We flew from Gatwick with BA, a 0720 flight which landed early, just after 1100. Madeira is on the same time zone as UK and therefore no need to change our watches. As we flew business class, we enjoyed the lounge beforehand and comfort on the flight. We caught the airport bus to our hotel - the Fourviews, Funchal Lido. Initially we had a room on the mountain side, which was very noisy ( and you couldn't see the mountain) but Linda kept complaining to the reception about the views, the noise and everything else, so for some peace and quiet on day two they gave her an alternative room, which was quieter and in fact bigger.
There are several outdoor pools at the hotel and so most days we would just have breakfast, then sit and read by the pool in the morning. In the afternoon we would go into town and have a walk round, it is about a 30 minute walk downhill walk into town, more difficult coming back. All the cruise ships come into the port here for the day.
It's very hilly so it made my morning run challenging to say the least, I did do one afternoon run, but it was too hot. The hotel is not very full so there are plenty of loungers to go round, I can imagine that in the summer it is more competitive. There appear to be a lot of older retired people here probably on Saga holidays!
On Sunday I had booked afternoon tea at Reid's Palace hotel which is famous for tea on the terrace. Sir Winston Churchill stayed here and used to take tea on the terrace. Plenty of royalty and thespians have also been here, so Linda thought it was suitable for her. They do all types of tea, I had a Chinese green tea and Linda had Reids home brew. They bring you the sandwiches, followed by scones and then cakes. You can eat as much as you want. It was very entertaining and Linda enjoyed it. We had to dress up for tea no t-shirts or shorts were allowed.
On Monday we took the bus downtown and then a sightseeing bus to Monte, which is up in the hills. It is from here people come down the lanes in a basket. It was quite high up and took a while to get there, round windy lanes. We stayed at the top for about an hour. It is around 3000 feet above sea level. We had a look round the gardens and church, then caught the bus back down. Linda has found a favourite cafe called the Ritz and likes to stop there for coffee or ice cream, she particularly likes their dark chocolate ice cream.
On Tuesday, as we were having a pool day so I decided to go for a longer run. I left at
It 0730, while Linda was still asleep and arrived back just after 0900. I did about 7 miles, but stopped several times for photo opportunities or to admire the scenery. She wanted to know where I had been, not because she was worried I might have got lost, but worried about missing breakfast, as it finished at 1000!
We would recommend Madeira for a nice warm sunny relaxing holiday with no wind or rain!
You can see some photos here.