Beautiful island; temperate climate; nice capital city (Funchal). - Funchal, Madeira
A Nearly Ideal Island - Funchal, Madeira Unless you are British or Portuguese, if you have been fortunate enough to visit this delightful island off the co...
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Location:
Madeira is a Portuguese island located about 600 miles south of Portugal in the Atlantic Ocean. It is about 100 miles off the coast of Morocco, south of the Azores and north of the Spanish Canary Islands. The capital city is Funchal. Flying time from Lisbon is about 1 1/2 hours. The population totals around 200,000 people.
Weather:
What is appealing is that the weather is temperate; not too hot. We were here in mid - September and the temperature was about 80 degrees but with no humidity.
Things to see:
There are a lot of things to see. This includes:
1. The town of Funchal is very lively. There are a lot of cafes and nice shops. The Praca do Municipal should not be missed.
2. The cable car from town up to the hill top town of Monte. There are great views of the town. The beautiful church of El Monte where the last Emperor of Austria Charles I is buried. From here it is fun to take a tobogan ride down the hill. There are also some nice gardens here.
3. There are 3 organised bus tours one can book:
A. The Eastern part of the island: This includes the port of Camara de Lobos where Winston Churchill used to go to paint. Cabo Girao which is the 2nd highest cliff face in the world. Santana which is famous for the thatched triangular houses. Porto de la Cruz with spectacular views of the mountainous coastline. Most of the island is rock; there are no beaches on the island.
B. The western part which includes Porto Muniz famed for volcanic rock swimming pools. Encumeada a hilltop from where one can see the southern and northern part of the island.
C. Nuns Valley / Curral das Freiras is a half day tour. The views of this village are spectacular. In 1566 nuns fled from pirates attacking Funchal and settled in this isolated region of the island. The area has an annual chesnut festival.
D. A 2 hour ferry ride to the island of Porto Santo. It is famous for its beaches and they are now in the process of building a fancy resort there which will be managed by Sheraton.
E. Walks in the hills and countryside known as Levada walks.
Hotels:
If one likes to swim in the ocean only a few hotels have ocean access. These are:
A. Cliffs Bay Resort where we stayed. I wrote a review. It’s a fantastic hotel with large rooms and 2 pools. One is partly indoor. The hotel also has a spa.
B. The famous Reids which is 100 years old and where Winston Churchill used to stay. The hotel has 3 pools and a spa. We also stayed here a few days.
C. The new Royal Savoy is beautiful and has 2 outdoor pools and an indoor pool.
D. The Crown Plaza Hotel which is a lot cheaper than the other hotels but pretty nice, has 2 pools. However apparently none are heated.
The older Quinta hotels (mansions transformed into hotels) are located outside of Funchal. For example Quinta da Monte is beautiful located on the hilltop in Monte. There are also a few fancy boutique hotels on the hilltop.
Restaurants:
Madeira food has a reputation of being bland. They do have a famous fish dish made with bananas which was interesting. We preferred to eat at the hotel. Cipriani an Italian restaurant, part of the Reids was good. Casa de Madeira near the Cliffs Bay offers traditional dishes.
Things to buy:
Madeira is famous for lace sweaters, jackets, table cloths, wine which tastes like Port. Also cakes which are made with honey and wine.
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