Anyone been to Madeira?

We're off on a family holiday to Madeira next week and will be staying just outside Funchal. I was wondering whether anyone has been to the island and if there are any must do's whilst we are there.

Thanks

Originally posted by sunny
We're off on a family holiday to Madeira next week and will be staying just outside Funchal. I was wondering whether anyone has been to the island and if there are any must do's whilst we are there.

Thanks

Hi Sunny

A definite must is a ride on the wicker toboggan sled's down Mont palace in funchal. Get in a local taxi and ask them to take you to Franco in cananica its about 10 minutes outside funchal you will get on the best Espatada's there.

I would recommend you get a taxi as driving can be very dangerous outside funchal as there is a great culture of drink driving in the island. Madeira is a great island and you will have a wonderfully holiday I am sure.

11 of my staff are from Madeira and I often get the opportunity to go and stay in their villas. The hotels in the island are of a very high standard and the island is very clean and well kept.

If you have any more specific questions pleas feel free to drop me a P/M and I will do my best to help you further.

Have a great holiday

Jerseyboy

Yep, but a long time ago we stayed at the Palacio,also just outside Funchal.I was only in my teens but Maderia seemed a lot more upmarket than the Spainish islands.Airport has a very short runway cut into a mountain side, makes for interesting take-off and landing:DFrom what I remember there were a lot of good restaurants and a casino in Funchal.Kids will love the wicker sled ride down the steep streets.Speciality food is Esparda a fierce looking prestoric black eel like fish only caught in the very deep waters around the island.Plenty of Maderia wineries to taste the fantastic produce.Amazingly lush green island so expect a bit of rain,one coast is very wild and a round the island tour shows this off the roads were rather bumpy.Its a place I have always ment to revisit so it must have made a good impression.Hope you enjoy your trip.

We're actually off to madeira the week after staying just outside Funchal too! I am interested in any information. We have actually hired a car, so will now be taking extra care!!

Thank you for the detailed replies! Your positive responses are definitely reassuring but I'm not sure if I could stomach any Esparda .

Originally posted by sunny
Thank you for the detailed replies! Your positive responses are definitely reassuring but I'm not sure if I could stomach any Esparda .

Espitada is basically beef on a skewer its a famous local dish a bit like steak on a sword
Espada however is a local fish which is maybe what you are thinking of?

But enjoy and give it a go if you are a meat eater then you will Love it

Originally posted by maz
We're actually off to madeira the week after staying just outside Funchal too! I am interested in any information. We have actually hired a car, so will now be taking extra care!!

Hi Maz

You will be ok on the main roads around Funchal and the airport the roads throughout the most of the island knocks spots off the U.K roads, But if you are driving outside Funchal especially at night do take extra care driving.

Jerseyboy

Thank you for the detailed replies! Your positive responses are definitely reassuring but I'm not sure if I could stomach any Esparda .

Sorry my bad spelling of Espada,it tastes quite nice a bit like Hake.

You need to be very careful driving in Funchal as well. The rapido (motorway) from the airport to Funchal is quite a challenge to drive.

I am sure you will love Madeira, just beware of how much everyone in the island seems to drink.

We have been to Madeira 3 times and if you like stunning scenery, flowers and a relaxing holiday, you can`t go wrong. We have had a great time on each visit. We have been in November, October and July and the weather seemed to be the same each time, mid 70s F and sunny/part cloudy. Commment on the Rapido is correct around Funchal. The roads themselves are fine but when you join them the on ramp is about 6 feet long so you don`t get much of a run up to get your speed to match the traffic. If you can, get a hire car with a decent engine. We got a Ford Fiesta the first time with something like a 200cc engine. This is not good for driving up the steep hills and was definately not good for engine braking coming down the mountain roads. I had to stop a few times due to over heating brakes. Give the hire car a good check over before taking it, especially the tyres.Food was very good with both fish and meat excellent. We didn`t have any trouble with the roads apart from the fact that sometimes we couldn`t see them. The weather can be totally different in Funchal compared to up in the mountains. It can be sunny in Funchal and misty and raining up in the hills. The cable car from Funchal to Monte where the toboggans are is good as is the Blandys Madeira wine tour. Reids Palace bar has a nice view at night but we didn`t like the Italian restaurant there. Drinks prices there were extortionate and the staff a bit up themselves. It was expensive and not that good. Old town Funchal restaurants have better atmosphere and are cheaper. They have folk singers (Fado music - not sure if spelling is correct) that come around which adds to the experience but the songs seem to be all about sad stories. Fish market in Funchal was intersting. Shopping area in Funchal is quite upmarket and got the thumbs up from my 18 year old daughter and her boyfriend. Pavement cafes for breakfast/coffee were very good as well. Don`t expect sandy beaches, there are none. Crime from what we could see was non existent. People were very friendly if you attempted their language. Even please and thank you are appreciated by the Madeirans. Explore the island, it is worth it. Funchal casino felt a touch low rent. Espitada varied from melt in the mouth gorgeous to average so you do take a chance. Sometimes it was the smaller restaurants that gave the best quality.Airport is good and there is a nice viewing area whilst waiting for your aircraft with an adequate cafe/bar. We flew direct from MAN with Thomas Cook Airlines and they were excellent. Book the extra leg room though if you use them. Watch the sun at this time of year, it may be only mid 70s but it will catch you.

Thanks Paul. A relaxing holiday was just what we were after so it seems like we should have a good time [y].

One question: what are the prices like on the island for the usual food, drink etc?

i was out there in November and a 3 course meal for 5 people with wine and drinks cost less than Û100.

hope you have a great trip and relaxing holiday.

Hi sunny, the prices were very reasonable apart from the Reids Place which tends to live off its reputation as the hotel on the island, which in my opinion it is not. We found the side street restaurants to be the best. We had the best meal in one. We got there at 2.30 in the afternoon and we were the only people in the restaurant. The service and food was exceptional with views over flower covered roof tops. No rush throughout the meal and they even served up Crepe Suzette (spell check!) and fresh coffee after our meal.It was only on the way out that we noticed that they closed the front door behind us and locked it. When we looked at the menu out at the front, it said that the restaurant closed at 2.30 each day! This I would like to think sums up the Madeirans.

Went there once a few years ago; to tell the truth, it's not my kind of place and we actually left earlier than planned if I remember correctly. However we didn't try many of the things suggested within this thread so if you take heed of people's recommendations, you should have a good time[y]
Actually we had a bit of a six-hour marathon journey getting to Funchal as we were forced to divert to neighbouring island Santo Porto (which does have beaches I believe and can be reached by ferry) due to bad weather. To top it all, TAP left our luggage at LHR[ii]

45.

Well I hope our experience will not be quite as bad as yours 45! I'll definitely post a review once we get back at the end of June.
Thank you everyone for posting such informative posts [y]; this is what makes this site so valuable.

I think part of the problem with the trip was that we didn't get our luggage for 3/4 days so it didn't get off to the best start;)

45.

Been back from Madeira for a few days but have been unable to post a report as I've been pretty busy. In short the trip was extremely enjoyable and it is a place I would definitely return to. I'll try and post an update later.