Island Fever at the World's Best Island Destination!!
We went to plan, our plan failed; still our trip was a huge success!
Rick and I decided to go to Madeira Island for our end of year retreat. The retreat where we decide what our life is going to look like for the following year. It’ll be 2024 before we know it and we have a lot of changes coming our way; we knew we ‘needed’ this little retreat so we could get our future life sorted out.
On our way there we learned Madeira Island had just been voted the World’s Best Island Destination by World Travel Awards for 2023. Sounds like we hit this amazing island at just the right time.
We would spend the first three days exploring, and the last three days planning for our future...then it hit…Island Fever. I don’t remember one time when I pulled a notebook out and said, “Okay, dear, what should we do next year? What should I write down on our list? Where should we live? Where should we go next?”
The only time we got on our laptops was to transfer photos from our phones and cameras to our hard drives, so our phones and cameras would continue to have room to capture each and every incredible scene we came across. There were a lot, and I mean A LOT of incredible scenes to capture.
We didn’t look at a calendar, we didn’t look at plane tickets to other places, we didn’t even decide if we would live in the Pacific Northwest, Utah, Oklahoma, Boston, Colorado, or New York City, simply because we had Island Fever and we had it bad.
Each morning we would wake up with a different part of the island tugging at our souls, begging our feet to trample on its soft grass, rocky paths, and muddy fields. We visited the Monte Palace Tropical Garden, took a cable car to Madeira Botanical Garden, walked on the glass skywalk over the highest cliff in Europe at Cabo Girao, hiked at Pico do Arieiro, we visited the Santana Traditional Houses, and watched a waterfall into the ocean at Miradouro do Veu da Noiva. We even ate lunch, sitting on a rock, watching the ocean at Ponta de Sao Lourenco. I also took my favorite photo of the trip at Mirador Illeus da Ribeira da Janela (see below).
I loved the way these dark, wet rocks caught the light and were rimmed in white. I was so thankful my camera captured exactly what I was seeing with my eyes. It was an awe inspiring sight to me. It was as if God created that moment especially for me. I adjusted the lighting on this photo a bit, but other than that there was no other altering done to it.
It took us six days to squeeze all of our adventures in; we needed six more. There were many places we didn’t see, or spend time at, so many hikes we didn’t take. But that is what traveling is all about, experiencing life to the fullest and leaving just enough undone for the next visit.
On the last day of our adventure I do remember Rick bringing it up in the car that we hadn’t found time to plan for our future. So while he drove on the crazy switch-backed island roads, I tossed ideas of our future selves living life, not on an island. Twenty minutes of ‘future-talk’ sufficed our self-inflicted requirements of our ‘retreat’. The island had us under its spell once again as we made our way to the Fanal Forest for the second time this trip.
The first time we arrived at Fanal Forest the roads were wet with fresh rain. The parking lot was surprisingly busy. Low clouds and mist surrounded those brave enough to face the elements. We sat in our rental car as the mist gave way to rain, which almost immediately became a downpour. Still, people got out of their cars, put on rain gear, and trudged across the muddy parking lot toward the Fanal Forest. We didn’t follow them.
We looked at each other, knowing neither one of us would want to trade our nice, warm, dry clothes for soaking wet clothes, even for the chance to walk through this highly acclaimed fairytale-like forest.
“Maybe if we take a nap the rain will let up while we are sleeping,” my husband said. We both knew even if the rain did let up, we weren’t willing to get the only pairs of shoes we had with us all muddy from a walk into the forest. A nap was just what we needed after going to bed in our own bed at 1 a.m. and getting up at 4 a.m. to catch the train in Tavira to Faro, then the train in Faro to Lisbon. We were more than a little tired.
Wait a minute…that didn’t happen that way. Yes, we rode the train to Faro and then another one to Lisbon, but then we stayed in Lisbon for two days. That was an adventure in itself. I’ll talk more about that in another post. So for now, let me get us back on track. Yes, we went to bed late…in Lisbon, and yes, we had to get up early to catch a flight from Lisbon to Madeira, so yes, even though the story is different, we were still ready for a nap, in our rental car, in the rain, near the Fanal Forest.
We each tipped our seats back, wrapped our down jackets around us and drifted off to sleep with the sound of the rain pounding on the car’s roof and windshield.
That was the first day on our stay at Madeira and since Fanal Forest was at the top of my list of things I wanted to see while we were on Madeira, we made our way back up there on our last full day on the island.
This time around, the sun was shining, it was incredibly beautiful day, the air was warm and the forest seemed to be calling us in.
We weren’t exactly sure what to expect as we made our way down the trail, but I think it is safe to say, we were both enchanted by the Fanal Forest. We walked, and talked, took pictures and imagined all the books we could write with the Laurel trees setting each scene.
