Funchal, Madeira tips
Discussion
Good morning PH!
I'm off to Funchal next month and was wondering if anyone can recommend any gems that I might not be aware of? I've trawled old posts I can find on here and Trip Advisor, and have come up with a few things:
Vielen dank!
I'm off to Funchal next month and was wondering if anyone can recommend any gems that I might not be aware of? I've trawled old posts I can find on here and Trip Advisor, and have come up with a few things:
- Cable car up, toboggan down
- Restaurante Do Forte
- Blandy's Wine Lodge
- Afternoon tea at Reid's Palace
Vielen dank!
Well, obviously the gardens.
Not 'chilled out', but we walked a Levada up in the hills and it was great fun.
Definitely go snorkelling. I dived in Madeira, but we went snorkelling on our last day and I saw quite a few types of fish I hadn't seen while diving!
There's a very nice and affordable restaurant right by the cable car station in town. The name escapes me, but try the Scabbard Fish (I think they call it Espada or something similar) - Ugly deep sea thing, but tastes amazing!
M.
Not 'chilled out', but we walked a Levada up in the hills and it was great fun.
Definitely go snorkelling. I dived in Madeira, but we went snorkelling on our last day and I saw quite a few types of fish I hadn't seen while diving!
There's a very nice and affordable restaurant right by the cable car station in town. The name escapes me, but try the Scabbard Fish (I think they call it Espada or something similar) - Ugly deep sea thing, but tastes amazing!
M.
Here's my notes of some restaurants. Beware: this was from a few years go so things may have changed.
Kon Tiki, Rua Do Favila, 9, Funchal 291 764 737 Near Reid's Hotel. Must have the beefstone!
Quinta Palmeria, Avenida Do Infante, Funchal 291 221 814 Excellent. Alfresaco dining. Good menu.Great service. Expensive
Dona Amelia, Rua Imperatriz Dono Amelia, 83, Funchal 291 225 784 Excellent. Book upstairs. Reasonable price
Mar Brando, Rua Imperatriz Dono Amelia, 130, Funchal 291 242 516 Excellent. Sort of Italian. Good alfresco dining at the rear. Informal. Reasonable price
Mohle, Estrada Da Pontinnha, Funchal 291 230 002 Located in the marina port on top of the Mohle (rock). Modern. Great view of Funchal at night.Short menu. Expensive.
Mar Azul, Marina Do Funchal 291 230 079 By the Marina downtown. OK for lunch. Other similar restaurants nearby.
Kon Tiki, Rua Do Favila, 9, Funchal 291 764 737 Near Reid's Hotel. Must have the beefstone!
Quinta Palmeria, Avenida Do Infante, Funchal 291 221 814 Excellent. Alfresaco dining. Good menu.Great service. Expensive
Dona Amelia, Rua Imperatriz Dono Amelia, 83, Funchal 291 225 784 Excellent. Book upstairs. Reasonable price
Mar Brando, Rua Imperatriz Dono Amelia, 130, Funchal 291 242 516 Excellent. Sort of Italian. Good alfresco dining at the rear. Informal. Reasonable price
Mohle, Estrada Da Pontinnha, Funchal 291 230 002 Located in the marina port on top of the Mohle (rock). Modern. Great view of Funchal at night.Short menu. Expensive.
Mar Azul, Marina Do Funchal 291 230 079 By the Marina downtown. OK for lunch. Other similar restaurants nearby.
Cable car was good, as were the gardens - bit past their best when we went late August last year, but should be good right now.
Didn't bother with the toboggan as seemed a bit touristy tacky - also looked rather lairy!
Try and get to Faja Dos Padres for the chilled out experience - organic plantation accessible only by cable car, nice restaurant/café by the sea.
Whale and dolphin boat trip - would recommend one of the smaller catamarans, as the open RIBs have no sun protection and the giant catamarans are way too crowded.
Jeep trip/safari was very enjoyable and a good way to see some of the interior places, although I think we were lucky with the driver and other passengers.
