Not a fan of the "I'll write 3000 words of drivel about a bar of soap to get myself an E" ...
Not a fan of the "I'll write 3000 words of drivel about a bar of soap to get myself an E" school of Ciao-ing. I think it's more important to write something well and succinctly. Of course, I may be in a minority!... :)
Member since:14.09.2003
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Having visited Madeira twice now, and experienced different hotels and different sightseeing each time, I thought it would be a good time to write up our experiences of the island- which I have to say are entirely positive. I would go as far as to say that it's probably the best holiday destination we've been to yet- although with a few long distance trips planned, who knows if that will remain the case. All I can say is that Madeira will be a hard place to beat- and this tale of two trips will hopefully explain why.
For those who aren't aware or only vaguely aware, Madeira is one of the Portuguese territories in the mid-Atlantic. It's actually closer to Morocco and Western Sahara than it is to Portugal, and so the flights do take several hours to get there.
Considering its location, Madeira doesn't tend to get uncomfortably hot- when we went there in August it was about 27 to 29 degrees and when we went there in May it was around 23 to 25 degrees. There is however little difference between daytime and nighttime temperatures so make sure your hotel room has either decent air conditioning or a powerful overhead fan- sleep might be difficult otherwise until you've become accustomed to the humidity.
I can vividly remember the first moment when we caught a glimpse of the island, as our flight came in, dipping under the cloud cover and revealing the island itself. It was one of those occasions when every hair on your body seems to stand on end. In the slanted evening sunlight it looked spectacular- steep hills dotted with terracotta-tiled whitewashed houses of varying shapes and sizes, lush and dense forest, and beyond, away into the centre of the island, spectacular mountains that looked a forbidding flinty grey from a distance. At that time it was so unlike anywhere we'd been before.
My gaze was quickly taken from the scenery as I noticed that the landing strip is actually perilously close to a sea cliff- all good fun. Thankfully the aeroplane brakes worked and therefore I'm here telling this story.
The first time we came here we were a bit clueless and so took a taxi from the airport
into the capital, Funchal. Be warned! Do not take a taxi unless you really have to. We had to pay something like €40 for the dubious privilege- the airport is quite far from the centre, and the taxis are not cheap.
Instead, if you fly with TAP Portugal, you can use your boarding pass to get a free ride on the Aerobus into Funchal (which is what we did on our second visit)- just show the pass to the driver. Even if you've flown with another airline (British Airways also do numerous flights to the island) it's only €4- so definitely worth getting the bus rather than a taxi- even if you have to wait around for a little while.
We stayed at different hotels on our visits- the Pestana Bay the first time (which was great- nice and relaxed and fantastic views of the sunset) and the Regency Palace the second time (a little too austere for my liking). Both were fine, nothing to complain about (always a shame I know)- they will be reviewed separately another time.
SCENERY
Madeira features the world's second-highest sea cliff apparently, which goes some way towards giving you an idea of the place. Ridiculously steep hills, fantastic views over the Atlantic, great sunsets, imposing mountains, thick lush forest- it's all here. Take a still camera and a video camera and record the place as much as you can. There are also a number of well-kept parks and gardens dotted about the place- the people here pride themselves on their Flower Festival in the Spring and the amount of colour on show most of the year is astonishing.
The beaches here are pebble beaches, not sandy beaches, so if you're looking for a sad old bucket-snd-spade type holiday you may not find it here. That said, you can still sunbathe on these beaches and swim in the sea- and pebble beaches have the benefit of not being too overcrowded.
WEATHER
The weather is generally very good- often quite hot, never unbearably so- plenty of sunshine in the summer months. It can cloud over in the Spring, and obviously it does rain sometimes- but generally the weather is great. And anyway, we're British so it would take some pretty crap weather to impress us.
If you venture onto the mountains, wrap up well as the air is pretty cold up there- the highest peaks are over 5000 feet above sea level so there's usually a fair breeze and it's pretty chilly as well.
FUNCHAL
The vast majority of Madeirans live in the capital, Funchal, on the south coast. There are a few other towns of note which you can see on a map of the island, and which you can visit by car or (as we did) by going on the various island excursions.
Funchal is a very "spread out" city, stretching for miles across the coast, and extending into the backwoods some way. Most of the hotels provide courtesy buses into the city centre and back, which are well worth making use of- they're free and they're comfortable, and they seem to be amazingly punctual.
RESTAURANTS & BARS
There are some exceptional restaurants here. I won't list them all, but if you like pizza, Papa Manuel in Lido (a suburb of Funchal, to the west, where we stayed) provides in my opinion the best pizzas in the world. You can't go back to soggy half-cold Domino's after this eating experience.
Next door to it is an even more impressive restaurant, O Barbeiro, which provides traditional Madeiran recipes and specialises in seafood dishes (big tanks of lobsters about the place). This is a bit more expensive, and you may have to wait a while for a table- but its worth the price, and if you see the locals queueing to get in, you know it must be good.
Nearby there is also a Mexican bar (yes, Mexican) which just serves drinks and snacks, and plays various music that might sound good in From Dusk 'Til Dawn.
