“If there is anywhere a paradise on earth, it is here, it is here, it is here,” said Jehangir, a Mogul emperor, when he first saw Kashmir.

After half a lifetime spent in India, my parents came to Madeira to retire and build a home in which to live out the remainder of their lives. Like Jehangir, they too loved the beauty that is Kashmir, and knew they had found in Madeira another paradise.

The house was built in 1960 and called Villa Firdaus - an Arabic word meaning paradise. Towards the end of 2008, my son and daughter-in-law with their two young boys spent several months in the house supervising the alterations and refurbishments to it.

The house is centrally situated on the hillside above Funchal and offers a welcoming and relaxing base for exploring the beauty that is Madeira.