Avoid the fruitmarket - odious hawkers pestering you with dodgy fruit.
Blandy's Wine Lodge tour I quite enjoyed.
There is decent restaurant that is fairly central that does a very reasonable set price meal with different wines for each course which I will try to remember and sport back about - we ended up going twice.
The walk west along the shore from Funchal to Camara Dos Lobos is worth doing if you are happy with the length of it - we enjoyed it.
Definitely try the local Poncha.
I liked it and will return, but would want to see a bit more of the interior - we were fairly lazy and unadventurous.
Certainly, book trips and excursions in advance (ie now) as many get booked up fast - we made this mistake last year.
Didn't bother with the toboggan as seemed a bit touristy tacky - also looked rather lairy!
Try and get to Faja Dos Padres for the chilled out experience - organic plantation accessible only by cable car, nice restaurant/café by the sea.
Whale and dolphin boat trip - would recommend one of the smaller catamarans, as the open RIBs have no sun protection and the giant catamarans are way too crowded.
Jeep trip/safari was very enjoyable and a good way to see some of the interior places, although I think we were lucky with the driver and other passengers.
Avoid the fruitmarket - odious hawkers pestering you with dodgy fruit.
Blandy's Wine Lodge tour I quite enjoyed.
There is decent restaurant that is fairly central that does a very reasonable set price meal with different wines for each course which I will try to remember and sport back about - we ended up going twice.
The walk west along the shore from Funchal to Camara Dos Lobos is worth doing if you are happy with the length of it - we enjoyed it.
Definitely try the local Poncha.
I liked it and will return, but would want to see a bit more of the interior - we were fairly lazy and unadventurous.
Certainly, book trips and excursions in advance (ie now) as many get booked up fast - we made this mistake last year.
The toboggan was good fun 
Get in a minibus tour (£30 a head) for the day. We went up to the high peaks and east coast. Was a chilled day, and I wouldn't have wanted to be driving most of those roads myself!
We didn't do the gardens, seemed like a lot of money.
Blandy's tour was good.
Somewhere we would go back too!
Get in a minibus tour (£30 a head) for the day. We went up to the high peaks and east coast. Was a chilled day, and I wouldn't have wanted to be driving most of those roads myself!
We didn't do the gardens, seemed like a lot of money.
Blandy's tour was good.
Somewhere we would go back too!
Years ago that we went but a beautiful island to explore. As the whole island is essentially a big volcano that has risen up from the Atlantic sea bed the roads are mental, steep, twisty, narrow in places, with some big drops if you get it wrong. The standard of driving by the locals doesn't help much either. I think they have some sort of horn code i.e. if you hear a beep expect to met an oncoming car on the wrong side of the road overtaking a truck when entering the next blind bend. That said if you're not a nervous driver and careful then hiring a car is a good way to see a bit more of the island.
The other thing we did was took a day trip to Porto Santo, the nearest inhabited island which also has beaches. Madeira doesn't really have any. Nice trip on a boat especially coming back at sunset accompanied with a few chilled beers.
The other thing we did was took a day trip to Porto Santo, the nearest inhabited island which also has beaches. Madeira doesn't really have any. Nice trip on a boat especially coming back at sunset accompanied with a few chilled beers.
Oh and the airport is interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeira_Airport
Seems like the runway has been extended a bit since we went, I remember looking out the window thinking that can't be the runway, looks like a supermarket car park, but it was. We landed abruptly followed by full reverse thrust and braking. Quite a thrill
Seems like the runway has been extended a bit since we went, I remember looking out the window thinking that can't be the runway, looks like a supermarket car park, but it was. We landed abruptly followed by full reverse thrust and braking. Quite a thrill
Spent a week there about 5 years ago. We stayed at a nice hotel at the western end of the island, hired a car at the airport and spent the week driving around. Thought it was a wonderful place, the mountain roads would be fun in a Scooby or similar, great food especially if you like fish! Some amazing scenery as we drove around, we will be going back for another visit soon hopefully.
