I can totally understand the hype about this beautiful island. The lush green scenery melts into the endless blue of the ocean topped with wild mountains and the mysterious levada trails.

It is no exaggeration to say that one can easily give in to the temptation and get off the beaten track because as soon as you set foot on this island your curiosity level goes up to level 2000.

One needs to be careful though. Plenty of tourists had Madeira as their final destination unfortunately. This is one of those places where you need to respect nature and the advice of the locals and the authorities. If the weather looks stormy you better postpone your outdoor plans for another day and stay on safe ground.

We were relatively lucky with the weather during our stay. Wind and rain only got us a few times and we got sunny but no too hot days mostly. Sometimes it gets warmer around Easter time, but I was still satisfied. People told me not to trust the weather forecast too much and prepare with all sorts of clothes.

Our accommodation was a perfect spot for watching sunsets as it was facing South-West. The only thing I´d add here -might come to you a bit unexpected- we had trouble sleeping because of the waves crushing on the rocky beach.

I guess the building being so close to the beach, somewhat amplified the sound of the ocean. We tried to get used to it, but 5 days were not enough. We’ll have to go back at one point to conclude this experiment.

The famous tunnel of Praia Formosa was very close to our place, so we passed quite a few times. We even walked into Funchal downtown one day and it took us no more than 30 minutes. It is a nice walk, just don´t forget to gather some strength for your way back at one of the sea side bars. In my case the source of power was a nice glass of Poncha as you may have guessed.

Another important rule with Poncha is perhaps very obvious: Leave it for the end of the day if you can. Especially if you are driving around on the curvy roads. Poncha is stronger than it looks.

The only program I booked in advance through a third party was the boat tour, because I was scared it might fill up. I opted for the catamaran tour because we haven´t been on a catamaran before. I chose the earlier tour which started at 10:00 because I read somewhere that the dolphins and whales might be more active earlier in the day. We saw pilot whales and some dolphins, they were swimming with our boat for a while.

We were so lucky with the weather that day, that we could even stop for a short dive in the ocean at Cabo Girão on our way back to the marinha.

The staff was nice, they lent me snorkel gear for a 20 euro deposit which I got back after I returned the gear. Although I couldn´t see too much underwater, I still enjoyed my dive.

After this boat trip I was a bit sad, I wasn´t brave enough to choose the more adventurous one with Rota de Cetáceos. They go out with smaller boats and let you swim with the whales and dolphins by holding on to a rope.

I am sure I will go for that one if we return one day. I was just a bit concerned about the sea temperature. For those, who like to admire these wonderful creatures from a distance I totally recommend the catamaran, but for those who like adventure, I think the tours with the above mentioned company with small boats is a better choice.

On the third day, we wanted to try the famous Carreiros de Monte or the toboggan ride. Our first attempt was to go around midday, but we soon had to realise, that, unless we want to stand in line for two hours, we should leave it for another day, when we can arrive earlier. Many people take the capsule/ teleférico/ gondola from downtown Funchal which is a nice thing I am sure. We skipped that one, because we wanted to save some money and we have been on this kind of gondola many times. We went up to a certain point by car, parked and continued our way uphill by feet. It is very steep, so if you want a nice exercise, this can be considered one for sure. You can also meet the Carreiros/ toboggans on the way. On our way up, I was thinking about the times when Madeira didn´t have cars and they invented this fun way of getting down the hill… the horses or donkeys must have had some pretty hard time carrying back the toboggans after the joyful ride. Although, I guess, back then, it wasn´t just for fun but rather as a means of transport.

Our early arrival paid off and we got to ride among the first peeps that day. Our toboggan guys were still a bit sleepy, but we had fun nevertheless. As fun as it looks, this job too, can get a bit boring after some time, I guess. Once you arrive to the end of the ride, they offer you photos they took along your ride (10 euros), plus there are plenty of taxis to take you back to Funchal or to the teleférico/ gondola.

Since this activity normally doesn´t last longer than an hour, unless you need to stand in line for the ticktets… it is perhaps wise to combine it with another program close by.

The botanical gardens for example. We didn´t visit it, to save some money (once again), but I have heard great things about it, so I am sure it is worth every penny.

