Madeira

Smooth, Serene, Revitalising

Mountainous terrain, beautiful views of the Atlantic (every morning), and magical starry nights. Madeira exceeded my expectations.

The island has so much to offer. Each coast has a unique selling point: from the Black sand beach in the north to the winding, mysterious trails leading to waterfalls and wild cows in the West Coast. I highly recommend renting a car and exploring every inch of the island. It’s not that big, but it’s worth every second. The rental cost was less than £250 for 4 full days.

What would a trip to Madeira be without hiking its famous peak? The popular climb from Pico do Arierio to Pico Ruivo was an arduous and highly anticipated one, worthy of every leg cramp (my calves still hurt as I write this, and it’s been 6 days!).

The mountain summit (1,862m), an 8.3km medium-difficult hike, offered beautiful views and cool weather – you’re literally above marshmallow clouds.

I would recommend hiking back through the Achada do Teixeira route (2.7km) downhill instead of going back the long, tough route to Arierio and bagging a taxi from the parking lot – you’ll thank me later (it costs 60 euros to get back to the Arierio parking lot from Taxeiro)! Also, get there early – at least 30 mins before sunrise to capture an epic sunrise on the Arierio and to find a parking spot in the main car park (don’t park on the road or else you’ll end up with a 30 euro parking ticket).

Top things to do:

• Soak in the view wherever you are on the island.
• Visit both the East and West Coasts
• Seixal Beach (Black sand beach)
• Pico de Arierio to Pico do Ruivo
• 25 Fontes
• Funchal
• Try Madeiran Black cake (most other authentic cakes/biscuits contain alcohol or lard)

Where to stay: Villa EldoMar

Overall Rating: 10/10