Winter sun in Funchal

Earlier this year my husband and I decided to have a weekend away without the kids. Looking through our diaries we were left with a weekend early December so where to go that offered a bit of sunshine and a bit to do. Madeira won. We had visited before 12 years before and were looking forward to seeing in the winter rather than summer. A four hour flight from the UK we arrived mid-afternoon on the Friday; a private taxi transfer was waiting for us to take us to our hotel. We were booked into The Vine, a 5* hotel, very central. A smooth transfer and check in had us out walking in Funchal within an hour. Our room overlooked the harbour where every day new cruise ships docked. At night the view of all the lights of the town was stunning.

The main town of Funchal still retains all its charm with beautiful historic buildings, little parks, shops and the harbour. We stopped to enjoy some Madeiran tapas with a glass of Madeiran wine. The town was dressed up with Christmas and I was excited to see what the town would look like at night, I wasn’t disappointed – they are amazing. They also had a small Christmas market which was lovely to walk round prior to eating dinner that evening. We chose a restaurant just off one of the squares.

On the Saturday after a leisurely morning we made out for a walk up to the village of Monte. Quite a challenging walk given it was uphill most of the way. We followed one of the ‘levada’s’, walkways next to a channel (levada) that were made years ago to help with the flow of water down the hillsides. The scenery was beautiful, flowers, wildlife (we saw two buzzards) and the views over the bay. Monte has its own gardens and is also famous for the wicket basket toboggan ride which takes you have way down the hills and you can walk or get a taxi back down to Funchal. There are also a number of little bars and cafes on route.

That evening we went towards the hotel zone further out of Funchal and found a fantastic steak restaurant, La Vaca Negra, a small family restaurant that offers amazing steaks alongside amazing service. We then headed for the pub ‘Hole in One’ where we enjoyed some live music.

Sunday was a beautiful day so we enjoyed most of the day by the rooftop pool of the hotel followed by a nice evening meal and some more live music and Mulligans, an Irish bar a ten minute walk from the hotel.

Throughout our stay we had great weather alongside some pretty heavy downpours. The service we received everywhere was great. The atmosphere of Funchal is brilliant; almost everywhere you turn there were brass bands playing various music. One thing we didn’t get chance to do but will definitely do when we return is the Cristiano Ronaldo museum, having come from Madeira he is their most famous export and the museum is dedicated to all his achievements so a must for all football fans. We will also fit in a drip to the vineyards to see the famous Madeiran wine being made.

Funchal is a great alternative for a bit of winter sun. It is cultural alongside being relaxing. Plenty to do, fantastic service and amazing scenery – we wouldn’t hesitate to visit again and won’t be leaving it another 12 years!