Arrived in madeira after a second attempt at the runway, around twelve midday – not a bad time to arrive..
Had attempted an early night, but managed to get a few bottles of Peroni down me, so wasn’t feeling perfect at for in the morning. Still quick shower and out of the house around four thirty…
Got onto the airport approach and it stayed raining a fair bit, there was us in our shorts and tee shirts, hardly prepared. After a bit of confusion on the suitcase weight we were hussled through security and time for a body scan for me and it was over to bk for brekkie..
We had avery nice man pick us up from the airport, who practiced his English on us for the 30 mins out took to the hotel, then in for an early cheek in. All went well until it came to payment, I had loaded up the Monza card but the limit on a transaction was a grand so it kept getting rejected, slightly embarrassing! So had to put it in the credit card in the end, gord knows how much Tesco will charge us for that…
Up to the room on the 17th, not bad, basically two rooms together, on the end of the hotel, so with three balconies, which was a little excessive. Plenty of space, just a little tired, I can imagine ten or twenty yeasts ago this place was the dog’s but not so much now, didn’t even have flat screens in the rooms!!😁
After a quick unpack we were off and turned left out of the hotel for a stroll down the lido area.. it was pretty hot now, not crazy, but getting too the limit of my hopeless heat tolerance, so after a mile or so we stopped for what would prove to be the first of very many “Corals”…
Just along the front there we pitched up at a little pizzeria, didn’t look amazing, but I had an excellent spaghetti with salami, basil and olive oil – I loved it, just what i needed…
After lunch we strolled or a little further and then headed home, back at the hotel we got our swimmers on and headed down about 30 floors to the sea. Ohh chilly willy in the ocean, but you soon get used to it, there was no beach, just straight in to the sea, there were fish everywhere..
We sat around the seas level pool for a while and I dropped off three times, I know this because my hat fell off three times..
After getting suited and booted (well i put a new tee shirt on) we looking around for the first nights feast and settled on the Taj. Nice ruby…
It was getting a little late now so off to bed. The music was still playing downstairs so I stuck my ear blockers in and was zonked.
Day 2.
Woke about 6 to a pitch black sky, and lay for awhile listening to the hotel creek itself awake. You could hear it stretch and take those first 40 year tentative steps to wakefulness. You could hear it gargle and clean it’s teeth then exercise it’s spine as the lifts began to whir, and slowly as the bangs increase, the aircon rumbled and the water poured beneath the walls it’s new day began.
Down at sunrise to the pool, omg cold here too, and made of salty water.. Got a few lengths in tho. Weirdly it looked bigger from the balcony, not sure how that happens. Also once your in is amazing how quick you get used to it.
Over for breakfast and managed to get a table on the terrace, we soon realised that once 9:00 chimes it gets uncomfortably busy in the place, nice fruit, nice ham, nice cheese, rubbish bacon and sausage.
Back up and waiting for madam to get ready, we had decided that we would have a little look around the capital today. Our hotel (Pestana Carton) was at the top of a hill down to the port, at the bottom Kate saw a little outcrop with a thing on the top, so we went to investigate and some crazy dude had made it his home, as apparently it was once the smallest country in the world, so he now lived there with his cats and his problems.
After the visit to this other country, we walked the Promanard out to old town, then back to a spot on google which wasn’t anything, then back into town, and along the restaurant street, then along some more to the market, then back along the restaurant street, then we had a sit down and a beer, and the waitress seemed to get a scolding from the manager for not forcing food on us.
After this beverage we went to the market, and saw a lot of fish, some ugly, then some fruit, then onto the terrace for a nice drinkies.
By this time we had to get some lunch, so we strolled over to the Beerhouse, where I had a Stein of their beer and some limpets. So in 2017 we can eat limpets it seems, in 1987 I used them to catch Gobies in the rock pools, but now we have to pay nine euros to eat some – now that’s progress…
After the beerhouse we went back home.
Over to Casal da Penha in the evening, another close place – we almost went for a Turkish, and got on the terrace, but it a slightly rubbish spot, and I had the selection of fish – which was okay, but not great.
