Madeira - Friends Travelling Together

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 Madeira - Time to Relax and have Fun

I love Madeira. It is an island full of stunning landscapes, ocean vistas and rich in culture. I am always working when I visit this island and the visits are usually no more than two days. I am about to embark on a holiday with my crazy friend who has never been to Madeira. We went on holiday a couple of years ago to Santorini and had such a great time together, we decided to do it again. 

Madeira is a Portuguese island located in the Atlantic Ocean. Madeira has a sub-tropical climate with stunning flora and some of the best scenery in Europe. The island is mountainous so there are some breath-taking ocean views and the vibrant colours of the exotic flowers and emerald green foliage flow seamlessly into the dazzling blues of the ocean. 

Vista views all around the Island


The adventure started at Bournemouth International Airport for our flight to Madeira. The flight was on time and we arrived into Funchal at 7pm. The hotel we stayed in was a little outside of the main tourist area and slightly elevated. We were allocated a studio room with a dual vista, one being with the most amazing sea view.......my perfect place of peace. I was so happy here with these stunning views and the space we had in the studio apartment. We were lucky to have had a small kitchen with utilities so we had a fridge to chill our wine and a kettle to make our morning coffee. 

Seaview from the hotel balcony


Day one was all about orientation and booking our adventures in Madeira. There was a travel shop next door to the hotel so we booked two full day Island tours, one to the west side and one to the east side of the island. We also booked a sunset cruise to see the dolphins and hopefully a beautiful Madeiran Sunset. 


We took a stroll along the Esplanade and found a petite coffee shop and bakery. There was an outside seating area with views out on to the ocean, freshly brewed coffee and homemade pastries or cheesecake. From day one I knew this would be a regular visit.

A Tour of the West Coast of Madeira

Our first stop was Pico da Torre, a beautiful little fishing village, once a notorious stopping place for Winston Churchill, a lover of the local artisans. 


We then stopped at Cabo Girao the glass platform and view point with spectacular sea views. This was followed by a stop at Riveira Brava a lively market town and then an elevated ride up and into the forests to see a 400 year old tree.


We continued on to Porto Monzo for our hour and three quarters break time to enjoy a lunch and to see the natural sea water pools and the beautiful colours of the Atlantic ocean. This was a very beautiful and scenic village with plenty to see and do. 


We continued the ride back to Funchal to see the majestic waterfalls at Brides Veil and Sao Vincent.

This was a very magical day

Sunsets

Our sunset cruise was just that as we embarked on one of the local catamarans. We hoped to see some dolphins and whales but this is never guaranteed. The sea was quite calm and the weather warm. The catamaran stopped just off the coast for those that wished to swim and those who wished to stay onboard could just watch the fun. The sunset began as we set sail towards the marina. It was truly spectacular. This time of the year is one of the best seasons to see Madeiran sunsets.


Tour of the East Coast of Madeira

The start time for this tour was a little earlier so straight after an early breakfast our tour guide arrived. We were very happy to see it was Bruno (our driver/guide from the West Coast tour). We set off on time and began our tour straight to the top of the third highest mountain in Madeira, Pico Arieiro. The views were quite spectacular although the mist would appear from nowhere and then disappear just as quickly. The temperatures were quite low compared to Funchal and you could feel the drop as soon as you left the tour vehicle. The next stop, Ribeiro Frio, was completely different with the tropical landscape, palm trees and warm, dense humidity. It rained whilst we were there so there was more of the feeling of a Caribbean style island with its lush green vegetation and wet humid atmosphere. 


The next visit was an amazing glass platform just 10m above sea level with a significant rise in temperature as we were close to the coast. The sea views were spectacular. 


Our lunch break was in the little village of Santana with it's colourful triangular shaped houses and thatched roofs, Casas Tipicas de Santana, traditional stone houses. We stopped for over an hour here to eat and explore. 


We followed this with a visit to Portela that has the most incredible views of the Atlantic ocean and finally a visit to Machico for spectacular views of the islands only airport which was built with a very short runaway but now extended by a platform built over the sea. The Atlantic Ocean was so calm today and the views were both incredible and calming.


I have always loved visiting Madeira with its stunning seaviews, tiled streets and beautiful old town. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the previous tours I have done around the local areas of Funchal but this time I saw so much more having a full week to enjoy the island. I never realised how diverse the landscape is here on the island. The subtropical climate provides lush tropical greenery and colourful flowers in contrast to the volcanic vistas high up in the mountains. The west coast is warm and sunny compared to the lower temperatures and frequent rain of the east coast. 

I will definitely come again to this island and if I have the time and save enough money I would like to have an extended stay here. There are so many trail walks on the island, anywhere from an easy and flat 3km walk to a strenuous 12km hike starting from a height of 1818m. There are some long hikes notably the 180km coastal perimeter loop which can take anywhere from 7 to 12 days to complete.

 

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