Back in the mists of time, when green was simply a colour rather than a philosophy or lifestyle choice, Madeira was renowned for its verdant hues. Visitors could experience them everywhere—from the swirling aquamarine of the great Atlantic washing its coastline, to the extraordinary lushness of the island’s plant life, right through to the deep emerald of its forests.

Now that green is not so much fashionable as de rigueur among the most chic travellers, this speck of foliage-covered rock off the North African coast has come into its own.

Almost three-quarters of the island lies under the canopy of a 40-million-year-old Laurissilva forest—the world’s largest and most complete stand of the beautiful Madeira Laurel tree—so there is little it does not understand about conservation, which is why its popularity as a destination continues to soar.

As well as preserving its rare indigenous flora and fauna, Madeira has also long been a stopping-off point for travellers from all four corners of the world, who have brought with them plants from their home countries that have gone on to flourish in the near-perfect climate on this fertile island in the middle of the Atlantic. Hence there are protea from Africa, bananas from the West Indies, camellias from China, and herbs and spices from South-East Asia and the Indian sub-continent.