C0ffin D0dger said:
Oh and the airport is interesting: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeira_Airport
Seems like the runway has been extended a bit since we went, I remember looking out the window thinking that can't be the runway, looks like a supermarket car park, but it was. We landed abruptly followed by full reverse thrust and braking. Quite a thrill
Agreed, can be 'interesting', we went in May, it was windy, and the pilot had a couple of goes at landing, we went in really quite hard eventually. The pilot apologised. It is quite mountainous so causes some side winds for the runway which sort of sticks out into the sea. Google Madeira landings on youtube.Seems like the runway has been extended a bit since we went, I remember looking out the window thinking that can't be the runway, looks like a supermarket car park, but it was. We landed abruptly followed by full reverse thrust and braking. Quite a thrill
Btw those same mountains mean cloud often hangs around the tops and creeps across to the Funchal area.
At the top of the cable car ride are Gardens which are ok, another cable car takes you to some more gardens which are also ok, both ok only. IMO of course. Cable car rides and gardens are around 90 or 100 euro for two altogether, I cant remember the exact price.
[quote=ss2kjock
There is decent restaurant that is fairly central that does a very reasonable set price meal with different wines for each course which I will try to remember and sport back about - we ended up going twice.
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http://www.armazemdosal.com
There is decent restaurant that is fairly central that does a very reasonable set price meal with different wines for each course which I will try to remember and sport back about - we ended up going twice.
[/quote]
http://www.armazemdosal.com
Couple from me (we go a least once a year)
Restaurants, try Goya/Mozarts or Chris's. Lots of good small restaurants down by the cable cars
I wouldn't go to Porto Santo as little there except sand, takes too long on the ferry.
Game fishing is good if there's a few of you
Blandy's museum in Funchal, go to the tasting room and try a glass of Madeira from any year (around £ 15/glass)
The cab tours to the Nuns valley are quite reasonable
Careful on the Poncha
Restaurants, try Goya/Mozarts or Chris's. Lots of good small restaurants down by the cable cars
I wouldn't go to Porto Santo as little there except sand, takes too long on the ferry.
Game fishing is good if there's a few of you
Blandy's museum in Funchal, go to the tasting room and try a glass of Madeira from any year (around £ 15/glass)
The cab tours to the Nuns valley are quite reasonable
Careful on the Poncha
We were there in February this year, and would certainly recommend a levada hike or two, some are very easy going once you get to the starting point. Funchal and the immediate vicinity is an easy place to relax, though. We didn't make it to the botanic gardens but spent a thoroughly pleasant few hours wandering around the tropical gardens at Monte.
It's worth noting that there are lots of new, fast roads that mean you can get around the island very quickly and easily by car or bus if you want to head out of Funchal for a day or two. It's true that some of the mountain roads are a bit hairy, though - our memorable experiences included twenty minutes going uphill in first gear at about 10 mph to reach the Paul de Serra (high plain in the centre of the island), to be greeted with horizontal rain and gales so strong that the car was almost bouncing off the ground, and cooking the brakes coming downhill through Monte trying to avoid walls, dogs and properly mental taxi drivers. All in a rented 1.0 Corsa with no straight panels and zero insurance excess. Great fun
It's worth noting that there are lots of new, fast roads that mean you can get around the island very quickly and easily by car or bus if you want to head out of Funchal for a day or two. It's true that some of the mountain roads are a bit hairy, though - our memorable experiences included twenty minutes going uphill in first gear at about 10 mph to reach the Paul de Serra (high plain in the centre of the island), to be greeted with horizontal rain and gales so strong that the car was almost bouncing off the ground, and cooking the brakes coming downhill through Monte trying to avoid walls, dogs and properly mental taxi drivers. All in a rented 1.0 Corsa with no straight panels and zero insurance excess. Great fun
You can get the ferry over to Porto Santo if you want some beach - I think it comes from Madeira in the morning and returns in the evening. Crossing takes just over 2 hours. The beach is long wide white sand on PS but not a lot to do in the town near the ferry - its a very quiet laid back place; just head for the beach really.
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