As I write this I still can’t quite believe it’s a little over a month since we got back from Madeira, Portugal. I have previously written a post giving you 5 reasons why you need to go to Madeira shortly after I returned to keep the holiday alive that I won with icelolly.com at the 2015 #BlogAtTheBeach event. I suppose I have put off writing this post as a way to bring it back to life a month or so later, just so I don’t forget about it. My main comment to anyone who asked me “How was Madeira?” I simply replied with my overused, almost rehearsed answer, “It is somewhere that you never think of going, but it just blows you away when you are there.” It’s no lie that Mr C & I have both fallen hook, line & sinker for this Portuguese Island, namely because of the food we ate whilst there (on another level! Preach it!)
We flew out with Jet2 and sadly we were delayed by quite a few hours with the French air strike, sat on the runway, so when we arrived we were chomping at the bit to get out and explore the surrounding area of the Pestana Ocean Promenade Hotel. Check in was a breeze and we were greeted with some “Madeira Wine” (warning: do not “neck it” like my husband did, it’s pretty darned potent!) and then taken to our room. We were absolutely ecstatic at our Studio with partial sea view. A fantastic sized balcony for a few late afternoons drinks and a rather large & very comfortable bed too.
Unpacked and settled in we spent the next day & a half exploring Funchal Town itself. If I could liken it to somewhere the centre of the town has a slight “Italian lakes” feel to it. Everything is so ornate and there are plenty of hanging baskets around for the keen gardeners. But of course, that is one of the many reasons that Madeira is famous for. It took us a good half an hour from our hotel to the centre of Madeira old town. It kept us active as it’s a pretty hilly place. We decided to take the cable car up to Monte, which gave us a fifteen minute ride to the village that sits 867m above sea level.
The views were absolutely spectacular, having said that, at times I felt a little nervous but it was definitely worth it to get a birds eye view of Madeira. Once at the top you could enter the Botanical Gardens or take another cable car up to the Royal Gardens. We opted to have little wander round and take a trip up to the church that looks over Madeira. However, if you do want to go in to the gardens it is around 15 euros per person & I recommend a jacket as everything is shaded.
After having a little wander around we realized we had majorly messed up. We hadn’t realized the toboggans were in Monte (le sigh.) We hadn’t brought enough money with us as it was 40 euros to go down and we had already paid for a return ticket down the gondola. We stopped for a little while to watch everyone else head downhill in the fun, wicker carts though. Then we headed for a quick beer before we made our way back down to the town centre.
The cable car cost us 15 euros each for a return trip and it was definitely the best way to spend our first day. We headed back to our hotel after a long round-trip, it was most definitely time for a little afternoon siesta. We had clocked up a massive 17,000 steps so it was very well-deserved. We always manage to overdo it on the first day but it was a great way to start exploring this beautiful island.
Bee xxx
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