Super perspectives Nancy! When we did our "discovery trip" 2 years ago to decide where we wanted to live in Portugal, we first visited Madeira (before we visited the mainland) to property hunt because we love islands and wanted to see if living on this one might resonate for us. We purposely went in March in order to check out the island's winter weather. We found that the weather was no warmer than the Algarve – and, in fact, could be colder, particularly in the higher reaches beyond what they call the “banana belt” where bananas do not grow.
The picturesque island and its big city, Funchal, are charming but our decision to settle on the mainland was because of 3 major drawbacks to Madeira: 1) the wear and tear of traversing the steep, uneven and calçada-lined streets would take its toll on our aging backs 2) moving from Florida, we wanted the warmest winter weather possible and saw that Southern Portugal was a better bet and 3) the island’s beaches are comprised of pebbles and, since we like to walk the beaches, we prefer the fine sand of the Algarve beaches.
With all this in mind, we reserved Madeira as a “nice place to visit” and ended up settling in the western Algarve where we purchased a place in Lagos. It was the right answer for us. We love it!
Thanks for a lovely article and a belated Happy Birthday. Madeira is too close to the Equator for my liking. I also don't do well up and down hills since a knee replacement.
Thoroughly enjoyed Madeira report, dear Nancy! I think I will enjoy hiking and a beaches there. Fruit choice is great. Looking forward for more stories!!
Thanks Nancy, for sharing Madeira with us. Seems quite amazing. I am looking forward to visiting in the future. My move to Lisbon is planned for April,. Getting excited! Kepp up the good work, your writings are top notch.
Great to visit with you while you were here - and we're looking forward to your return. That was a glowing pitch for the island, but maybe don't "sell" it too hard! :-) Best kept secret...
Thanks for sharing your Madeira experience. We visited last September and loved the island. Having rented a car we were able to tour the whole island. This made me realize just how small the island actually is. Beautiful place to visit however I don’t think I could live there. In July we will be visiting Tenerife, curious to see how they differ. Looking forward to your next post about the island.
I enjoy your stories every week. We spent a week in Madeira in October, 2021 and after experiencing it I said the same to my wife, i.e. had we come here before we went to the Algarve I would have wanted to live in Madeira. My favorite place was a fishing village called Paul do Mar, about 30 km west of Funchal. There is a great right-hand reef break there that I could, I think, still surf as it breaks only about 20-30 m off the shore and there is an easy paddle out channel. My long paddle out days through the shore break are long over.
Sounds amazing! Looking forward to more detail in your next post. Really liked your top line summary of the history and how you’ve set up the broad strokes. Pleased you got to Reid’s it’s such a gorgeous old building. Waiting in anticipation 😁
Super perspectives Nancy! When we did our "discovery trip" 2 years ago to decide where we wanted to live in Portugal, we first visited Madeira (before we visited the mainland) to property hunt because we love islands and wanted to see if living on this one might resonate for us. We purposely went in March in order to check out the island's winter weather. We found that the weather was no warmer than the Algarve – and, in fact, could be colder, particularly in the higher reaches beyond what they call the “banana belt” where bananas do not grow.
The picturesque island and its big city, Funchal, are charming but our decision to settle on the mainland was because of 3 major drawbacks to Madeira: 1) the wear and tear of traversing the steep, uneven and calçada-lined streets would take its toll on our aging backs 2) moving from Florida, we wanted the warmest winter weather possible and saw that Southern Portugal was a better bet and 3) the island’s beaches are comprised of pebbles and, since we like to walk the beaches, we prefer the fine sand of the Algarve beaches.
With all this in mind, we reserved Madeira as a “nice place to visit” and ended up settling in the western Algarve where we purchased a place in Lagos. It was the right answer for us. We love it!
Chinese people tell me that walking up big hills=longevity, so maybe not such a bad thing after all.
Thanks for a lovely article and a belated Happy Birthday. Madeira is too close to the Equator for my liking. I also don't do well up and down hills since a knee replacement.
The pictures are enticing..I had no idea of the history! Pretty neat
Thoroughly enjoyed Madeira report, dear Nancy! I think I will enjoy hiking and a beaches there. Fruit choice is great. Looking forward for more stories!!
Awesome Birthday celebration. Another advantage living in EU- short flights!
Looking forward to more reports
Thanks Nancy, for sharing Madeira with us. Seems quite amazing. I am looking forward to visiting in the future. My move to Lisbon is planned for April,. Getting excited! Kepp up the good work, your writings are top notch.
Also, I do think it is at least a 28% grade. We are using it as part of our workout.
Ok now we need to move Madeira up on our travel list! And happy belated birthday!!!!!
Great to visit with you while you were here - and we're looking forward to your return. That was a glowing pitch for the island, but maybe don't "sell" it too hard! :-) Best kept secret...
Thanks for sharing your Madeira experience. We visited last September and loved the island. Having rented a car we were able to tour the whole island. This made me realize just how small the island actually is. Beautiful place to visit however I don’t think I could live there. In July we will be visiting Tenerife, curious to see how they differ. Looking forward to your next post about the island.
I always look forward to reading your posts. Thanks for taking the time to write about your trip. You've inspired me to visit.
I enjoy your stories every week. We spent a week in Madeira in October, 2021 and after experiencing it I said the same to my wife, i.e. had we come here before we went to the Algarve I would have wanted to live in Madeira. My favorite place was a fishing village called Paul do Mar, about 30 km west of Funchal. There is a great right-hand reef break there that I could, I think, still surf as it breaks only about 20-30 m off the shore and there is an easy paddle out channel. My long paddle out days through the shore break are long over.
Sounds amazing! Looking forward to more detail in your next post. Really liked your top line summary of the history and how you’ve set up the broad strokes. Pleased you got to Reid’s it’s such a gorgeous old building. Waiting in anticipation 😁
Your comparison with Hawaii is well made. Just one of the many reasons we love Madeira despite unfortunate family history!
Apropos:
https://marcoandsabrina.substack.com/p/madeira-chestnuts-fado-and-limpets