Recommendations for ACTIVITIES IN NATURE
Levada walks: so many to choose from, have a look through our guidebooks. Levada is pretty much always a flat easy walk as it an irrigation canal (the Portuguese word 'levar' means to carry i.e. to carry water) Try the local Levada Nova and Moinho that pass nearby and you can reach it on foot from the back gate of our house. Try to avoid the very popular ones due to many tourists following the same resulting in overcrowding.
Coastal walk at the tip of the island – Ponta de São Lourenço. A rewarding medium difficulty 3-4 hrs return walk which you can combine with food at the Muralha’s Bar visit in Caniçal.
Beaches: Ponta do Sol (small local pebbles), Ribeira Brava (small local black sandy), Calheta (artificial sandy), Praia do Porto do Seixal (black sand with a small waterfall and fantastic green mountains), Prainha do Caniçal (tiny sandy enclave), Porto Moniz (natural rock swimming pools), Calhau da Lapa (remote place surrounded by residential caves accessed by a great walk down the cliff next to a huge waterfall.
Pico do Arieiro - one of the highest points on the island is superb. There is a high-difficulty walk leading to another mountain peak and back (perfectly doable within a day), but you can also make it into an easy stroll just by going down for 10-15 mins for the stunning vistas with clouds rolling in from deep valleys (interesting during any kind of weather, and spectacular at sunset).
Cabo Girão - some of the highest cliffs in Europe with vertical drop where you can stand on a skywalk made of glass. It’s for free on its easy way to/ from Funchal.
Garajau – with its monumental status of Christ it’s already worth visiting. Underneath the hill, however, there is a nice secluded rocky beach with a bar/ restaurant. You can drive down via a narrow road or take a cable car for the ultimate experience.
Achadas das Cruz – out-of-this-world experience in a remote village at the bottom of the cliff that you can access by a cable car. Recommended to hike down (difficult but excellent) and ride back up.
Sports facilities (Centro Desportivo da Madeira) - next to the supermarket there are picturesquely located and affordable tennis and padel courts. You can use the rackets we keep in the garage and book the courts at +351-291950120
A few external useful links:
- Live cameras from key locations on the island to check the weather before you go:
- Hiking guide for best adventurous walks:
Our suggested 1-day trip itineraries
Recommendations for RESTAURANTS:
Muralha in Ribeira Brava - local, upmarket, very reliable place indoor/outdoor place. Best dish: grilled octopus (Polvo lagareiro) to be shared by two people served beautifully. Great selection of wine too.
Casa de Pedra in Madalena do Mar - best local eatery with Lapas (Grilled Limpets) and shared platters of fish at affordable prices. Located by the beach with the upstairs veranda tables offering unbeatable amazing sunset views.
A Poita in Madalena do Mar - fish eatery with moderate prices, local fishermen and interesting decor
Muralha's Bar in Caniçal: affordable prices with an outdoor space not far from the beach. Food specialty: Lapas Grelhadas (Grilled Limpets) and other seafood snacks popular on both Madeira and Azores Portuguese islands
Casa De Abrigo Do Poiso in Camacha on the way to the Pico do Arieiro. A wooden cabin with a specialty of espetada - meat skewers spectacularly served on a metal spade at the table.
Casa de Peixe (House of the Fish) and Casa Do Carne (House of the Meat) in Câmara De Lobos – lovely upmarket places with a great view over the town
Sol e Mar in Paul do Mar – decent looking with affordable pricing restaurant. There’s quite a lot of smaller eat and drink bars on a seafront promenade which is also nice to walk around.
Restaurante Cachalote in Porto Moniz – right next to the natural swimming pools this restaurant offers an outdoors cafeteria with delicious and affordable fish e.g. black sword-fish with banana; or space inside for a more upmarket feel
O Tapassol in Funchal, located in its charming old town central part. Pricy upmarket place but serving probably the best tuna steaks on the island
PONCHA places (traditional Madeira fruit & sugar cane rum drink bars)
Taberna da Poncha in Serra D’Agua – a legendary place where it is made locally and eaten with peanuts thrown onto the floor
Bar A Quinta in Quinta Grande - a local place, 15-mins drive. They offer a unique taste of strawberries & lime - very refreshing. It is called mora-lima poncha (morangos in Portuguese is strawberries)
Rei da Poncha in Funchal - one of the best places in central Funchal with outdoor tables
Sugar cane rum factory (Sociedade dos Engenhos) in Calheta - an exhibition and a shop with a variety of bottled rum drinks, ponchas and one of the best Madeiran cakes to buy as fantastic souvenirs
Holiday practicalities
Rent a car
You need a car to be traveling around the island comfortably. Technically there is a bus that you can take from outside of our house to Ribeira Brava and then change to go to Funchal or the Airport, but these are only for the adventurous ones. These buses are local and therefore slow and not very convenient, only to be used in an emergency situation really.
Here are two rental cars companies that we can recommend:
Global one: www.autoeurope.co.uk/
Local one: www.7mrentacar.com/
Supermarket
The most convenient big yet not crowded supermarket is 7 mins drive – Continente Modelo. It is in Ribeira Brava, picturesquely located by the mountains, usually with a waterfall visible in the distance on your right. Open 8 - 23 everyday!
The exact address: Continente, Modelo, Sitio da Meia Légua, Ribeira Brava, 9350-131 Funchal, (important not to mistake it with a smaller local market under the same name that is in the Ribeira Brava town centre).
We also leave you the supermarket’s loyalty card attached to the house keys that give you some pretty good discounts.
