Have you ever heard of Portugal? Of course you have!! What a ridiculous question! Have you ever heard the song “Funky Cold Medina”? Well…that probably depends on your age-plus it’s irrelevant here aside from the fact that the subject of this post made me think of that song. BUT, have you ever heard of Madeira? If you have, you’re ahead of where I was a mere 11 months ago when the name of this paradise in the middle of the Atlantic ocean first fell upon my ears.
Madeira is a small volcanic island out in the middle of the ocean with nothing else around. It is located roughly 400 miles (per my own estimate) from the coast of Morocco (North Africa), but it is Portugese territory. It is also a little paradise! A paradise I had never heard of until last year when a friend shared an email with me on a good deal to travel there. It just so happened that I was in the very early stages of planning my next trip, and the destination was still TBD.
If you look up Madeira on the internet, you will see so many beautiful pictures. But every picture I am sharing here was taken by me when I was there in May 2022. Taken with my iPhone, I should add. I am no professional photographer. But you would never guess by looking at some of these pictures. No matter which direction I turned, there was something beautiful in my view. (Sometimes those amazing views were the men! I’ve never seen so many good looking men in one place in my life!)
In addition to the beautiful landscape (and men), it was super clean. Walking in downtown Funchal in the evenings, I often saw city workers cleaning the beautiful marble tile sidewalks-so famously seen in Portugal-with those electric floor scrubber/polisher things like the ones we used to clean the barracks floors with when I was in the military.
The food was really good (although most restaurants had the same things on their menu, so variety was lacking), and most locals were very friendly and helpful…there were a few exceptions, but nothing worth more than this brief mention.
In May, the days could get rather warm in the sun, but not warm enough to jump into the infinity pool overlooking the ocean at the hotel. The evenings were a little chilly, but my menopausal body loved it! And should you ever get the chance to go, seeing the volcanic pools is an absolute MUST. They are pools made from volcanic rock that are filled with ocean water. The waves from the ocean crash right into the pools. Truly one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen, and definitely my favorite part of the entire trip. The winery visit at Quinta do Barbusano was INCREDIBLE-from the views, to the wine, to the entire experience-also my favorite part of the entire trip! LOL!!! The whale watching tour booked with VMT Madeira was spectacular. We didn’t see any whales, but we did see a baby sea turtle, and plenty of dophins, and the crew went out of their way to make the excursion very worth while and enjoyable. Lastly, make sure you try out the Poncha (a local alcoholic beverage that is quite tasty-and potent!), and take a toboggan ride down the mountain. It’s a short ride, and a little pricey, but it was fun and unique! If you are looking for a tropical paradise to escape to for a week, I highly recommend Madeira! If you want to learn more about it, visit this facebook page, which was an invaluable resource for me before I went:
