Madeira in December

Where to go in December?

Where to go in the winter when you don’t want to travel too far, but you’d like some warmth?  I ruled out the Canary Islands, only because I feel I’ve done the islands to death in my 20s.  I loved Cape Verde when I was there a few years ago too, but I like to explore new places.  I recalled a conversation with a work colleague who had told me they holiday often in Madeira and they love it.  I googled to look at the pictures and I was shocked how pretty it looked; decision made!

I Love Doing Research!

As always I love doing my research on where I’m going; for me it’s all part of the holiday.  My requirements for a hotel are pretty simple, first and foremost as a solo traveller I need to ensure that I am safe and that I feel safe.  I needed internet, as my evenings would be fairly restricted I decided I’d take my laptop and stream videos.  I know people say, go out and enjoy the new place you are in of an evenings but I just want to stay safe.  Generally if I know I’m going to be alone for a trip, I plan to do as much as I can in daylight hours.  It’s common sense, even in countries that are proclaimed as safe, I think it’s better to stay in a safe location than be looking over my shoulder all the time.

So I found the hotel I wanted to stay in.  Of course it ended up being a 5* hotel, as I have expensive taste.  The prices I was getting for the hotel on all well known hotel booking sites was expensive!  Out of curiosity I checked package holidays to see what hotels they had.  Bingo!  They had the hotel I wanted and it now worked out at almost half the price.  Top tip: check out all of your options!  I know there are travellers who never even consider a package holiday, whilst preaching that booking separately is cheaper.  Mostly it is, but like I say no harm in looking.

Really? A Package Holiday?

Package holidays can have their benefits: transfer included, a friendly rep on hand, an emergency telephone number and help with tours.  The nice thing about a 5* hotel is the  included transfer option is often a taxi and not a coach.

The Cliff Bay Hotel, Funchal

My research paid off!  The hotel was amazing!

I was greeted by lovely reception staff who went through everything, after she’d gone through it all she said ‘one minute, I have something for you’, she disappeared into the back office and returned with a glass of bubbly.  I have to say it was a nice touch.  I headed to my room, and couldn’t believe how huge the room was.  I opened the windows to the huge patio window and I was hit smack bang in the middle of my face with an amazing beautiful view of the harbour.

I wasn’t intending on writing a review for the hotel, but I loved it so much that I couldn’t go past without saying how good it is.  The restaurants were great.  I even had afternoon tea one of the days.  The pool areas were great, although the weather wasn’t quite hot enough for me to sunbathe.

Day Tour

I did one of the tour operator’s tours of the island, and I fell in love with the island, it was so beautiful and so interesting to hear the history.

Another day I went on a catamaran to go whale and dolphin watching.  I was surprised just how much we got to see and what a highlight of the holiday it turned out to be.

Funchal

I have to admit, I was shocked that Funchal felt very much like a European city.  I know it is, but having been to the Canary Islands a number of times, I expected it to have a similar feel to that.  I was not expecting to be in a bustling town with very European architecture.  I loved it.  I loved all the artwork scattered throughout the city also.

 

All in all Funchal and Madeira was not as I expected and it was such a pleasant surprise.  For me to take a suitcase away with me and to stay in one hotel for more than a few nights is not usual, but it’s always nice to do something different now and then, and just go somewhere to recharge the batteries.