Lisbon to Madeira Day 10

Day 1 Toronto to Lisbon

Day 2 April 20 Lisbon  EASTER SUNDAY

Day 3 April 21 Lisbon  EASTER MONDAY

Day 4 April 22 Lisbon 

Day 5 April 23 Lisbon

Day 6 April 24  Lisbon – Tomar – Fatima – Batalha – Porto 

Day 7 April 25  Porto city tour 

Day 8 April 26 Douro Valley - Porto

Day 9 April 27 Porto - Aveiro - Nazare - Obidos - Lisbon

Day 10: Lisbon - Madeira April 28 2025

STEPS 13,000

After breakfast, you will be transferred from the hotel to the airport for your flight to Madeira.
Dep:Lisbon Apr 28, 2025 - Funchal Apr 28, 2025
NI1685 LIS | Apr 28 06:50 - FNC | Apr 28 08:35 ECONOMY
Dur.:1h 45mm

Arrival at the airport in Madeira, you will be transferred to your hotel. The rest of your day is free at leisure. (Breakfast)

4 nights in Madeira at the Orca Praia 3* hotel  in a standard room.

Estrada Monumental 335, São Martinho, 9000-236 Funchal, Portugal Phone: +351 291 707 070

A very early morning! No breakfast available at hotel.

We left the hotel ahead of schedule 2:45 AM. A French couple from the French group joined us as did Margaret, single woman from our hotel/group. She was awfully perturbed that we had missed somebody! She shouted anxiously "hey, English people (us) in the front, aren't we missing Washington couple???" Since I knew all of our group at our hotel, I just shrugged. Driver ignored her. We arrived at the other hotel, Pombal, around the corner, and she was reunited with her Washington couple. One of the Indian women also took the ride with us to the airport, I have no idea where she was going and never saw her again.

Arriving at the airport, it was just us and the French couple going to Madeira. The other 3, I think, were going to the Canary Islands.

On that note, a few others from our group, were flying home. Al and Cathy were taking a train (turns out a bus as the trains were on strike) back to Porto, then picking up a car. The majority were going to Albufeira (been there)  by bus, staying Tuesday and Wednesday, back to Lisbon on Thursday and flying home on Friday. The Hamilton couple were then picking up a car and touring on their own.

NI is the IATA code for Portugália Airlines, a regional airline based in Portugal. Portugália was a subsidiary of TAP Air Portugal, but was dissolved and integrated into TAP Express in 2022. 

Check in was difficult, there was only self-serve, which is fine, but it turns out, the tour company had booked our flights and there was zero baggage allowance. When we tried to pay using self-serve it wouldn't accept our credit cards. We spent time wandering, French couple, no baggage couldn't check in either.

Finally we found an agent who said we had to go to the desks on the other side, we explained the problem, and she led us back to the first agent, who still rejected us and told us to to go to the excess baggage counter, who said no, wrong place but she would check us in. Turns out we ONLY had to pay 60€ for John's bag as mine was deemed carryon.

Baggage out of the way, we stopped for a coffee.

Aboard our flight, it was a very comfortable plane, row 11, only two seats a side. Departure 6:50 AM.

Madeira is a drop in the ocean!!!

Madeira is an archipelago located in the North Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Europe and North Africa. It is an autonomous region of Portugal and is approximately 1000 km southwest of Lisbon, Portugal. Madeira is closer to Morocco (about 700 km to the east).

Landing in Funchal.
The airport is considered one of the most peculiarly perilous airports in the world due to its location and its spectacular runway construction. It received the Outstanding Structure Award in 2004 by the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering. The History Channel program Most Extreme Airports ranked it as the ninth most dangerous airport in the world and the third most dangerous in Europe. Pilots must undergo additional training to land at the airport.

