Enjoyed one week with my wife in our Time Share resort of Madeira flying out of Gatwick on Monday 12th August and being met at Funchal airport by Atlantic Airways mini bus to be driven to the Carlton Madeira Hotel up on the hill the other side of Funchal. The Island is a volcanic rock in the Atlantic Ocean nearer to Africa but Portuguese controlled. I visited this Island for the first time in the 1980's, when as a younger person I was able to tackle several Levada walks in the "hills". At that time road travel from the airport would take about 1.5 hours travelling through the centre of Funchal to reach your hotel destination on the other side of town. These days the journey from airport to the same hotel takes only 25 minutes driving on excellent roads through a succession of tunnels through the rocks. A chairlift has also been built up to Monte, where you can return down by toboggan being pulled by a couple of fit young men….all good fun if you do not mind being bounced around. There are boat trips around the Island, or across to Porto Santo, which can be a wee bit choppy. You are spoilt for choice with various restaurants to try. A fairly warm climate all year, to go with the various colourful Festivals that take place. A relaxing week for an elderly couple after a flight lasting 2.75 hours.
