Why Go
If you want to escape the biting winter cold or the scorching summer heat, consider Madeira as the place to go.
Madeira is a Portuguese island near the African Continent. Formed by volcanic eruptions, it towers over the Atlantic Ocean and provides travellers with kids a lot of interesting things to discover.
Madeira has very dramatic landscapes show-casing incredible views. Its unique levada walking trails, stunning gardens and parks, exotic flora and fauna and enviable climate makes exploring the island’s amazing outdoors pleasant any time of the year. In fact, on Madeira, it never gets too cold or too hot to enjoy its beauty.
The Christmas and New Year Season offers additional treats for visitors of Madeira. No cost and efforts are spared in festively adorning and lighting up each and every street on the island. Folk shows and music concerts fill the air with cheer. And of course, the world renowned New Year’s Eve firework display in Funchal is reason enough to go to Madeira. See for yourself why it made it to the Guinness Book of World Records.
Insider Tips:
- Madeira’s Airport is known internationally as Funchal Airport although it is actually located in Santa Cruz, 22 km away from Funchal, the island’s capital.
- Taxis: can be taken from the airport to any part of Madeira while airport shuttle buses take passengers to Funchal. There are taxis lined up right outside the arrival terminal. Taxis operate by meter but some overcharge so it’s better to check the fare with the driver in advance. The drive to Funchal takes 20-30 minutes and costs about €30. There is an additional charge of €1.50/ luggage.
- Airport Shuttle: There are airport buses that run to Funchal every 45 minutes from 9:45 am until 9:15 pm. The bus stop is outside the airport terminal entrance. Travelling by bus to Funchal takes about 45 minutes and costs €5. If you flew with TAP, the national airline, show your boarding stubs to the bus driver and you can take the airport shuttle bus for free.
- Car Rental: Although taxis and public transport are reasonably accessible and reliable, I would recommend you to rent a car. Many of the island’s must-see spots are outside Funchal. With Madeira’s newly asphalted roads and newly constructed motorways, driving from one part of the island to the other is now a lot easier and more convenient.
- The best way to go around Funchal town is on foot because the streets are quite narrow and available parking places during weekdays and office hours are limited.
- Don’t be fooled by the mild temperatures on Madeira. Even during the winter, the sun can be intense enough to burn you in just an hour’s exposure. So don’t forget to apply sun cream or to cover your arms, legs and neck.
- Electrical sockets require rounded two-pronged plugs. If you’re bringing a lap top, your phone charger or any electricals, remember to bring an adaptor plug.
- Madeira’s “911” number is 112.
- Tipping is not required on Madeira but it surely is appreciated.
Where to Stay
One way of having a unique experience on Madeira is by staying in a “quinta”. A quinta is a traditional country mansion within a large farm estate or garden. If you want to mix traditional ambience with modern conveniences and experience the tranquillity of the Madeiran country side, I would recommend Quinta do Estreito.
Quinta do Estreito and all the peace it offers is just 15 minutes away from Funchal .The hotel provides a free shuttle bus service to Funchal twice a day. This quinta has elegantly furnished rooms with private balconies that overlook vineyards and the Atlantic Ocean. It is also an ideal base to explore a few of the island’s levada walks.
For those who prefer to be closer to Funchal’s center, yet still enjoy a peaceful atmosphere, the Pestana Village Resort Aparthotel is a good alternative. This hotel resort is tucked inside a village-type complex with award-winning tropical gardens and native trees shielding its accommodations from the noise of vehicles from the busy street of Estrada Monumental.
Your kids will surely enjoy the resort’s multiple swimming pools while you and your husband can take turns in enjoying the other health club facilities such as the Jacuzzi, Turkish bath, sauna and massage service.
All rooms/apartments are equipped with a kitchenette and a balcony. Although the hotel has a few in-house restaurants, there are plenty of different kinds of restaurants within a short walking distance from Pestana Village.
What to eat
You haven’t really explored Madeira until you’ve explored Madeiran food.
My 7-year old son wouldn’t even touch these seafood delicacies at first (can you blame him?). Grilled lapas (limpets) and octopus are not exactly children’s menu items. But once we got him to give them a try, he devoured these dishes with gusto.
A good place to try these dishes and other fresh seafood from the island and enjoy magnificent sweeping views of the sea, without digging too deep in your wallet, is the Restaurante Coral. This restaurant is right behind the church of small town Camara de Lobos (Restaurante Coral, Lg. República 2 -Camara de Lobos).
Another delicious seafood dish to try is espada (scabard fish). You’ll find this white meat fish in almost any restaurant. The most popular preparation is fried and served with fried banana and passion fruit sauce.
Espetada is another typical Madeiran dish that can be enjoyed by everyone in the family. It is made of cubes of beef, rubbed with rock salt, garlic and herbs, traditionally skewered on a stick from a bay leaf tree (although most restaurants just use a metal spit which they dangle from a rod at the center of the table) then grilled over a wood fire. It is often served with fried polenta cubes known as “milho frito”.
