Madeira - Paradise

Advantages: Fantastic in every way
Disadvantages: None as far as I'm concerned

...Having visited Madeira twice now, and experienced different hotels and different sightseeing each time, I thought it would be a good time to write up our experiences of the island- which I have to say are entirely positive. I would go as far as to say that it's probably the best holiday destination we've been to yet- although with a few long distance trips planned, who knows if that will remain the case. All I can say is that Madeira will be a hard place to beat- and this tale of two trips will hopefully explain why. For those who aren't aware or only vaguely aware, Madeira is one of the Portuguese territories in the mid-Atlantic. It's actually closer to Morocco and Western Sahara than it is to Portugal, and so the flights do take several hours to get there. Considering its location, Madeira doesn't tend to get uncomfortably hot...

bagoproverbial 05.10.2007 (29.09.2007) · Read review
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Review of Madeira (Portugal)

Riu Palace Hotel, Madeira

Advantages: A fantastic holiday experience
Disadvantages: Location, in particular for those with mobility problems although the hotel is disability friendly.

...INTRODUCTION The Riu Palace in Madeira sits like a white-washed fairytale castle with terracotta turrets, corner towers and grand archways looking out over the sapphire-blue sea. The grounds house brightly coloured flowers and palm trees making you believe you are on a Caribbean island far away. The Riu Palace is located right on the seafront at Canico de Baixo, only 10 minutes drive from Funchal Airport and 20 minutes drive to the city of Funchal. On arrival at the airport everything ran smoothly and quickly apart from me not recognising my own suitcase!!! We were driven to the hotel in a small mini bus with 5 other people and half an hour later we were sunbathing by the pool. Now that's what I call service. CHECK IN From the moment you check in at the impressive, grand reception area with its polished marble flooring, elegant...

Helenofellon 01.04.2008 (02.04.2008) · Read review
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Review of Riu Palace Madeira, Madeira

Buzzard_cad visits the garden of Madeira

Advantages: Beautiful picturesque island, not too hot in summer
Disadvantages: Hilly, poor restaurants, no sandy beaches

...This review has been languishing in my draft box since October last year so it is a little overdue in getting finished. This is my final inane writings on Madeira so sit back and enjoy the read! ~Introduction~ Madeira is an island located in the Atlantic Ocean off the West coast of Africa, it was a Portuguese colony from the 15th Century onwards and is still run by the Portuguese government. Today the island of Madeira relies heavily on the tourist trade and in selling it's aptly named 'Madeira Cake'. Numerous cruises around the world use Madeira as a stopping off point and it has a good climate all year round. It's capital is Funchal (pronounced 'Foon-shall' by the locals)and is located in a bay on the southern part of the island. As Madeira is a granite mass of rocks, it is hilly and has no sandy beaches. ~Getting there~ By...

buzzard_cad 17.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Madeira (Portugal)

Frankly, Madeira, I Don't Give A Damn

Advantages: amazing scenery, not very family or children oriented
Disadvantages: no beaches, not very family or children oriented!

...I have always got Madeira, Majorca and Menorca confused, so when I got the opportunity to go on holiday to Madeira in January I had no idea where it was, let alone what it was like. BACKGROUND Madeira is an island (I just about guessed that), lying 380 miles west of Morocco and 260 miles north of the Canaries. The island is quite small and measures roughly 35 by 12 miles. Madeira is part of Portugal so Portugese is the predominant language. LANDSCAPE AND CLIMATE Madeira is volcanic in origin and a range of mountains up to 6,000 feet high run east to west across the island. Virtually the whole island is hilly which makes agriculture difficult and car journeys extremely ear-popping! Because Madeira has a very stable climate, with temperatures rarely moving from the 16-24C band all year round, the island is lush...

jonathancowley 08.03.2001 (17.10.2001) · Read review
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Review of Madeira (Portugal)

MADEIRA WEST IS BEST

Advantages: Good value tour.
Disadvantages: The weather can block the views.

...We the Quatro Fontanas (or four Fountains) were on a trip to Madeira, we decided that an organised Tour would be better than hiring a car, as the Driver would not be able to have a Drink. I fell upon STRAWBERRYWORLD.COM on the net. The offer seemed very good they had three tours on offer, BEST OF THE WEST, BEST OF THE EAST or a Central tour of Nuns Valley. After consulting my better half (Jane) the Gardner amongst us, she said WEST IS BEST. Cost for Full Day Tour was 29 Euros per person (About £20) this included pickup at our Hotel, about 20 kilometers from Funchal, where the official Bus Started. So Pick up at 08:00 on the dot, good job Breakfast started at 07:30. Taken to the Hotel District in Funchal where the Tours Office was where we paid for our tickets. We had booked online, but did not have to pay...

poshtroika 21.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Strawberry World Tours, Madeira

Poison Sweet Madeira - A Must Own Album

Advantages: Lots of styles, really contemporary on some, more traditional on others.
Disadvantages: If you enjoy only house music then I wouldn't really say you'll like this.

