Madeira

[FredPuli43]

Am due in Madeira over Christmas, outside Funchal. Do I need to hire a car to get the best from the island? I am interested in wildlife.

[SirOracle]

Hiring a car would be a good idea if you want to get a bit off the beaten track to better view the wildlife.
The problem is that car hire (like many other things in Madeira) is quite expensive. I always use " Economy Car Hire",who are an agency dealing with many hire car firms. Two big advantages is that there is no insurance excess and also they allow a second driver at no extra charge.
Expect to pay £170 to £200 for a week,for a smallish car over the Christmas
period.

[atalanta]

I wouldn't bother, having done so once to my immense frustration. The roads there are horribly confusing, and the available maps absolutely do not help. My friend and I actually had to pay a cabbie to drive in front of us to get us through the hideous one-way system near our hotel. All sorts of twists and turns and almost invisible signposting. And when it rains, it rains in such torrents that you simply can't see to drive, especially on the hair-pin bends. And there are heaps of hair-pin bends.
And look out for thieves. We were robbed in the hotel by thieves who must have brought a ladder with them, since we left our balcony door a few inches ajar over a considerable drop, thinking we were safe. We weren't.

[sunny-dave]

I had a week or so in Madeira - hated Funchal (apart from the wonderful fruit market - well worth a visit) - but quite liked the rest of the island.

Without a car you're going to be dependant on buses and/or taxis - which tend to be set up for trips from Funchal & you say you are 'outside' which may be a pain.

The roads are 'variable' and some of the older tunnels are a bit 'quaint' (read 'scary') - but with an up-to-date map you should have no trouble finding your way around the countryside. The north coast is well worth exploring, as are the mountain peaks in the centre of the island (there are good roads to some spectacular view points, with well signposted walks there too).

I'd second the recommendation of Economy Car Hire - they tend to be very competitive and include most insurances in their headline price, whereas you have to add a fair bit for that cover with other companies (unless you already have some annual CDW excess top-up insurance running).

[sunny-dave]

A very useful guidebook - better than the usual Rough/Lonely/DK suspects:

Amazon.co.uk User Recommendation

[janbee]

Madeira is beautiful. I'm not so keen on Funchal though. I was there a few years ago over Christmas and it was just gorgeous. I stayed at the Hotel Sao Joao and it had a superb view over the small harbour area. The QE2 came in but only a teeny weeny bit of it could get in to the quayside. The rest of it was still jutting out into the sea. Blandy's Madeira house is well worth a visit. I wouldn't bother hiring a car though. It'll cost a fortune at that time of year. Beware of time share touts and beggars. They were EVERYWHERE and made walking about quite a nightmare in some places. Also, beware of the spitting. The locals do like a good howk !! Hope you like Poinsettias and Bird of Paradise flowers... they are all over the place. if you like wildlife, there are loads of beautiful birds on the island. If you have time and the money, try a trip to The Azores. They're quite a fair distance but worth a visit. Have a lovely holiday Fred. xx

[FredPuli43]

Thanks . Might not bother with a car. It is quite likely that the hotel or some local organisation can arrange bird-watching etc, which will dispense with the need for one. I am in the Quinta Jardins do Lago hotel, reportedly a healthy 20 minute walk from the centre of Funchal.

[beeseejay]

We have been there five times, 6th coming up next month. Never hired a car and got to the smaller places by bus. Particularly good if you like white-knuckle rides! Most hotels have trips to various parts of the island and levada walks are very good and varied. We've not seen much in the way of wildlife though. As already mentioned the timeshare 'people' are the proverbial pia, don't recall seeing many (if any beggars) when we were last there four years ago. Stray dogs had been a nuisance around Funchal previously but they had all vanished the last time there. We've stayed in different places with different types of accommodation, either hotel or self catering and enjoyed each visit. The New Year firework display itself is worth the visit! I hope you enjoy your visit.

[KARL]

I have been to Madeira several times over the past 6 years or so and liked it every time - but I have never been there in winter. I imagine that there will be several cruise ships in over the holiday period and some enormous ones (like a floating town probably twice the size of the QE2) do call in there. Although the harbour will take two of the largest and another couple smaller in size, it is possible that if there is a jam then one or more might be anchored offshore. When there are cruise ships in town, the roads to the main sights fill with buses. If it is only a 20 minute walk for you into town then I suggest you don't need a car because you can also buy a pass for the town buses at the Tourist Information Office in the centre of Funchal and there you can also access a variety of organised sightseeing tours. The town buses are quite an efficient service. I find Funchal a very relaxed, attractive town and cannot think of a single English town I would prefer to it. I have never found beggars a problem and can't recall ever having been approached by one any more than in England. Timeshare sales people are relatively low key compared to some other places I have been. If you do decide to hire a car then my experience is that some of the smaller roads are an interesting construction feat in a very challenging landscape and not frightening. Madeiran drivers tend to be very considerate. Madeiran wildlife consists almost entirely of birds, as an isolated island in the Atlantic it shares this characteristic with so many others.

[FredPuli43]

This is sounding better by the minute. I would have stayed in Reid's but I am only 66 and therefore far too young, by about 20 years (and my daughter, who can't face Christmas here, is only 25 and going with me) ! Madeira itself always seemed to me an old people's place in Winter, like Las Palmas but more interesting and probably dearer. But I am beginning to see it has far more. I'm only there because Luxor was ill-advised (and cancelled by me) but it evidently has charms to rival the Pharaoh's tombs.

[KARL]

If you have the choice, go for a starboard (right) window seat. From there you are likely to see the airport as you pass it before turning right (u-turn) and landing. Notice that the runway ends are on columns because it crosses a ridge (no flat land anywhere to speak of), making this a very unusual airport.

If you are at all interested in walking then consider a levada walk or two. Levadas are water channels that run almost horizontally along the mountain sides and they have a narrow path alongside them for maintenance purposes - once you have reached the levada the walk is very easy indeed. Most of these walks are very attractive, find out about the choices before leaving.