For traditional Madeiran cuisine with the most mounth watering espetadas, head to O Lagar Churrascaria.
In Funchal, you can complete your “Madeirense” experience, not only by eating traditional Madeirense food but also listening to traditional “fado “ music at Arsenio’s, Rua de Sta. Maria 169, Zona Velha (old town), Funchal.
Bolo de caco is the most popular bread served in restaurants, generously spread with melted butter and fresh garlic. It’s very filling so don’t eat too much of it or you won’t have much room left for the next courses.
You will also see many street-side stalls preparing this bread from scratch and selling it with your choice of filling. This bread is made from flour and sweet potato then cooked on a hot grill.
Finally, although not for the children, but you can’t leave Madeira without sampling the wine that the island is internationally known for.
What to do
My son always had a deep fascination with cable cars, so for us, there was no question about taking the Madeira Cable Car to Jardim Botanico (the Madeira Botanical Gardens). Although going up to Monte Village and Jardim Botanico by cable car is an expensive option (special promo round trip package including entrance fee to Jardim Botanico is €27.50/adult and €13.50/child), it is an exhilarating way to enjoy fantastic and unobstructed views of Madeira. The cable car tour runs from Funchal (the station is in the old town of Funchal) to Monte then Monte to the Jardim Botanico and back.
Monte’s major attraction is the Monte Palace Tropical Gardens (entrance fee is € 10/ adult). This massive garden has lots of interesting features for adults and kids to enjoy including labyrinths, bridges, tunnels, waterfalls and fish ponds.
If you want to save on the €10/ adult entrance fee, you can still enjoy beautiful gardens in the grounds of the Quinta do Monte Hotel for free. The hotel also has a kiosk in the garden that is a lovely place to have lunch or a snack.
To take the cable car to the Botanical Gardens, walk to the eastern end of Monte. The 9 minute cable car ride rewards you with spectacular views of lush green canyons, water falls and the forest.
The Botanical Gardens (entrance fee is €3/adult) will dazzle you with exuberant splashes of colors from an astonishingly wide array of plants. As a bonus, it offers breath-taking views over Ribeira de Joao Gomez.
Don’t miss the Jardim dos Loiros or Parrot Garden next to the Jardim Botanico (entrance is free to visitors of Jardim Botanico). Kids absolutely love this place. Taken together, the cable car, the Botanical Gardens, Monte and the Monte Palace Tropical Gardens and the Parrot Garden comprise a full day tour.
A great way to channel your kids' excess energy while taking in the beautiful Madeira countryside and spectacular view is by taking a levada walk. Levadas are narrow water canals cleverly engineered for water from mountain springs to flow down to the fields. Alongside these canals, paths were built to make maintenance of the levadas easier. These are now used as walking trails.
There are many levada walks with varying degrees of difficulties. Some are very long with areas of narrow and unprotected paths and are definitely not suitable for families with children or people with vertigo.
If you only have time to do one levada walk during your stay, I would recommend the Paul da Serra to 25 Fontes (fountains) levada walk. My words and photo can’t fully describe the beauty of this walk. This one can be done without an experienced guide and takes about 2.5 hours from the parking area of Paul da Serra. Paths are marked and it’s an easy walk through valleys, waterfalls and forests leading to the discovery of the most breath-taking views. When you reach 25 Fontes, bask in the tranquillity and beauty of the place before heading back the same way to Paul da Serra. Wear proper walking shoes with non-slip soles and bring sweaters and rain jackets (just in case…). Don’t forget to pack food and water too.
The Trout Farm of Ribeiro Frio (Cold River) provides interesting appeal, especially to kids. Ribeiro Frio in itself is an enchanting location surrounded by natural forest, making it a starting point for several walks. Its focal point, however, is the trout hatchery where the clean waters of Ribeiro Frio are funnelled into tanks containing dozens of trout at different stages of their life cycle. By the way, just down the road is the Ribeiro Frio Restaurant. Guess what’s special on their menu…
What kid doesn't love volcanos and caves? Visiting the Sao Vicente lava tube cave will almost surely be a highlight for your child. You can also learn more at Grutas e Centro do Vulcanismo, where there's an exhibition of the origins of volcanos.
Madeira’s beaches are naturally rocky with black sand. But if your kids are crazy about sand like mine, Calheta Beach is the place to go. Calheta Beach is the only white-sand beach on the island (sand was imported from Africa). The water might be too cold for a dip in the winter, but lazing at the beach and soaking up some sun while your little one plays happily on the sand is heavenly family bliss.
If all the walks, swimming and cave exploring hasn't tired your child out yet, you can also explore the Madeira Theme Park (Parque Tematico da Madeira). Some activities include rowing boats on the boating lake, rock climbing in the sports area and a virtual simulation of a journey to the landscapes of Madeira.
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Photos: JC Lauri, A. Cleeves, JP Moser