‘Resort Looks’: Classic

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I was on holiday in Madeira around Christmas. And of course I have a lot of photos (and quite a few outfits) to show you.

But, because it’s mid-winter now, I’m getting a bit bored with winter outfits and need a break from the relentless cold every now and then. So, I decided to show you my’resort outfits’ over the course of a few weeks, in several posts rather than one long post.

Anyway, about Madeira… Professor M and I have been to this small island several times (and I’ve written quite a few blog posts on Madeira, too), usually around Christmas. But that’s OK as we’re quite happy to spend our holidays (doing very little) in a place we already know quite well. Yes, it may sound odd for people who see travel more as an adventure… But for us, given that in addition to extremely busy work schedules, we also commute between two countries every week, relaxing means staying put in one place. Preferably not at home, though; having two homes also means double the amount of household chores…

So, for us, the recipe for a a relaxing holiday is staying in a nice hotel (with a pool/jacuzzi, gym etc.), sleeping late, eating too much, and doing very little sightseeing.

The hotel

This hotel was enormous, and quite different from the type of hotels we usually stay at. You see, we’re more the snobbish boutique hotels types…

So, how did we end up in this place?

Long story short: last year there was a bad storm the day we were supposed to leave, our flight was delayed, and the airline put us up here for the night. And lo and behold, we sort of liked the hotel, and decided to come back… Of course, it helped that the hotel is a great example of 70’s architecture, designed by Oscar Niemeyer… I did say we’re snobbish, didn’t I?

The back entrance to the Casino

Anyway, the hotel was next to the Madeira Casino (we only saw it from the outside),  there was  a gym (which we ‘didn’t have time’ to try), several pools (too bad I can’t swim), a jacuzzi (which I loved) and a Finnish sauna (which we of course loved, even though we never use the sauna we have at home …).

The drawback? Well, it was (marginally) less centrally located than the hotel we stayed in the last time. This just meant that instead of going out we were often happy to have dinner at the hotel restaurant. Yes, we’re that lazy. Or that tired, whatever.

What about packing?

I don’t spend a lot of time packing, and I don’t plan my outfits beforehand. I usually decide on a colour scheme and then simply pack a few items that can be mixed and matched endlessly. Of course, I will check the weather forecast and make sure that whatever I pack is seasonally appropriate.

The weather in Madeira is quite pleasant in December, though not hot. The daytime temperature is around 18-22 °C / 64-72 °F, and it does get a bit cooler in the evening. So, some sort of a cover-up is necessary. 

For this trip I packed a selection of (both short-sleeved and long-sleeved) t-shirts, a few cardigans and a poncho, and some trousers, jeans and a dress. I also packed three pairs of shoes (I only wore two), and I let my accessories determine the colour scheme. So, you will see the shoes, the scarf and the bag quite a lot in these ‘resort outfit’ posts…
Right, I guess I should say something about this outfit…

This a what I like to call ‘classic smart casual’: perfect for sightseeing, shopping and lunch, and it doesn’t scream ‘tourist’. It’s not terribly exciting, though. In fact, it’s more or less what I would wear on a (cooler) summer day, whether for work or at weekend…

Outfit details:

cardigan: Soyaconcept / trousers: Marks and Spencer / t-shirt: Marks and Spencer / 

scarf: Marja Kurki / bag: Kate Spade / shoes: Clarks / sunglasses: Dolce and Gabbana

And this is my wonderful husband / photographer, Professor M:

What’s your idea of a relaxing holiday (or vacation, as my American readers call it)?

Tiina

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