8 Te Travel Guide


Promotional Content • Saturday 29th January 2022


A weekend in Madeira


Against a backdrop of volcanic peaks, waterfalls and lagoons, new hotels and a raft of wild adventure tours are giving new edge to the lush Portuguese isle. Words: Amelia Duggan


Hiking Pico Ruivo, amid Madeira’s rugged volcanic landscapes PHOTOGRAPH: GETTY I


n some respects, Madeira has transformed within a generation. Located in the subtropical waters off


northwest Africa, the Portuguese autonomous region was gifted a network of long-awaited highways this century. Tese snaking roads have opened up the island’s forested summits and mercurial northern coast to visitors previously concentrated around the cruise ship-friendly capital, Funchal, on the southern shore. Tis infrastructure boom has


allowed the island to shrug off a reputation for being sun-blessed yet fairly staid: any visit to modern Madeira shows it to be a hub of new adventure tours that capitalise on the island’s natural bounties. A year-round, temperate climate, wildlife-rich waters, surf breaks and twisting mountain trails mean there’s more than enough action for a long weekend — the perfect complement to the island’s ever-expanding cosmopolitan offering. Design hotels and edgy restaurants have found


Any visit to modern Madeira shows it to be a hub of new adventure tours


View of Funchal’s terracotta roofs, with the city’s cathedral in the centre PHOTOGRAPH: DIGITAL TRAVEL COUPLE


homes among the patchwork of vines and banana terraces, and Europe’s first ‘Digital Nomad Village’ opened this year. But despite the island’s


development, its proud traditions are still what characterises any time spent on Madeira: colourful dishes of buttery, black scabbardfish and cooked banana in passionfruit


sauce; goblets of honeyed poncha, the beloved local punch; and riotous festivals that light up the night sky with fireworks.


Weekend itinerary Start the day by hopping into an open-top, off-road jeep to explore the island. Around a dozen operators run private and small-group tours that


pick up travellers from their hotels and take them on a customisable adventure. A half-day trip might take in the UNESCO-protected Fanal Forest; the cloud waterfall beneath the Lombo do Mouro viewpoint; and the ‘lava pools’ of Porto Moniz. Book with Madeira Mountain Expedition or True Spirit, whose petrol-head guides can furnish you


with context and tips for the rest of your stay. Nestled in a natural amphitheatre


at the centre of the sun-drenched south coast, Funchal — Madeira’s compact capital, home to nearly half the population — is the island’s epicentre. Besides a clutch of small museums and heritage buildings in the historic quarter, the main focus for travellers is the market, with its art nouveau and art deco influences. Madeiran architects and


restaurateurs have perfected the art of the lofty, sunset-facing ocean terrace, so there’s no shortage of scenic evening dinner-and-drinks spots to choose from on the southwest coast. For elegant cuisine in chic settings, reserve a table in Hotel Ponta do Sol’s high-altitude garden restaurant above the village of the same name, or the chef’s table in the newly opened Socalco Nature Hotel, the brainchild of renowned Madeiran chef Octávio Freitas, set high above the beach and docks of Calheta. Meanwhile, the party’s always in full swing at surfer bar Maktub in the fishing village of Paúl do Mar, where owner Fábio Afonso creates seafood plates with ocean-fresh ingredients, just feet from the water.


First published in the December 2021


issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK). Read the feature in full online at nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel


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