Traveling Thoughts of Madeira

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By Andy Williams

Madeira was rediscovered by Portuguese sailors between 1418 and 1420. A popular resort famous for it's Madeira wine and spectacular New Years fireworks celebrations, the largest in the world.

Having recently returned from Madeira I just thought it would be nice to share some of my experiences. Firstly, the main reason I chose this destinations was for the good weather temperatures. Madeira is a sub tropical island which is situated just below the Canary Islands and therefore has very good weather all year round with temperatures never falling below 20 degrees.

The Island is very lush with an array of flowers always in bloom. Madeira is famous for its wine, which is a great experience to see it being made and taste of course. The walks in the mountains are not to be missed; I have never seen anything as beautiful in my life. In Madeira there are the famous 'Levades' which are situated in the mountains along the walks, these are natural springs in the form of waterfalls which I have to say are stunning.

I stayed in Funchal which is the City where there is a main port serving many boat trips, cruise ships and a great array of all the latest shops as well as restaurants and bars. There is usually lots of entertainment going on here such as Folklore Dancing and singing which is free of charge. The restaurants are excellent with the local catch of the day 'Espada', scabbard in English being my all time favourite it's very cheap and is the best tasting fish I have ever had. The seafood is also fresh and plentiful; and the prawns are huge and very tasty.

I did go on a day trip to the North of the Island to a lovely town called Porto Moniz. I have to say next time I return to Madeira this is definitely where I will staying. It is a small but very stunning village with a big personality. They have natural swimming pools which are right on the sea, they are amazingly unique. I have never seen anything like it before. The pools are huge and have big slides as well as children's section with mini slides they also have a really good sunbathing deck where you can top up your tan and relax with a drink from the bar or have a meal in one of the restaurants.

The locals are all Portuguese and I have to say how polite and friendly they were without being sleazy. They were very interesting and were always happy to engage in conversation about the history of Madeira or the weather. The English was very good too, unlike my Portuguese which I have to admit is embarrassingly nonexistent!

All in all I can highly recommend Madeira to all ages, whether you are looking for a relaxing holiday in the sun or you want to explore the beautiful lush Island. The added bonus is that it is only a 3 hour flight from the UK.

Fleur Mintz represents HotelsBooked.com a leading Online Hotel Reservation and Bookings website ranging from European flights and hotels to New York City breaks.

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