Came home and Kate did my eyebrows – I looked like a wally.
Day 3.
Up earlyish, and decided to run down to where we went on the first day – 3.6 sweaty miles later I met Sian in the pool, it was quite nice (but also a bit naughty) to just strip off the running gear and get straight into the pool. More toast, cheese, ham and fruit and we were off for a jaunt around the West…
We hired a taxi for the trip – sixty euros, who took us down the coast to a fishing village (which compared to fishing villages in UK was a bit rubbish) which had a lot of recycled art, which was quite cool. We squeezed in an expensive beer, then back in the taxi for a very slow crawl up the mountain to Cabo Girao which is one of the highest “skywalks” – which means you walk on glass, at pushing 2000ft it’s something that left me a little short of breath.It is said it is the highest in Europe, but I think that is the skywalk rather than the cliff edge – but not 100%, and Wikipedia didn’t help. It’s high enough anyway…
After this we wound our way through the mountains to Ribeira Brava and another villagey place – it was okay, we had some chips and a beer.
Then he took the “motorway” back home – and we got dropped off in Funchal town again, for another walk around. We had tried to get to the Se “cathedral” but it was closed again, as it was Saturday so we had some crepes and stolled around and back home again.
In the evening we headed to the left (West) back to the Lido area, and had a beer in the Scat bar (well technically in the Qasbah which seems to be the drinking part) for a couple of beers listening to the man twiddle his Ge-tar. Being greedy I asked the man what a Caneca was as I thought it was a type of lager that came in a Pint. It actually meant a pint of Carlsberg, Caneca being Portuguese for mug – exactly what I felt.
First choice was full (and continued to be so for the next three attempts) so we went to the O Chefe Steakhouse and Sea Basket and had a quite pleasant Ugly fish.
Day 4.
Day of rest.
Went for a swim in the morning and stuffed some breakfast down, then dossed around for a while on the sun beds in the sunshine, which wasn’t too hot, then we went for lunch. Decided on a pizza, as Kate fancied one, and the pizza place was completely empty, the girls didn’t like their food, but my fishy pizza was pretty good.
After lunch we dossed some more, Sian went for a lie down on her own, so I played spot the Sian from the balcony.
Down the Westend for the evening and back to Qasbah, earlier than before and it was still very hot, then after a look at a couple of places that were full we went into the Restaurante O Dragoeiro where I was greeted by an old black dude in his Ritz bellhop attire who fist pumped me and poke as if I knew him. After pretending that I did, he showed us to an okay table outside where I had a very wonderful fillet on the stone, where a lump of meat is presented on a very hot stone, and you basically cook it yourself– with no discount.
Day 5.
Up and the usual swim/eat/get dressed/out, and down into Funchal again for about 9:30 where we got the cable car up to Monte. I don’t like cable cars, I don’t like heights very much, but cable cars fill me with dread – not 100% sure why, but I sat with white knuckles grabbing the rail for the 20 mins it took to get to the top.
Once there we walked up a very steep hill, saw a tiny church thing and had an early beer. Once finished we went to Monte church, looked inside, and then went on the toboggans.
This is quite a weird thing, it used to be the transport around these parts, but that was when donkeys were cars, so now they just stuff tourists into little sleds and push/push/drag/steer you down the steeep roads. It’s pretty good fun, and to be honest you kind of have to do it here, our guys were old and heavy breathed over us, but it was neat at times. 10 mins and 45 euro later we stopped only to to be pushed into a 10 euro picture. We declined and after being semi-accosted by the hateful taxi drivers we walked down the hill just behind the drop off point – having the drivers shout “It’s very far” or some-such. It wasn’t really – maybe 20 mins walk, all downhill..
Had a little look around the top part of Funchal, and had a beer in a place we would return to for Octoplod (Espaco Funchal). Bit more walking and back for a swim for me and Sian. We took to the sea today, and swam out to the pontoon, which had had no one on it for the one hour I was watching, then by the time we got into the cold water it was almost full. We swam out, and around, then people left, so we swam back out again – I felt sea sick immediately, stayed for a short while then off again on the loop..
