Fun in Funchal – Madeira was amazing.
Madeira is an island of such abundance. A riot of colours and scents from its exotic fruits, flowers, shrubs, crops and trees – both native and imported from around the world. Plant it in Madeira and it grows. An island of mountains, valleys and high cliffs blessed with sunshine, high temperatures and ample water surrounded by seas of blue and emerald green.
Add a seemingly endless supply of local fish, beaches, smart shops, fun activities, stylish hotels and Funchal streets filled with relaxing live music from cafes/bars/restaurants and you have a destination that feels, sounds, looks, tastes and smells so good.
We arrived on a Monday for a one week stay and by Wednesday we were sorely tempted to add a few days.
de Vine Hotel
As this was our first time in Madeira we decided that the centre of Funchal was the place to be – our design hotel – de Vine – was funky and cool and at 55 sq metres our junior suite had plenty of room as do the basic rooms at 35 sq metres.
The roof top pool and bar, along with the main restaurant have great views over Funchal – hills and mountains in most directions along with city centre and sea views. Most all of Funchal is walkable from de Vine – gardens, the old city, restaurants and more. Talking of walking and more – for those who love shoes, Funchal is a great place to shop.
Dinner In The Old City
Can you imagine a long street with the front door of every second or third house an artist’s canvas!! Some weird, some abstract many beautiful. Now add a host of colourful restaurants, tables on the street and live music – the mandolin and guitar backing voices along with the smells of great food and hot night cooled with a breeze.
We entered the street from the far end after a day sunbathing outside of Funchal and found a tiny family run restaurant. Singing waiters are not unusual but we were entertained by an ex-professional singer turned chef, the mother, daughter, son-in law and daughter in law. They sang while cooking, serving and pouring wine.
Open Jeep 4×4
This option is so much better for viewing Madeira than the normal 4×4 tours. Once you are away from the main roads it is possible to stand up to enjoy the spectacular views offered throughout the Island.
There is a choice of East, West and the entire Island tour. We decided to go for the more dramatic scenery of East and a stopover on the north coast. We were told that the West coast is so much more beautiful in terms of the masses of flowering plants – however the East coast plants looked spectacular.
During our tour we learnt how eco friendly Madeira is – the entire Island is organically “farmed” and the majority of power generation is sustainable – solar panels and wind turbines.
If we go back there is a great beachside restaurant, accessible only by sea or via a lift descent of 250 metres, in a beautiful bay populated by 23 families. The 23 families have specialised in the same crops for many decades and used to barter the crops for their other living needs. We are told the sea food at the restaurant is wonderful and can just imagine a catamaran sunset cruise with canapés, pre-dinner drinks and music delivering us for a great dinner.
As for the rest of the day the pictures speak for themselves.
Sunset Catamaran Cruise
We took the tourist version – Dolphin watching and swimming at the base of Europe’s second cliff (almost 600 metres) in beautiful warm clear seas as the sunset provided a spectacular photo opportunity- at least for those whose camera battery still had charge!!!
Festival On the Mountain
From every small village right up to towns and cities there is a patron saint’s festival. In Funchal the festival is for the Holy Mother and it was held on Thursday 15 August. As we saw on our Island tour every village/town is brightly decorated and in the evening there is music and dancing with barbecued foods and much drinking.
The festival is held the night before and we took the cable car up the mountain. Imagine the air filled with smoke and music as a few thousand people stroll around, dance and drink. If you have the appetite try one of the giant beef skewers. Multiple butchers’ stalls housing a few sides of beef. The beef is diced and piled onto huge freshly cut sticks. As we did not think we could eat 3 feet of skewered beef between us we settled for a barbecued chicken, flattened and cooked whole then chopped into pieces – delicious - along with a Madeiran speciality flat bread.
Dining In Funchal
There are so many choices – under the stars, by the marina, at the top of an old fort and a old city street dine around. The sea almost dominates the menus but the fish are superb. We loved the chicken on a stone – why do UK chickens taste so bland in comparison??
Some Other Activities
Extreme Activity
Need to cool down!!! Try Canyoning.
This activity is not for the faint hearted or those lacking reasonable fitness. Descend from 1500 metres to the sea anyway you can – slipping, swimming, jumping and rappelling down a mountain river.
A Stunning Hike in a Laurissilvia Forest/UNESCO World Heritage Site. The emerald green Levadas of Madeira are one of nature’s rare beauties. Pristine protected forests, crystal clear waterfalls and walks through basalt “tunnels” await. A few hours of escapism.