.... Poison Sweet Madeira is an album of suprises. Each track differs in style but collectively they fit together perfectly. If you enjoy klezmer, jazz, classical or just something a little different then this ablum is perfect for you. If you don't strictly fit into any of these categories I'd recommend it to you as each of the people I've played it to have found something that appeals to them. It's such a mixed album that it trancends a rigid definition, which makes it harder to talk about in a review but brilliant to listen to on CD! Sophie is an amazingly accomplished musician. She's played the violin, which is an instrument that she really commands, since she was two years old and played by ear until she was 7. She learnt the traditional classical pieces, until she discovered Russian, Eastern European and Gypsy styles whilst...

Ottavia 22.08.2008 · Read review
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Review of Poison Sweet Madeira - Sophie Solomon

Levada Walk Madeira

Advantages: Beautiful Scenery, Numerous Tour operators
Disadvantages: Best not tackled alone unless experienced walker.

...The levada in madeira, are an intregal function in the islands crop production, diverting mountain water all over the island through a series of channels ( levadas). Pretty cool huh? Well along all the levadas are small walk ways as the locals used to use it for transporting goods around the island too... I have been on a couple of these walks and did both extremes, the first walk was one that is widely used by tourists, and is pretty easy going. The views across the volcanic mountains are amazing and the constant smell of eucalyptus was a welcome surprise, it also make a kind of bluey haze, well its did when i was there, but it was mid summer. The walk led to a view point, I cant for the life of me remember the name of it ( shame you cant add pics on here) but...wow, even better there was a random local in the middle of nowhere...

CHAOS1979 22.04.2008 · Read review
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Review of Levada, Funchal, Madeira

The Crowne Plaza, Madeira, Asolutely Fantastic!

Advantages: Stunning Hotel, Brand New, Clinically Clean, Excellent Professional Service.
Disadvantages: Getting to the pools becomes a bit tiresome after a while!

...Without doubt I can say this is the best hotel I have stayed in. I can also recommend a portugal based online holiday company who you get amazing deals with for it. www.strawberryworld.com is there website. We payed 500GBP per person including flights, and if you booked it through a tour operator you would be talking aroung 1000GBP per person. You get a PRIVATE taxi transfer in either a brand new minibus or we even had a Mercedes S-Class once! We have been 3 times to this hotel and I would have no problems going again. The Crowne Plaza Resort Hotel is based in Funchal (the capital of Madeira) right on the sea front with EVERY room having a full sea view, so no need to worry about being stuck in front of a noisy road. It has 9 floors and as round 1000 rooms but although this may sound huge, the hotel is actually built as two identical...

stey2k 16.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Crowne Plaza Madeira, Funchal

Madeira is a pretty island....

Advantages: Quiet, and warm during our winter
Disadvantages: You need to be fit if you want to walk outside the towns

...Madeira is a small island to the South of Portugal and level with the North coast of Africa. Britain has very strong historic links with the island and it was British people who played a key part in the development of the business of producing 'Madeira' the drink for which the island is rightly famous. The drink is a fortified wine which keeps for years. It is somewhere between port and sherry and is produced in a variety of styles (sweet or dry) according to taste. The island itself is about twenty by thrity miles and hilly. The road network is being upgraded with the help of EC grants but is presently best described as exciting. Coaches race around narrow cliff-side roads giving an experience which combines great views with occasionally sheer terror akin to a funfair. Madeira has a warm climate and is great for a winter break...

steve40 02.07.2000 · Read review
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Review of Madeira (Portugal)

Rest and Relaxation in Madeira

Advantages: Beautiful island, breathtaking views, friendly people
Disadvantages: Not really an ideal place for a family holiday

...My husband and I spent a week in Madeira a few months back. We had a marvellous time. We didn?t do much as our main aim was rest and relaxation but we had a great time. Even before our plane landed, we were treated to some really breathtaking views of the island and the airport from the air. The ride to the hotel was equally interesting, lots of hills and narrow roads with those amazing views again. On our arrival at the hotel, we were treated to a welcoming glass of Madeira port which was lovely. The hotel staff were friendly and extremely helpful at all times. We had all our meals at the hotel and it was lovely. Their buffets were lovely ? serving lots of local cuisine and we enjoyed all our meals there. We later noticed that the hotel had won quite a few awards for food. Our room, faced the sea and we had wonderful view...

mrfernz31 07.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of Madeira (Portugal)