We had been spending the early evening most days in the hotel bar, more specifically out on the terrace – which was quite nice. It was half price from 6 – 7, so we managed to get down there most days. After Kate was ready we headed over to Beef & Wine, which I absolutely loved, I loved the décor, the staff, the bread and cheese and ham, the Octopus done “their” way and specifically I totally loved the rib-eye. I thought it was fantastic. The rest of the meals were pretty good, although I thought Kates chicken was overdone – an ace place to go, hugely recommended.
Day 6
Had a swim – and stuffed my self at breakfast today – probably had an omelette and all the other stuff. We headed to Eira do Serrado, which is 1000m in the air (supported by a mountain). To get there we used local transport, which only went at 9/10/11, so we went to the bus stop mentioned by the hotel, and the woman there told us that the 81 bus was not on that route. So we went to another bus stop and that didn’t mention 81, we asked a woman who looked 3 ft to the left when talking to you and she told us we had to get it from the main bus stop in Funchal, and finally after looking on the interweb we waited at the bus stop opposite the casino and after 15 mins the 81 bus came.
We went about 6 miles and it took 30 mins, with the bus driver winding his way up this mountain side like a big fat metal, wheeled goat – until we got to the top. We walked up to the viewing platform then down the trail to the town below. It was quite hot, but walking downhill was fine, after about an hour (and only 2 miles I think) we got to the town and had sandwiches and beer until the bus came.
As we were waiting for the bus some cheeky monkey came over and said that for 3 euro each he would taxi us back, five of the waiting people were taken in by this obviously corrupt , illegal and dangerous suggestion (well, not really) and we stoically waited in the heat for the bus, which was late, and took us miles out of the way, and took 1 hr to get back, and deposited us in Funchal, and let the people at the back of the queue get on first.
Went to see the Se, which compared to the worse cathedral in the UK, was uninspiring, then had a beer, then the long, hot, up hill walk to the hotel.
Ladies went swimming, I lounged on the balcony drinking coke and reading Skagboys.
Had some beer on the terrace – then went to the Turkish, where we were served by a Cockney (put a lead on her, Turkish), and the food was okay.
Day 7.
I think I swam, but cannot remember, probably went for breakfast, and lounged on the sun beds and finally got a bit red, and definitely went into Funchal yet again – this time to go back to a place to have the roasted Octoplod – which was really very good. It was very “meaty” and not in the slightest bit chewy and I really liked it.
After food the girls decided that they wanted to shop – so I walked back, in a bit of a hurry and sweat all over the supermarket counter. Then had nice relax until they came back with their wares.
Out to the West again tonight, and down the Qasbah for some tunes. Then we went for another Indian, which had great poppadums’ but one of the worse Vindaloos I have ever had. Also the naan was thick and had tons of Keema in – never seen anything like it. Very disappointing. He gave us 15 euro off, but we gave him 10 back because I am stupid.
Day 8.
Came home.
We left the hotel at 09:00 and after getting a new number plate I got home at 18:00 – long old day.
~~~~~~~~~
So, Madeira – I really enjoyed it, the temperature was hot enough (around the 25 degree mark), but it wasn’t that oppressive heat you get sometimes. It was a nice relax, but we also got up to a few things and generally saw the “sights” that were around.
I think perhaps if we ever return, we would hire a car, and have a good look around the North of the island and see more of the wilderness. We will also do the levada walks.
The hotel was pretty good, we had a suite, with sea views – it was an end unit, so had the three balconies – it could do with a bit of a re-furb, but it was clean and nice enough. It was the little things that annoyed – the wardrobe door didn’t work well, the aircon was from the 20’s (although it worked), the furniture was dated, and no flat screen T.V – for 200 quid a night – that’s not cricket ;o)
The pools were fine, although sea water and not hugely heated it seemed, the location on the water’s edge, and in between the West and centre of Funchal was good, and the breakfast was fine.
Obrigado Madeira.