Down near the beach- right next to the Pestana Bay hotel in fact- there is a small local restaurant called Restaurante do Mar (simply the Restaurant by the sea) which offers simple but tasty local food at very cheap prices.
And wherever you go here, you can get orange juice which is ACTUALLY FRESH- not this "fresh" juice peddled by supermarkets, which has actually been generated in a factory somewhere and then driven hundreds of miles in a lorry. And proper fresh orange juice is fantastic.
The whole eating and drinking experience of Madeira just served to remind us what filth we are forever being served up in the UK.
My only word of warning would be that when you venture into the Old Town area in the east of Funchal, there are a cluster of tourist-oriented restaurants where you WILL be approached by waietsr desperate to grab some new customers. You don't even need to pause your walking by for them to descend on you. A lot of people seem to rate the Old Town highly, but I thought it had a slightly seedy, scabby feel to it and if there's one thing guaranteed to put me off it's pushy waietsr or restaurant owners pleadingly calling out: "Table for two, sir? Table for two?"
EXCURSIONS
These really helped make the whole Madeira experience truly memorable. The island tourism authority offer a number of different tours by minibus / people-carrier- for example the West Tour, The East Tour, the North-East Tour and so on. Consult a map for the tours that cover the most area- we found that the West Tour (the first time we visisted) and the East Tour (the second time we visisted) are definitely to be recommended. Both these tours include pickup from your hotel (albeit at an early hour, but there's a lot to get through!), a mid-morning snack at a restaurant along the way, and a three-course lunch at a town or village along the way, including wine (about half a bottle each which is nice).
The West Tour takes you through the middle of the island and heads north and then west and around the western edge of Madeira, stopping at various places along the way for sightseeing. The East Tour does the same in (roughly) the other direction. Of the two, I rate the West Tour slightly more highly, but they were both great. The free lunches were more than adequate quality considering they were part of a package.
The driver on the West Tour particularly impressed me by simultaneously driving confidently along the steep, winding roads around the island (they are not for the faint-hearted so if you're a nervous driver you may want to opt for someone else to take the strain) whilst also providing a running commentary of the sights, the history and geography etc. of the island (which is standard on these tours) not only in Portuguese and English, but also in Italian (as there were some Italians on the same tour). Switching seamlessly between three languages whilst driving along these roads is quite something.
The tours are available from most tourist information huts (which you can find in a number of places throughout Funchal) and at the time cost about €40 or €45 each- they may have gone up since then. Not cheap, but you do get the lunch included (on most tours- do check to make sure) and if you don't drive or don't wish to then it's an ideal way to relx, unwind and just enjoy being shown the interior beauty of the island.
PRICES
Which brings me neatly onto prices. Madeira is not particularly cheap, certainly not as cheap as Portugal- but then it is marketed as an "upmarket holiday island". Restaurant prices vary from over €50 a head to under €10 - the small local restaurants are worth a visit and are often just as good as the more expensive ones. Food and drink in the supermarkets are however quite cheap and you can save a lot by going to one of the various supermarkets in the shopping malls.
Prices for tours, boat trips, excursions etc. are what you'd expect- on the pricey side, but they can be well worth it- check out the itinery and see what you get for your money.
LANGUAGE
Most Madeirans speak English and speak it very well- you're unlikely to need to know any Portuguese, but if you visit a local restaurant it would be a nice touch to have learned some helpful phrases beforehand as their English may not be so good- and it always looks good to have made an effort to learn the language of the place you're visiting. The British have a thoroughly deserved reputation for assuming everyone everywhere will speak English and they therefore don't have to make an effort, so to go against the grain may pleasantly surprise your hosts.
WHO GOES THERE?
Another plus point is that relatively few annoying young families go to Madeira- you're fairly unlikely to have your holiday spoiled by screaming brats and over-stressed parents (or the chav / townie contingent who like to visit holiday islands for their annual spot of overseas troublemaking), as most of the holidaymakers tend to be middle-aged or elderly English or Germans. There are some families of course, but thankfully not too many. This isn't Majorca- thank God.
IN SUMMARY
Although we're exploring other places now, Madeira at the moment remains my favourite holiday destination. It isn't cheap but it is worth every penny. The food is great. The locals are friendly and relaxed. Crime surely exists but appears to be very low. The scenery is stunning.
If you want to get away from it all then this is the ideal place to come.
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Advantages: Temperatures consistently in the mid seventies,people lovely,beautiful island Disadvantages: Volcanic origins so no beaches ,or very few.not really a childrens holiday
grafter123 26.11.2006 (03.01.2007)
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Review of Madeira (Portugal)
Advantages: fantastic views, great scenery, quiet and relaxed, good weather Disadvantages: not for those who dislike heights, or those who want a more lively holiday
beccy12001 13.07.2005 (13.07.2005)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Madeira (Portugal)
Advantages: Temperatures consistently in the mid seventies,people lovely,beautiful island Disadvantages: Volcanic origins so no beaches ,or very few.not really a childrens holiday
grafter123 26.11.2006 (03.01.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Madeira (Portugal)
Advantages: Friendly, quaint, good shops and food, fishing trips, feels like abroad Disadvantages: Need a car to drive to the village as public transport in Cornwall is not great!
Vicki_87 30.06.2009 ·
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