. It’s the phrase we use when we want to describe classic surroundings impeccably good taste and an old-world elegance and style that is classically and rich and stylishly comfortable, yet never flashy.

This is exactly the lovely ambiance that we savored at Five-Star Reid’s Palace Hotel in Funchal, Madeira, Portugal.

Reid’s has been here for over 100 years, catering to such notables as George Bernard Shaw and Margaret Thatcher. It’s only natural: the service here sets the standard for others: it’s warm and friendly and helpful, but never intrusive.

The rooms are mini sanctuaries. As we sit on the balcony of room 940 and relax in the hotel’s snuggly white robes, we look out as far as we can see to an unending Atlantic Ocean to see impressive cruise ships and tiny fishing boats.

But "room" hardly describes our accommodations; actually it is a spacious junior suite with a full closet conveniently located in the bathroom area.

You could spend weeks here at Reid’s, enjoying its lush ten-acre grounds, numerous niches that beg you to sit and relax, as well as a variety of gourmet dining experiences that you’ll long remember after the taste has gone.