 The airport was considered one of the world’s most challenging airports due to its very short runway of only 1600m. Madeira is not a flat island, so the runway had to use a tiny piece of land on the outskirts of Funchal, with the planes flying dangerously close to the cliffs on approach! However, about 20 years after its opening, expansion of the runway started to take place and the runway got extended by about 1 km. It was built on a giant concrete slab over the sea due to no actual land to expand into. Pilots still suffer with strong winds, making landing a bit more difficult, but I guess nowhere near as terrifying as it must’ve been before the extension.

Arrival 8:35 AM.

Madeira Airport (Portuguese: Aeroporto da Madeira) (IATA: FNC, ICAO: LPMA), informally Funchal Airport (Aeroporto do Funchal), formerly Santa Catarina Airport and is officially known Cristiano Ronaldo International Airport. 

Funchal has a museum and a hotel named for him.

Our driver was punctual, as all were and we and the French couple head to the hotel.

It is about a 25 minute drive to our hotel along a very winding highway with lots of tunnels that reminded John of Guanajuato. 

The hotel entrance is down a steep incline. A couple of views from the top of the driveway we took on another day.

They call themselves 4 stars but the tour company gave them 3 stars, with which we agree.

French couple do not speak any English, so they listen intently as we check in to be told our rooms were not available at the time. 

Price for renting safe key plus deposit so be prepared to pay for that, also deposit on credit card requested on arrival 100€.

We were also asked for our hotel voucher, the hotel was booked by the tour company and no vouchers were provided for the other hotels either.

Disappointing, but we immediately ask for a suggestion, and he says Camara de Lobos, 20 minutes away. Obviously he thought we had a car.

We called an Uber, however, Camara de Lobos took us by highway, to the middle of nowhere. We told Luis, our driver, that no we wanted to go to the fishing village. He wanted more money so we agreed. However, I have checked my invoices and he didn't charge us the extra.

On Uber's map, we wanted to be at Porto (camera symbol).

Times indicated are EST. $10.34

We are energized and not feeling our early morning calling. This is our kind of town and we are on our own, no tour guide, sheeples. We're not sure what/where the French couple did.

The first thing we encounter is a brand new mural, only a day old.

The new artistic mural entitled “Planet A” was inaugurated April 23, 2025 in Câmara de Lobos Bay. The work was created by the cultural collective Teatro Metaphora and reinforces the message of sustainability and protection of the planet, in one of the most emblematic areas of Madeira.

This mural joins other artistic initiatives of the association, known for using recycled materials and promoting environmental awareness through urban art.

Câmara de Lobos, located on Madeira's south coast, was the first place inhabited by João Gonçalves Zarco, the navigator who discovered this 'pearl of the Atlantic'. He stayed there between 1420 and 1424, so this was the first settlement created in Madeira, elevated to parish status in 1430. Its historical legacy is, therefore, very relevant.

 

The name of this municipality comes from the fact that, when the island was discovered, there was a large number of sea lions in the cove that we can still find here today with the same configuration. In this region, various monuments recall this historical period, from the Nossa Senhora da Conceição chapel, founded in the 15th century, to the old convent of São Bernardino, from 1425, and the São Sebastião church, built in the 16th century.

John had a club (with egg) and I had a toastie ham and cheese.

The landscape looks like steps and has forced local people to farm vertically; they mostly grow bananas for the Portuguese mainland and grapes for madeira wine.

The area is marked by the presence of its characteristic fishing boats known as 'Xavelhas'. 

The Farol de Câmara de Lobos is a small lighthouse that was built in 1937 on top of a promontory at a focal height of 23 metres,

Monday Mural on the side of the lighthouse by Bordalo II.

We rounded a corner to find this!

Reopening after World War II, Funchal, Madeira’s Reid’s Palace Hotel invited Mr. Churchill for a holiday in 1950. He agreed and came with his wife. They took a car from Funchal to Câmara de Lobos and Churchill fell in love with this charming town.

He was supposed to stay longer in Madeira, but had to leave after just 12 days due to the general election in England. But after that, the locals did everything to include Churchill in the marketing of Câmara de Lobos. 

The uniqueness of the Câmara de Lobos Bay was immortalised by Winston Churchill, on the day when, in January 1950, sitting at the Espírito Santo Viewpoint, facing the sea, he set up his easel and painted a picture that he would never forget.

