After 2 years of staycation, I was thrilled to be able to travel abroad again. Madeira in January was the ideal destination for a few days of winter sun to mitigate the gloomy weather and even gloomier news everywhere!
What amazed me was that we managed to see a lot of things that we missed when we visited in 2019!
Pestana Grand Hotel
My partner and I had such a great time at Pestana Grand in 2019 that it was a natural choice for us to stay there again. Although it’s true that there’s comfort in familiarity, we found the hotel that best suited us, we couldn’t be bothered to try the rest!
As our flight was in the morning we arrived hours before the normal check-in time. We were pleased to be checked in right away! What’s more, when we returned from a stroll, we found a small bottle of Madeira wine and a Madeira cake in our room with a personalised ‘Welcome back’ note. What a lovely touch!
Magic Tea House Garden
Magic Tea House is located just across the back gate of the hotel grounds. It is part of the Pestana set-up.
The snack available at the tea house is run of the mill, but the terrace at the front is a great place for people watching and soaking up the sun. However the real jewel in the crown is the magnificent garden accessed through Magic Tea House!
Monte Palace Gardens
On our first morning, we took a taxi from the hotel to Monte Palace Gardens (it cost only €20 including tips) just when it opened at 9.30. Considering the narrow winding roads leading up to the garden the fare was great value for money and saved a lot of hassles!
I’m glad we decided not to cram this in with our visit to Madeira Botanical Garden last time. It took the whole morning for us to cover only part of the grounds!!
We started off with The Northern Oriental Garden at the top.
At the bottom of the Northern Oriental Garden there was a glimpse of Central Lake. Soon its full glory was revealed
A short walk up the path led to the Monte Palace. Though unoccupied (as far as I know), it hasn’t lost its outward grandeur!
Southern Oriental Garden
Being less obscured by trees, Southern Oriental Garden looked glorious – the bright blue sky and lush green trees and plants set off the bright red structures beautifully
Colourful plants and flowers are everywhere!
Cable Car ride
The Cable Car Terminal was just a short walk from the entrance of Monte Palace Garden. It’s a great way to get back to the old town of Funchal. It took about 15 minutes to descend 3200 metres – taking in some breathtaking views – the neat orange-tiled roofs under our feet, the mountains dotted with houses further afield and then the shimmering sea in the distant horizon!
St Tiago Fortress at Funchal
I was intrigued by the yellow fortress at the end of the coastal walk along Funchal. It reminded me of Sintra in mainland Portugal. There’s a restaurant in the grounds and it’s free to enter. It’s not clear if the fortress was open under the prevailing Covid restrictions
Pico dos Barcelos
As there was a marathon in Madeira on our second day and many roads were closed, we took a taxi to Pico dos Barcelos – great value for €10 (including tips)! We had passed this viewpoint on the Hop-on-hop-off bus the day before, but it was great to spend the morning there at our leisure
Considering that it’s winter in Madeira, we were particularly lucky with the sunny clear blue sky. We took our time meandering around to drink in the 360° view of Funchal from the height of 355 metres.
Câmara de Lobos
We finished our walk and were at the bus stop for less than 5 minutes when the Hop-on-hop-off bus turned up! We got off at Câmara de Lobos just in time to have lunch at one of the waterfront eateries.
Câmara de Lobos is about 10 km from Funchal. The 30 minutes spent here on a previous visit whetted our appetite for a longer stay to explore. We spent the afternoon admiring the sunlit beauty of this fishing village before catching the bus back to near the hotel. Another splendid day in paradise!!
There’s a strong connection with Winton Churchill in Câmara de Lobos where he had stayed. His eponymous establishments are everywhere. This is Pestana Churchill Bay Hotel, complete with his bronze statue, which is a popular draw for British tourists
West of Madeira Tour
We had 2 great tours with Lido Tours last time, so it was natural for us to go with them again for the West of Madeira Tour. We even had Nuno as our guide again! He commanded my total faith when we were caught in dense fog and heavy rain while going through the mountain pass! The many pitstops at scenic spots for photos were also much appreciated by all!
We started off at Cabo Girão Skywalk. Standing on the glass-bottomed viewing platform at the cliff at 589m is not for the faint-hearted but I managed it!
Ribeira Brava
Ribeira Brava about 10 km from Cabo Girão on the south west coast. It’s a pretty little village with a pretty little church, a perfect place for a coffee break!
Riberia de Janela
Riberia de Janela is on the north west coast of Madeira, a vantage point for admiring the rugged beauty of this area
Porto Moniz
On the north west corner of Madeira, Porto Moniz is a small town famous for its natural pools formed by volcanic lava. It was a great place to stop for lunch as restaurants are plentiful, owing to its popularity with tourists and locals.
Seixal and Véu de Novia
On our way to São Vincente, we stopped at Seixal and Véu de Novia, more viewing points along the north west coast
São Vicente
São Vicente was the last stop of the full day’s tour. It’s a pretty town but by this time our senses were all overdosed with scenic views!
Morning walks near Pestana Grand
We went for our morning walk every morning before breakfast at 8.00. It was rather lovely to see daybreak along the coast around Pestana Grand! No two mornings were alike!
Goodbye for now!
With its sub-tropical climate, mild and warm winter, Madeira may be somewhere that I would return frequently. For now I took away with me images of beautiful colourful plants and flowers like these ….
.… and memories of my own moments in the sun!
