Hiking on Madeira Madeira is a fantastic destination for hiking lovers. In fact, that is because Madeira has a huge network of levadas covering large parts of the island. Notably, a levada is a small water channel, typically in concrete. Now there are two interesting rules about levadas (or any aquaduct). One is that the …
Funchal Funchal is the capital city of Madeira Island and the sixth largest in Portugal. The largest city of this sub-tropical island is charming, historic, mostly well-maintained and colorful. The name Funchal stems from the amount of fennel (or “funcho” in Portuguese and “funchai” meaning a fennel plantation) plants discovered by the first settlers. The …
Who should see this? The flora lovers won’t be disappointed when visiting Madeira island. You’ll have plenty to do with no less than 37 gardens and parks to explore and wander through. One of them, the Monte Palace Tropical Garden, displays a rich and outstanding collection of plants from all over the world. Interestingly, it …
The Hotel Castanheiro Boutique hotel is a beautiful hotel, located in the heart of a historic zone, alongside the Palace of Jesuits. This four star hotel blends design and restorated historical architecture. It has 81 rooms, a lap pool with panoramic views overlooking the Bay of Funchal. It is close to shops, museums, restaurants and …
Dolphin and Whale–watching In Madeira, like in other parts of the world, marine mammals have passed from being a hunting resource to a (eco)tourism resource. In the Whale Museum you’ll learn all about Madeira’s past as a whaling island. The maritime region of Madeira Island is actually one of the best whale-watching sites in the …
Should I rent a car for my Madeira trip? Yes, you really should rent a car. Unless you plan to stay in your hotel and read books…but that would be a pity…because Madeira has a lot more to offer than the hotel grounds! Where can I best rent a car? Cartrawler’s booking engine offers the …
The Praia do Porto Beach The Praia do Porto do Seixal Beach is a black sand beach. This really is true for all of the natural beaches on Madeira. The dark sand beaches on Madeira Island are born from sea erosion of volcanic black rock. Except for the color, the dry or wet sand has a similar …
Porto Moniz Porto Moniz is a charming small village perched on the dramatic north western tip of Madeira. The region offers towering mountains and views over endless deep Atlantic Ocean blue. Historically, the topography of the region isolated Porto Moniz from the rest of the island. Yet it survived by specialising in whaling, a practice …
The Hotel Reid’s palace is a magnificent luxury hotel, exuding elegance, glamour, refinement, and aristocracy of long gone centuries. The hotel offers two hard tennis courts, a spa, table tennis and a children’s playground. There are two rectangular swimming pools (one with sea water, one with fresh water) located high above the sea on a …
What to expect from the laurel forest The Laurisilva or laurel forest of Madeira is a true garden of Eden. Visiting it is much like traveling back 3 million years to a typical Western European forest. On the whole, that’s because the laurel forest is an outstanding relict of a previously widespread laurel forest type. …
Covid-19 on Madeira The Covid / coronavirus has taken over Europe. Luckily, Madeira is relatively spared. The Regional Government has taken precautions to protect the population and halt the virus from spreading. There are cases of coronavirus / covid 19 on Madeira archipelago, but the virus spread no where near the one of the mainland. …
