Fab family holidays Madeira in spring
Our 5th trip to Portugal in the last 15 years, but we just got around discovering Madeira with the family in April this year – we fell in love in the first 3 days, dare we say a Portuguese Hawaii in terms of waterfalls, dolphins and whales; or a Portuguese Seychelles, in terms of lush hills and vertical drops by the sea; OK, the water is not as warm as Hawaii or Seychelles and Madeira itself has mostly pebbles / dark sand beaches, but I swam every day and loved the crystal clear, fresh Atlantic; part of the hikes or by Savoy Palace, kids jumping, or sailing with dolphins and stopping for a dip. A fab family holiday Madeira in spring: a mere 3 hours & 55min by plane from London also rather than 20 hours to Hawaii or 12 hours to Seychelles, for sure we will be back, including to its sibling island Porto Santo for the golden sandy beaches; lush valleys and levadas for hikes, scenic coast for days and zen vineyards by the sea.
Off the coast of Africa feels very Portuguese in its capital Funchal, quaint and filled with gorgeous architecture, lush flora out of this world and amazing restaurants, ranging from tavernas to Michelin star sophisticated contemporary cuisine, eclectic fine dining, rooftops and fun gastropubs.
For the pied a terre we warmly recommend Savoy Palace, a member of world’s most authentic luxury collection the Leading hotels of the world. Madeira local architect Nini Andrade Silva’s Savoy Palace feels like a vast poem with metal banisters, local embroidery, grand central staircase, covered into leafy green plants, homage to the Laurissilva forest, Madeira’s impressive Unesco World Heritage site and the largest surviving laurel forest in the world. While it’s the biggest hotel on the island and may feel too tall, its rooftop is glorious, infinity pools, zen sunbeds and rooftop bar, whilst the gardens on terraces have over 250 botanical species.
It is difficult to leave Savoy Palace myriad of facilities: but certainly after hikes and sailing, the spa feels even more glorious – Kneipp water path, heated indoor swimming pool, sauna, Turkish bath, sensory showers, halo-therapy room and 11 treatment rooms using Sodashi, Aromatherapy Associates, Margaret Dabbs, Linda Meredith and for men Gentlemen’s Tonic and Vitaman.
One super-luxe, super-sized contemporary gem, walking distance from both the sea at Savoy Royale (access included) and the old town; with 5 fantastic restaurants where we were spoilt for choice. Our favourites were the crispy squid from Pau de Lume, the octopus and tomatoes risotto at the Alameda for lunch. And for dinner, the rooftop spoils with the views and more fine dining with wine pairings, local treats and flavours.
Our kids favourite activities in Madeira? A certain 9 years old still raves about:
1. Sailing with dolphins and stopping for a dip in the sea: the Atlantic Pearl catamaran was perfect for the afternoon, fun and super scenic – the highest promontory in Madeira seen from the sea: 580 meters vertical and lush, the midpoint of the south coast of the island of Madeira and at the base of the cliff, Cabo Girão fajãs, gorgeous coast with fertile volcanic lands brimming with banana trees, passion fruits, pitang, bird of paradise plants, and wild flowers.
2. Cabo Girao fajas by cable car is as spectacular from the mirador and cable car as from the boat – spend half day in here walking around the banana plantation, pitangs, bird of paradise plants. The cable car ride is wow and thrilling according to the kids; you can jump in the sea, soak in the flora and sunshine, play with pebbles and sticks, swim and wrap up with lunch.
3. The natural lava pools at Porto Moniz, a mix of volcanic rock and concrete walkways – afternoon is perfect for sunset as well and wrapping it up with sushi and a beer at Oceana rooftop. And yes Funchal has many more gastronomic options and delights than Porto Moniz but sunset is pretty in here and worth the stop for a beer.
4. Coastal walks by Sao Lorenzo peninsula: dramatic landscapes, unique geological formations, rugged coastline, diverse birdlife, shimmering oceans and a super cute private beach to swim into; the first are settled by explorers in the 15th century, this peninsula has fab hikes for Madeira as a family all levels.
A certain 11 years old raved about:
5. Savoy Palace: one of the most beautiful of the hotels we stayed in, amazing indoor heated pool and huge outdoor pool, fantastic suites, epic scenery and access to the sister hotel, Royal Savoy, which also has two salt-water pools and many spots to jump into the ocean. Some of the best steaks I’ve ever had and options for all including sushi, outdoor dining, live music, traditional Portuguese food and amazing breakfast buffets, with lots of exotic fruit and pastel de nata. And of course kids club, game rooms, table tennis, bunnies, chicks, loads of birds and tones of flowers.
Where to swim in Madeira? South beaches are your best friend from the secluded coves of Sao Lorenzo, to Cabo Girao nature reserve, Savoy Palace front and of course the sailing. And everything blooms in Madeira in spring – it is time for the annual Flower Festival (Festa da Flor), a colourful extravaganza that takes place all over the island and of course Savoy Palace is brimming with colours, blooms and butterflies.
6. Levada walks and hikes : some of the most fabulous hikes we have been on worldwide, Madeira family holiday spoiled us all with trails with waterfalls to run in and out; scenic views, long and short hikes, some vertical, some gentler, wide range of difficulties, from flat and simple, to tunnels and slippery but lush, stunning, some challenging and some fun.
7. The fruit markets : if you are in Madeira, you absolutely need to visit the fruit markets! So many exotic fruits and the usual ones but tasting even better: from bananas and apples, to coconut, mango, passionfruit and dragonfruit, to some of the best blends of fruits you won’t find anywhere else, like the passionfruit banana, which looks like a banana but when you snap it open there are passionfruit seeds, the banana mango, a sweeter version of mango and custard apple, which is quite like a delicious blend of apple and melon.
The parents raved about :
8. Funchal architecture and gastronomy scene : fresh seafood marinated in abundance of garlic, blends of flavours, bolo de caco: flatbread served warm with garlic butter, fortified wines from dry to sweet, octopus and crispy squid from Pau de Lume. It is so hard to point to our favourites and best restaurants in Madeira: we had to test the local tavernas including Savoy’s Alameda as well as the Michelin stars contenders like Audax, the rooftop Galaxia skybar to the traditional Casal da Penha.
9. The vineyards : Quinta de Barbusano makes a perfect 2-3 hours stop on the way to the North, Sao Vicente or Porto Moniz: 450 metres altitude, a scenic valley in front of a beautiful chapel on a hill, 12 hectares of trellised vineyards on the thousands-year-old volcanic soils; from the porch of the estate, one can see the blue ocean, an intimate embrace of ferns and vineyards with the coast.
Buffeted by the ocean winds, but protected by the thousand-years-old Laurel forest, Quinta do Barbusano’s wines are unique and made up of space, time and a perennial rhythm: sunlight and reflections of the sea, organic matter and dreams. Intense in colour, and intoxicating in aroma, best to be soaked in here at the vineyard in their context and birthplace.
10. Discovering Madeira’s endemic flora : my Plant Parent app on, this makes fab family holidays Madeira in the know of blue jacaranda trees blooming in spring, tiger claws, dragon trees (toxic!), Mysore trumpet vines, yellow daylilies, calla lilies (toxic!), blue chalk sticks, garden nasturtium and so much more.
For more Atlantic inspiration and Tenerife’s Ritz Abama head here; for its neighbouring Morocco head here; no ferries sadly from Madeira to Morocco or to Tenerife at present, flying being the only option. Family holidays in Madeira have been fantastic, we will be back, with more friends in tow!
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