Madeira, Portugal

[greytstuff]

I'll start a new thread for this question. I've been looking over the land tours for this port plus doing research on my own. Has anyone out there done the toboggan sledges from Monte down to Funchal? It looks to me to be a blast. I'm thinking taking the cable car up to the top and the toboggan down would be neat. Any comments, anyone? I'm up for almost anything, even the camel ride on Lanzarote

[Hblanton]

We did did the cable car up/toboggen down about a month ago. It was huge fun and is greatly recommended. One thing to note - the sled ride, which lasts about 5 minutes, takes you about 1/3rd the way down the hill. From there you can either take a cab back down, or walk. The walk takes about 30-40 minutes, but is on a very steep downhill (I live in San Francisco, so I know about steep hills, and these are steep.) So if you want to hike it, make sure you have good shoes. A walking stick wouldn't hurt either.

Oh, and as for Lanzarote - its a pit. We didn't do one of the tours (north or south) so maybe they are more interesting, but if you just hop the shuttle bus into town you are dropped off at an indoor/outdoor shopping mall that is fantastically uninteresting.

[dfb]

Funchal is a great port to just wander on your own. It is a beautiful place. We did what you are asking about the last time we were there. If you don't have any walking problems, a day just wandering on foot there is a wonderful idea, go for it! Here is a link to our journal entry for that day.
http://journals.aol.com/dfriia/WestwardWorldCircumnavigation200/entries/2006/04/19/day-112---wednesday-april-19-funchal-madeira/320

Debbie

[TheWaywardTraveler]

I agree with everyone, Funchal is beautiful. I think it looks like a cross between Hawaii and a cliffside Italian town (see pics at http://www.photoshow.com/watch/Iy2PA2dH or http://picasaweb.google.com/pjmisso - same pictures, different formats).

The cable car we took stopped at the top near a "Charming Hotel" with a restaurant where we had a fabulous lunch (http://www.quintadomontemadeira.com/). We did not take the toboggan down - DH was brave enough going up in the cable car!

The ocean front has a wonderful walkway, and plent of restaurants and shops to keep you busy for an afternoon, and a tethered balloon ride too!

[JoAnne B]

I agree that Funchal is a destination made for walking. But you can also arrange a guided tour by taxi that will expand your view of the island. I recommend checking out MadeiraIsland.com for reputable taxi driver/tour guides.

JoAnne B

[cruiseluv]

Hi Joanne B,

I know that you go to Funchal often. I am not sure if you ever fly between Funchal and Lisbon. If you do, do you know if those fares in Tap or Portugalia ever go on sale? I have been watching those fares for months now and no matter what dates I input or how far in advance is the date, the fares are always the same . Just curious if you know anything about that.

Thanks!

[sho]

I was in Funchal 2 months ago on a land tour. Went to Monte twice.

First time hired a taxi with an English-speaking driver for a half-day excursion (about Euro 65). He took us to Monte where we visited the church and the Botanical Garden. There were people riding the tobbogan sledges down the hill, probably for about 200-300 yards, not all the way into Funchal town centre.

The Botanical Garden was lovely, but it was rather hilly, and took us about an hour to walk up and down various parts. The Japanese gardens and carp pools were beautiful.

The driver then took us to the top of the island: Ariero di pico, all 6000 feet high with panoramic view of the island and spectacular landscape of the surrounding mountains. We had snack lunch in the Pousada hotel up there.

On the way back, we visited Funchal centre, fine art museum and had wine tasting at Blandy's madeira wine shop. I'd recommend the 15 years' old Malmsey (sweet Madeira wine).

The second time we took the cable car to Monte (about 10-15 minutes) and had a stroll in the local hotel, Estagalem de Monte where there was an open restaurant facing the Botanical Garden.

[greytstuff]

Thanks everyone for all your wonderful suggestions and comments. Again, I must say what a wonderful resource this board is when planning your trip. Your experiences are so much more objective than just going on-line and getting info from different web sites or reading travel guides

dfb: (Debbie & Clay) Thanks so very much for directing me to your journal. I am loving reading it and found your Madeira journal to be especially helpful. I have printed it out for future reference as our trip gets closer (Nov.) I got a tremenous kick out of Bob. I would love to hear the story about him. He's obviously very important to you.

I also read the McCormack's journal of their WC this year. Maybe you did also.

[greytstuff]

Hi Pat M.
Loved your pictures, thanks for sharing. I have a hunch Madeira will be my favorite port on this cruise.