Santana was different from how I imagined. I thought that the whole village will consist of the traditional houses. In reality there were only a few of these authentic huts scattered through the town. But they were still cute.

All the roads with all their deadly curves are breathtakingly beautiful. Plenty of waterfalls along the way, moss covering every bits and parts in the forest. Palm trees, banana plantations, mossy oak trees and pines all at one place with some exotic bushes and plants among them. Never seen anything like this before.

We only had the chance to go up to Pico Areeiro but we were once again very lucky with the weather. When attempting to go up to Pico Ruivo on another day, we had to give up due to heavy rain and wind.

However, the day we spent at Pico Areeiro was beautiful. You can park close to the summit so the majority of the walk is not up to the summit unless you come from one of the levada trails. We didn´t do the full tracking from Areiro to Ruivo because it takes a long time (7hrs I think) and it is challenging. Instead, we did a small part of it and then turned back. We did see some Starway to heaven-like parts, so I am not sure if people actually post the same or different ones…One thing can be a challenge for sure, if you want to visit the summit at sunrise, it can get extremely crowded, so maybe start early if you plan to go by car, so that you have a parking spot. Many people hire services who take them up to the summit and then once they are finished someone goes and picks them up. I am sure there is a great variety of possibilities. Another update is that, I think they have closed down the top of the mountain recently, due to the above mentioned chaotic peak time traffic… so most probably they have shuttle service to the top of the mountain…

We were lucky enough to see the famous Madeira mountain bird, the Red-legged partridge.

On the other side of the island there are several options for the famous natural pools. Seixal is fantastic but the pool is really on the same level with the ocean so if it’s wavy the water gets into the pool and creates a whirlpool effect, so be careful with that. Also for the same reason, the water can get cold, because it gets the fresh refills from the ocean. The restaurant by the pool is awesome.

In Porto Moniz the natural pools are bigger and they are a little bit above sea level so the water only gets in there when it’s high tide. Therefore it is warmer than the one in Seixal. It has lovely underwater life: fishes, seaweed… We were swimming around here for quite a while. It was hard to leave.

After the pools we decided to visit the Fanal forest in the mountains. A 30 minute drive from the beach. Those trees are really mystical. There were cows peacefully roaming around. The tourist shed is a bit rundown, I hope they will renovate it. I think this area should also have a restaurant or a small café.

We returned to this place on a different day when the weather was foggy and rainy and it was so exciting to see the spot in a very different atmosphere.

What a difference a day makes, right?

On Easter Sunday we decided to make a trip to the Eastern part of the island. It is a long but very nice walk along the coastline. FYI: The elephant rock can be seen already from the parking lot, so in case you only go there to see that, don´t walk 3kms to the eastern end of the island because you can´t see the elephant rock from there. I realised this only, when we got back from the walk. But I didn´t mind.

There is a nice little restaurant at the middle of nothing on the eastern end, where you can have a soup or a quiche or a drink. Its gorgeous.

One golden rule for Madeira: you should be prepared for all kinds of weather conditions. Even if it starts out sunny, you should take a raincoat and an extra layer, especially if you plan to go up to the mountains. It can happen the other way round as well, so if the day seems to be cloudy take suncream and sunglasses just in case.

Many people speak English especially around the touristy places.

Food is also very delicious, we loved bolo do caco, the special madeira bread, Poncha of course and all the lovely fishes, milho frito…maracuja hmmm

Among the fantastic restaurants we liked Beer Garden and Cafeteria Sete Mares in Funchal and also Casa do Abrigo close to Pico Ruivo.

For a good açai try Art Food Corner. It has a very nice atmosphere and great food specialities.

The only bad thing that happened to us, was that a family member got food poisoning most probably from tomato soup which was not fresh maybe. In the pharmacy they gave us Nausefe, which is also good for boat trips. The food poisoning lasted only one day but it was very strong.

On our last day we went to play mini golf in the Panoramic Gardens of Funchal. It was so much fun, I can only recommend.

I could go on about Madeira for pages… because it is truly a wonderful place but I hope I managed to convey a taste of it.