Madeira

J

joer

Guest
Going there in Feb for the first time.I would like some feedback on weather , type of food things to do etc,.
 
Hi there...the weather should be very pleasant. Slightly warmer than a good summer's day in Ireland. T-shirt weather with maybe a sweater at night depending on your age.
If golf's your thing there are 2 nice courses...Santo de Serra and Palheiro. Personally I prefer Palheiro, the 2 nines are pleasant. Santo de Serra has one 9 which is better but the other 2 aren't great.
Food is very nice, you'll get cosmopolitan stuff in Funchal and more traditional stuff (fish etc) in the smaller towns.
Try and go on a whale watching boat trip and rent a car if you can.
There's a great place for swimming called Porto Moniz to the west of the island. There are really nice levada walks in the hills.
If you're not on a budget go for dinner in Reids Palace hotel...food is awesome. Very expensive though. Prices are generally far more reasonable than Ireland. Not much change there then!
It's a lovely spot, you'll enjoy it. Quiet but classy.
 
DirtyH2O said:
I'm going there in a couple of weeks - I'd appreciate any advice on hotels.
Click to expand...

I stayed in a Pestana hotel one time a couple of years back, think it was the Grand Pestana? Right opposite Reid's Palace. It had a little pizzeria to the side of it. That was nice.
 
Thanks Andy,

We were thinking of renting a car for the week anyway, sounds like the way to go. We are going to go flight only as it seems to work out cheaper than a package and gives us a much wider choice of hotels and apartments than the Irish tour operator has available.
Is the west very isolated, we were looking at one place that sounded good but were concerned that we would have to drive everywhere.
 
DirtyH2O said:
Thanks Andy,

We were thinking of renting a car for the week anyway, sounds like the way to go. We are going to go flight only as it seems to work out cheaper than a package and gives us a much wider choice of hotels and apartments than the Irish tour operator has available.
Is the west very isolated, we were looking at one place that sounded good but were concerned that we would have to drive everywhere.
Click to expand...

Good thinking...my girlfriend's folks went last year on a package tour and the hotel wasn't great.
You're better off just getting a flight and organising your own hotel or even an apartment. Panorama do flights only for around €250 all in per person. Alternatively you can fly Aer Lingus to Lisbon and then TAP to Madeira for about the same if the inflexibilty of the 1 week/2 week thing doesn't suit you.
Renting a car is a great idea...it's the best way to get around the island.
 
Great place. We stayed in the Baia Azul which is a 20 minute walk from Funchal centre. It was a very good hotel but i would have rathered somewhere a little closer to the centre.
Re hiring a car - the roads there are very hairy, i.e. narrow and winding with steep drops. The interior of the island is well worth exploring - beautiful and widely varying scenery. We did it by coach. There are lots of coach tour packages available over there.
The food and wine are great - lots of very good and affordable restaurants. Our favourite one was in the old town, opposite the cable car terminus, but the name escapes me.
Go to Blandys in Funchal centre to sample Madeira fortified wines. They have vintages going back several decades for tasting.
 
If you want to see how the other half lives, book for afternoon tea at Reids Palace - the views are stunning if you are seated on the balcony. Being "posh" afternoon tea, the sandwiches are small and crustless and it costs €23 per person, but as an excuse to dress up it's worth doing once! You do need to book though, so ask your hotel reception.
We stayed in the Hotel Girassol which wasn't too far from downtown Funchal (20+ min walk), the hotel was lovely once you're not in the front-facing rooms (which overlook the constantly busy road).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top