[TedC]

Don't miss the camel ride in Lanzarote and the fascinating tour of the many volcanoes on the island. We've been on camels in Egypt, Tunisia and Australia and Lanzarote was the BEST.

We also stopped at a winery for a tasting and bought a couple of bottles. The weather was good and it was a wonderful day! You'll see and learn much in Lanzarote that you'll never experience at a mall.

[JoAnne B]

Cruiseluv

Yes, I make that trek frequently. You can sometimes pick up sale prices for round-trip, but one-ways are pretty fixed. Are you checking the TAP-Air Portugal website? It's pretty user friendly and gives you the range of rates, which can vary by flight. Having said that, Another tip, I have found that other travel websites such as Expedia or Travelocity undercut the TAP website price significantly. Be sure to check them as well.

Two points, TAP is generally preferred to other carriers. On a good day it makes little difference, but when problems arise they're a better bet. Some of the other carriers have only a few planes and when one is delayed or taken out-of-service the ripple effect is chaos.

Second, it's worth the higher fee to fly first class. You'll avoid the lines which can be horrendous at times and have a less restrictive baggage allowance. Plus you'll have access to the private lounge where you can wait in comfort. And if there is a problem, they'll go out of their way to take care of you. If it sounds like I focus on "problems", they arise with frequency. Weather and other factors can cause delays or even airport closures, and the local response isn't exactly efficient.

JoAnne B

[cruiseluv]

Hi JoAnne,

Thank you for the info and the tips. I appreciate your candor as I do like to anticipate problems.


Are the weather issues more common on certain months of the year? We'll be in Funchal in November after getting off from Voyager. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we can't do the TA portion. That would certainly be a simpler way to return to the US!

[Host Dan]

Just my 2 cents.. We flew TAP out of Lisbon in April, first class, and swear we will never do that again. The customer (non) service at check-in, to the very unfriendly in-flight staff. I, personally, would check other carriers.

Host Dan

[cruiseluv]

Host Dan

Thank you for your comments.

We are flying from Lisbon to US in Continental. However, to get out of Funchal to Lisbon it seems that TAP has a quasi monopoly. So we will have to suffer whatever is required.

[JoAnne B]

I, too, usually take Continental for the transatlantic, either through Lisbon, London, or even Amsterdam at times. London right now is my last choice. I've taken TAP dozens of times over the past few years and have only encountered one truly "rude" situation when the airport was closed due to a sandstorm off Africa and the airport was packed with stranded travelers. Hence, my warning. I could write a book about the challenges of getting to the mainland, but it wouldn't include complaints about rudeness. To a person, every other encounter has been very professional. Not always efficient, but that's not a common Portugese trait, so I overlook it. My only TAP transatlantic (business class) was problem-free and I wouldn't hestitate to take them in a pinch. Not as good as Continental, but good enough. However, they do tend to overbook rather badly at times. They're no longer affiliated with Continental, so I'm not sure who they ue for the overflow these days. If you are straight-through and the flight is delayed, they will bus you directly from one plane to the connection. If you are on two separate tickets they will book your baggage straight through, but probably can't offer the transfer amenity.

The big problem getting off Madeira occurs when you try to do a same-day connection. Delays are common...once you see the airport you'll understand. Pilots have to be specially certified to fly in and out of Madeira and once there is a delay it tends to snowball. Best to take a relatively early flight off the island and spend the night in Lisbon. Continental has added a second flight some days, which makes the connection a little less risky, but still iffy.

JoAnne B

[cruiseluv]

JoAnne B,

Thank you for your further comments.

We are not attempting to connect thru Lisbon the same day we flight out of Funchal.

Actually, we are overnighting in Funchal to be able to see some of the island. The following day we are flying to Lisbon, spending the night, and returning to the US the next day.

I thank you for your suggestion to take an early flight out of Funchal. That sounds like a very good idea. That way if something happens to that flight we still have a chance to get to Lisbon on a later flight.

[RNBMN]

We flew Air Portugalia (PGA) from Lisbon to Funchal and the service was excellent. The planes were comfortable and the flight was on time. We were even over on luggage weight, but they let it slide since we didn't have much in the way of carry-ons. It's worth considering.

[cruiseluv]

Thanks RNBMN,

I'll check their schedules as well.

Were you able to check more than one bag per person?

[RNBMN]

We only had one bag each, though each was about 2 Kg overweight.

[cruiseluv]

Thanks RNBMN!