The painting is a symbol of the village, and the view from the viewpoint is still a popular spot for tourists to take photos and enjoy the scenery. 

Pestana Churchill Bay Hotel: A luxury hotel was built on the site of the old fish market and town hall, inspired by Churchill's visit and his painting.

The main beach in Camara de Lobos is Praia do Vigário. This pebble beach is free to access.

Previously, it was used by fishermen to prepare their equipment for black scabbard fishing and to dry clothes. Now it is mostly a tourist beach.

Right next to the port there is a small chapel. Don’t confuse it with the church. This is the Fisherman’s Chapel, Capela de Nossa Senhora da Conceicao.

The exterior is quite neutral, with white walls and brown stones. But step inside and discover rich ornamentation, including paintings and a painted ceiling. It was founded in the 15th century and rebuilt in the 18th century.

The main church in the village is Igreja Matriz de Sao Sebastiao. From the outside, it is a typical black and white Madeiran church, built between the 17th and 18th centuries.

Inside, the style is baroque with 3 naves, gold chandeliers and wooden sculptures. Worth taking a look.

Behind the church there is a lookout and a restaurant.

To the west of the town, once you pass the lighthouse and continue along the seafront, you will reach the area of ​​Praia de Vigaro.

It's noon and we are still killing time until check-in.

Snacks offered. Popcorn and ?? a snack that is unique to Madeira.

Lupini beans are high-protein legumes that originated in Egypt or the East Mediterranean, cultivated since the days of ancient Egyptians but expanded in geographic reach once they became a staple of the Roman diet. The Romans used the beans both for themselves and for their animals. As the Roman empire grew, so did use of the lupini beans.

Large and flat, they resemble giant kernels of corn with a much thicker and tougher skin. Fun fact: when you eat them you’re supposed to take that skin off, but we did not, that would explain the extra bowl.

Sounding even more unique - black pig feathers!!

The "portugal black pig feathers menu" refers to dishes featuring Iberian black pig, specifically cuts like the feather (also known as Iberian feather or "chulete de porco"). The feather is a juicy, triangular-shaped piece of meat located on the back of the spine. It's known for its balance of lean meat and fat veining.

Ibérico pork pluma, which translates to "feather" in Spains, is the end loin of the Ibérico pig. It's the swine counterpart of the flank and comes from the back of the neck. Pluma has a triangular form—roughly the size of a hand—and is richer in color than Secreto or Lomo, with remarkable intra-muscular fat and superb flavor.

Pretty close to the road! We love these little places.

Time for us to Uber back and get our room. This driver follows the ocean, a much shorter, direct route.

$8.41

We learn that the hotel floor numbers are upside down. Our room is on -2. The restaurant is on -9.

-10 is the bottom floor but from there you have to walk down a steep staircase to the pool and lunch spot.

On TripAdvisor it is rated #47 out of 99. The average rate is $300 CAD and up.

The rooms are big with a lovely balcony. However, water is not provided, I mention this because it was provided in Lisbon and Porto. Bottle water was in the fridge at a price of 1.52€, which is a decent price.

WIFI included, each device required a separate login, again, unusual.

We had a nap until 6 PM when we decided we should walk down to the promenade as we were told it is packed with shops and restaurants.

The walk down from -10 is steep with a mixture of stair types. It is not for the faint hearted. It is impassable for anyone with mobility issues.

Not seeing much.

There are nice properties along the way but they are locked off from the promenade.

We walked back to the hotel and had that climb up to -10.

We decided we'd eat in the hotel as there is nothing else around, however, not their buffet at 40€ each!! 

We had a drink in the bar. I don't know why the bar wouldn't have bar snacks to entice people to remain. Many people have their main meal in the afternoon. Also there is nothing else around unless you want to uber somewhere. It is a missed revenue generator.

My shrimps weren't bad, however some of them had not been cleaned properly. John's meal was just too oily for him. The bill was 67€.