We watched as other people climbed the hillside before us. Since we had just been on a little hike earlier that day at Pico do Arieiro, we decided to take an easier path, one that still led to the amazing view below.
Once we arrived we sat on the soft mossy grass and relaxed under the sunshine. Gazing at the incredible view of the Atlantic Ocean that lay below us some 1,150 meters.
By this time the sun was beginning to fall lower in the sky and we wanted to make it to the ocean for sunset, so we meandered our way back through the forest, meeting a few docile cows along the way. (Debi, look, I’m not scared of this cow! And it’s coming right at me!) Then we zig zagged our way down the mountainside, with Rick behind the wheel and me as co-pilot with my trusty Google Maps in my hand, to the ocean far below, where we met a cat…
The Food and the Staff Were Both Excellent
The first half of our time on Madeira Island was spent at Babosas Village in Monte. It was an amazing stay. Every person we interacted with from Babosas Village were over-the-top welcoming. While we were checking in we were offered a delicious glass of Madeira wine. We had a toast with our servers after our amazing dinner and both of our breakfast servers took wonderful care of us each time we ate the complimentary breakfast there. The service at Babosas Village was definitely some of the best service we’ve ever had.
The second three nights of our trip we stay in Camacha at a quaint little house tucked under a blanket of stars, far from any traffic noise, yet close enough to town to make a quick trip to the grocery store to fill the fridge.
Quinta Das Faias was the perfect place to spend the last three days and night of our trip planning our future, but like I said, we had Island Fever, so we headed out the door just after sunrise each and every day here. No future planning happened in this adorable house.
Once again, our hosts took amazing care of our every need, including washing a load of our laundry for a small fee. There was also a big, beautiful loaf of fresh homemade bread waiting for us upon our arrival. What a delightful treat!
Christmastime in Funchal
We took some time one of the evenings of our trip to enjoy the Christmas festivities and lights in Funchal, Madeira’s largest city.
Our Romantic Dinner Out at Onda Do Sol
Most of our meals while on Madeira were eaten at the places we stayed, whether that was a complimentary breakfast a Babosas Village, or something we fixed ourselves from items we picked up at the grocery store. However, we did treat ourselves to a special night out on our last night on Madeira Island.
We came across Onda do Sol as we were driving back from our sunset at the beach and decided to stop in and try it.
Wow! That’s about all I can say….over and over and over…Wow! It was so good. I have no idea what Rick ordered…wait, yes I do, he ordered Cod with Cream. His came with some deliciously prepared sweet potatoes that he shared with me and I had skewered chicken. This chicken was so tender and so tasty. I could seriously eat here every single day for the rest of my life and not grow tired of this meal.
The staff was fantastic as well and catered to our every need and want. We didn’t even have room for desert after this amazing meal.
Elian Bittencort ~ Another Amazing Experience
Another great case of being at the right place at the right time was at one of our first stops on the island, the glass skywalk over the highest cliff in Europe at Cabo Girao. While Rick stood in line to get our tickets, I was drawn toward the young man playing his guitar near the cafe. In Portugal we come across a lot of street performers, guitar cases open or a basket nearby to collect change passbyer’s throw in. This experience, however was unique, there was something special about this artist. Sure he had his guitar case open, but he didn’t really seem to be playing for money. There was something about the way he experienced the music he played. It was as if every note brought him pleasure, like he heard it even more deeply than those around him listening. This was not an up and coming street performer, this guy was an artist.
I became an instant fan and looked him up on Spotify as soon as I had internet. If you get a chance to watch this true musician play, don’t pass it up. Elian Bittencort on Spotify. Elian Bittencort on Instagram. Here is also a link to Elian’s book, Listening to the Voice of the Heart. And Elian, if you are reading this, I would love to interview you if you are interested. Contact me here and we will get something set up.
Well, this about sums it up. There is so much more to write about Madeira, but I am going to save that for my posts on rlgrandadventure.substack.com. So hope on over to there if you have time to see what else we’ve been up to lately.
Also, if you need the perfect Christmas gift for the writers, the doodlers, or the dreamers in your life, click the link above to check out the notebooks I’ve created and sell on Amazon. I create and add more often, so be sure to check back whenever you need that special gift for someone you love, or even a notebook for yourself, because who doesn’t love a new notebook?
Merry Christmas to all and I hope this new year brings us all a lot more peace, more goodwill toward mankind and new and renewed friendships that touch us all to the depths of our soul.
Your friend,
Lori
Beautiful photos and lovely read. Glad you are still enjoying life to the fullest. Merry Christmas and wishing you both a Blessed 2024. Shirley M Ontario Canada