Travel Blog: Madeira Island

After exploring Lisbon we took a short plane to Madeira, a Portuguese island off the coast of Africa, for a few days. The island blew me away with its beauty, friendly people, and tasty food. 

When we first got to our hotel I was enthralled with the view. I could have sat out there all day every day just watching the world.

And with a comfy balcony set up like this sitting outside all day would have been so easy!

When we were able to tear ourselves away from the view we started with a visit to the Monte Palace Gardens, which seriously felt like another world. You took a gondola ride up the mountain and then could walk all around the gardens taking in the various trails and plants.

Everything was so lush and green.

We stopped at botanical gardens, which were not tremendously impressive by comparison to the Palace Gardens but we saw a furry friend who stopped to say hello to us.

And then we did a Levada Walk known as the 25 Fountains. You walk by 25 waterfalls but I guess it had been very dry recently there because some of the waterfalls had run dry.

The largest waterfall at the end though was very spectacular and we sat down for a brief picnic lunch. Ever since Liechtenstein we always try to work in a picnic on our travels with meat, cheese, and Tuc crackers bought at a local grocer.

Speaking of food, we always make it a habit of visiting at least one local grocery store to see what foods are offered. And yes I always look out for any American staples. I love seeing things like Philadelphia cream cheese, Heinz ketchup, and Pringles so far from home. Now if the locals actually buy them I'm not sure but I guess they wouldn't be there otherwise!

We also did so much hiking during our days in Madeira. From the tops of mountains to the "dragon tail" Madeira has so many different hikes available.

The views were stunning. I kept stopping just to look out over the mountains and watch the fog/clouds roll through.

I am so glad I packed layers on this trip because the weather kept changing from a bit misty to windy to COLD to beautiful. I can't recommend a good rain coat enough for when traveling. I love the one I have but it's been years and is starting to get worn. 

The "Dragon Tail" is the PR 8 Ponta de Sao Lourenco. It was such a different experience than the levadas walk or the mountain hikes we had done earlier. The climate was so much drier and arid. It was so cool to see all the different micro climates on the island. It looked like an entirely different place!

The island also has these natural pools that you can visit in Porto Moniz. We went just to walk around but there were people swimming while we were there. The water had to be so cold so I was impressed.

We visited a large market and tried one of their local specialties...Monstera Deliciosa. It tastes like a mix between a pineapple and a banana and you eat it like corn on the cob. 

You just have to be careful how you eat it because if its not ripe it can be unpleasant! You can tell it is ripe when the hexagonal scales are easily picked off. If you get to a part where the scale doesn't fall off easily STOP eating.

They had some really tasty fruit stands with fresh cut fruit cups and smoothies.

The market also had an area where there was an entire fish market, including black scabbardfish, which was one of the new foods we tried while we were in Portugal. It is delicious! It's an incredibly mean looking fish and is dark black with intense teeth!

We also walked to an old fort that was fun to explore.

We also worked in a quick stop at the mini big Jesus. I'll be honest I don't really know why it's there but it reminds me of Brazil so we wanted to stop. It's called Cristo Rey and is in Garaju, Madeira. 

I also accidentally took the photo on the right. We were taking a selfie on A's phone and my phone's camera went off. I think it's so neat though and it's one of my favorites.

Speaking of favorites, we haven't talked about food! One of my favorite meals was actually the restaurant at our hotel, Avista. When we got in late we didn't feel like walking to dinner and we called the concierge to see if they could fit us in. Luckily they could!

I had a langoustine appetizer, scallop risotto, and creme brûlée.

My other favorite dinner was at a local place where we had way too much food. A and I split an appetizer and I made little salmon avocado tostados. Then for the main entree I had octopus. And of course there was a brownie and ice cream dessert.

During the nights in Madeira we would just sit on our balcony and watch the lights of downtown Funchal dance in the moonlight. It was so relaxing and like nothing we have ever done before. I would go back in a heartbeat.  

Madeira island was my favorite part of the entire trip and I will be very lucky if I ever get to back. I enjoyed everything about this island and our experience.

If you could go to any island what island would you visit?

Are you a hiker/active traveler or more a beach fan on vacation?

Do you take time to relax in your hotel on vacation or are you always on the go?