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What a beautiful island is Madeira. I have been here before on cruise ships but never stayed for more than a few hours. I am so glad I have now done so.

Lush vegetation, stunning scenery, fantastic walks, excellent cuisine and people who have got to be the friendliest I have met anywhere in the world. Nothing is too much trouble and whatever you need will be done with efficiency and with service.

My first and lasting memory of Madeira is the hilly landscape. Don’t get me wrong it is beautiful but it does keep you fit. Tip: If you hire a car make sure you have one with some power, small cars struggle.

Walking is a great pastime in Madeira, everyone does it. Particularly the Levada walks. Levadas are an ancient irrigation system designed to bring the plentiful water in the hills down to the shore and to the people of the towns. They originated in the 15th century and there are over 1500kms of these walks all over the island. Tip: wear good walking shoes and have your head for heights with you too. If you are into flora, fauna and want a real insight into the way of life, a Levada walk or two are a great experience.

I like scuba diving, as some of you know; a pastime not very popular in Madeira. They have a national marine park area a boat ride away from Funchal, which I was unlucky not to be able to go to. I am told though it is a beautiful diving experience and worth the ride out. The only PADI accredited diving school I found was at the Madeira Carlton Hotel next to Reids and the Savoy. This was a professional school who took safety very seriously. I was impressed.

Tip: If you go diving and have not dived for a few months they will ask you to do a shore dive from the hotel before taking you out to the marine park, as a safety measure.

Eating out is a favourite pastime encouraged by the hotels with their standard bed and breakfast arrangements. There are literally dozens of good places to go to eat, and to suit every possible taste. Fish of course is a local specialty and delicious it is too. I had two favorite restaurants the Dona Amelia, situated behind the Savoy hotel where the best dish I tasted was their local beef on a skewer – delicious. The other, and without a doubt, with the best view in Funchal, was the Riso Risottoria del Mundo. What a restaurant!. Inspired by Master Chef Fausto Airoldi and elegantly run by Vanessa, and her team, we discovered this restaurant from a review in a local magazine in our hotel room. As the name suggests everything about it is rice, from the Hors d’ oeuvres through to the desserts, every dish cleverly uses rice as its base. The view is stunning from the balcony and the service excellent. Needless to say the food is delicious too. Tip: reserve a table and ask for a balcony table with a view. You will not be disappointed.

I would be insane not to mention the gardens of Madeira. These are perhaps her most famous and certainly her most popular attraction. There are many small gardens dotted all over Funchal, but the ones to see are the Botanical Gardens, the Monte Palace Tropical Gardens and the Orchid Gardens, just 200 metres below the Botanical Gardens. You can access them by yellow cab, by bus or from the cable car or even by foot. I dare you! The cable car is the most impressive with breathtaking views down to the town and across the valley. Which ever way you visit them you will be impressed.

Madeira is blessed with a beautiful climate of pleasant warm sunshine, although cloud does creep down from the mountains from time to time. It is however a very temperate climate and its flowers and plants are testimony to this.

The one thing Madeira lacks is sandy beaches. The hotel pools though make up for this. For a sandy beach you need to take the ferry to Porto Santo where you will find another little goldmine. Daytrips to Porto Santo are available from the ferry service in the port of Funchal.

Madeira is a cosmopolitan island that woos her visitors with sophisticated hotels, European cuisine, beautiful scenery and the friendliest people I know. It is beautiful.