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Published: January 9th 2017
An Easy Jet flight from Manchester to Madeira allowed us to escape the cold winter UK weather for 2 weeks.
Our apartment in Palheiro Village, Funchal was very comfortable and well appointed, overlooking the sea with a nice balcony.
A bus stop nearby gave us easy access into Funchal centre. There was a steep hill up to the Palheiro Golf Club but the reward was super views of Funchal harbour and country walks to Casa Velha and around the golf course.
We had several days out "on the buses". We travelled up to Monte on bus no 22 and visited the church and the old train station. Then via bus 48 to Picos dos Barcelos with stunning views of Funchal and the mountains.
In Funchal we visited Igresia de Sao Paulo a charming 16th Century church and the Convent de Santa Clara. The latter a great experience for just 2 Euros.
On our West Island tour with Blandys Travel we saw some spectacular scenery. We stopped at Ribiera Brava a pleasant seaside village then through some long tunnels to the North of the Island to Sao Vicente one of the prettiest villages. Our lunch stop was in Porto Moniz where volcanic
lava had led to the formation of natural pools On our way back to Funchal we stopped at Ponta do Sol by the sea then the high point of Cabo Girao the highest sea cliff in Europe for some panoramic views.
We took another bus trip number 56 to Santana on a very misty day, climbing through the clouds to Ribeiro Frio then via Faial to Santana with wonderful sea and mountain views. we saw the traditional A frame houses and enjoyed coffee and natas for under 4 Euros. A final bus day out took us to Machico about 50 minutes from Funchal where there were pleasant walks along the seafront and nice cobbled streets to potter around.
There were two good evenings at the English Church where we listened to two very talented Russian musicians Olga and Andrei playing classical and jazz music.
Our time in Madeira ended with a good meal out at the Dos Combatantes restaurant before walking around the Christmas stalls and seeing the lovely decorations.
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michelleandkev
Michelle & Kevin Cavanagh
Happy New Year!
Good to see you both enjoying another travel adventure! Lovely photos. We have my baby sister Charlotte and brother-in-law John with us at the moment. Bit of a heatwave here so they're ngo ing to find it very hard going back to the cold of the UK. M xx