Madeira – A Gem of an Island.

Madeira is a destination that is going through a renaissance now. Post pandemic it was one of the first places to open up and it is good to see that tourism to the Island has gone from strength to strength. My knowledge of Madeira prior to travelling was Madeira Wine, hills, flowers and possibly an older clientele, What I was not aware of was the beauty and diversity of the Island, the amazing food and the variety of accommodation to suit all clients. I will start with the accommodation. Funchal has lots of resort hotels along the Lido. The important thing to note is that they are amazing resort hotels, with no beach. There ais access to the sea from the lido or the pontoons at some of the hotels. It is amazing how quickly you adapt to no beach. The pools in the hotels are lovely and nearly all hotels also offer an indoor pool. Hotels in Funchal. We stayed at the Enotel Lido and the Pestana Royal. The Enotel is a large modern hotel built around the swimming and sunbathing area in the middle as well as the buffet restaurant. It has lounge areas and entertainment in the evening and these are very well attended by the older guests that were staying there. It is an easy hotel to get around as the lifts mean you do not have to walk up or down a hill and the entrance is on the main road. It is really well located for the other hotels, restaurants, bars and shops and is easy to walk into town from here. Along this stretch you will also find 1 of my favourite hotels, The Cliff Bay. This is a little more traditional in décor and service and is also home to the two Michelin starred Il Gallo d’Oro. It is a hotel that has lovely, manicured grounds, classic style rooms and a lovely pool area. I have had guests that have stayed here previously and returned again as they love it so much. Further into Funchal you have the Savoy Palace. This is a large glass hotel with a cool feel. It has a feeling of space in the communal areas and is currently opening a premier section of the hotel for it’s suite guests. It reminded me of some of the cool Dubai hotels and as well as the pool area it also has a hot rooftop scene with a pool, bar and DJ’s at weekends. What to do? Madeira has lots for you to fill your days with if the pool is not for you. I had the chance to experience a great catamaran ride from the harbour to find the dolphins and whales. It was a lovely sunny day so I can say it was a really relaxing experience, chilling on the nets at the front of the catamaran. It is about a 3-hour excursion and we were so lucky to see a few pods of whales really clearly. They were playing in the water close to us for ages. It was really special. The excursion then anchored for a while in a different area so those who wanted could have a swim. I was not brave enough for that as the water was still cold. I know I have mentioned the food, it is amazing in Madeira and we took part in a local food and history tour of Funchal. Our guide was so knowledgeable and took us to local businesses. We tased the local tea that is grown on the Island, visited the oldest biscuit factory, visited the farmers market to try fruit, chocolate and wine and we visited a local restaurant to try Espetada Madeirense (Beef on a laurel skewer) and Filete de Espada (Scabbard Filet) served with Bolo do Caco. A trip to Madeira means that you can eat well every lunchtime and evening meal. There are lots of talented chiefs on the Island promoting the local produce. A real treat for foodies. If you want to see the stunning sunset then I can recommend a Sunset Jeep Safari. This really felt like a special evening as we went out in a couple of jeeps with local tour guides. They showed us some of the local roads on the drive to the sunset point, some of which look very scary. The old tunnels are like driving through an entrance to a castle. All that was missing was the fire flares on the wall. We then diverted off on to a local little used track, which eventually finished in a field. We were encouraged to wander down towards the end of the cliffs to see the view, before going back up to a small field where a picnic had been set up for us with wine and music to watch what was a glorious sunset. It was an evening I will not forget. There is more to Madeira than Funchal and I strongly recommend either getting a guide, joining a tour or if you are brave enough driving a car through the mountains. From here you will see the diversity of the crops that they grow, how well they use their land, see inland waterfalls, cows grazing at the plateau of the mountain and if you wanted to you could even go trekking through the forests. My favourite is the lava pools in Porto Moniz. These are made from volcanic rock and allow you to swimming in a protected area whilst the waves crash over you. It is stunning. The waves on the North Coast are bigger and more suitable for surfing and the landscape is rugged. It offers the perfect 2 centre holiday with Funchal if you wanted to experience it for longer. Hotels outside of Funchal. In Porto Moniz there is the lovely Aqua Nature Bay. Nearly every room has a dramatic sea or mountain view across the road from the Natural swimming pools. It is a hotel that is very much aware of its surroundings and it is very eco with its build and facilities. It caters a lot for wellness with its spa and treatments and it does encourage to turn off the air conditioner, keep the fly net on and open the door to allow the fresh air in. Sacchrum. Calheta is not far from Funchal, and is home to 1 of the white sandy man made beaches in Madeira. It is overlooking the marina and is probably one of the last types of hotels to find here. It is part of the Madeira Savoy Group and is an amazing design led hotel. It is built on the site of an old sugar mill, which it has taken its inspiration from. It has a dark warm feel to it, the opposite of the brightness outside, but once in the rooms it opens up to stunning rooms. There is even an indoor squash court if you wanted. I have definitely come home wanting to see more of the Island as I feel I have only scratched the surface. It is somewhere for all ages, and not just the older demographic, especially with the new hotels and the refurbishments going on. It is somewhere that I feel will only grow, especially as a winter destination for Europe. If it interests, you don’t leave it too late to visit.