Top Ten Typical Madeira Sites: Madeira wine, food, and thatched houses

Thatched triangular house at Santana mountainside village in Madeira. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
What to do in Madeira? Having been there recently, I shall make notes immediately on getting home as a reminder of what to see next time.

Answers
I assume you are staying in the capital, Funchal. A motorway takes you to hotels in Funchal, the capital, where about half the population lives. Book a car from the airport or online. Booking though hotel reception could be mush higher price.
See or eat in the restaurant of one of the top three hotels:

1 HOTELS with views
Reid Hotel - traditional and historic.
Winston Churchill stayed here. So did Roger Moore.
Pestana Casino Park - modern. Dining room with panoramic sea view.
Savoy - biggest hotel in Madeira; signs say it will open spring 2019.
(Budget altenative - many budget hotels and restaurants with sea views or panormaic views over the valleys.
Hotel with news:
CR7. Named after football hero Cristiano Ronaldo.

2 SWIM
in the outdoor seawater pools, at Porto Moniz, north west of the island.
Alternatively, staying at Pestana Casino Park hotel, try the Jacuzzi and the jets in the indoor swimming pool. You can sit in jets, lie in jets, stand in jets.

3 BUS TOUR - Funicular - Botanical Gardens
Take the red or yellow open top tour bus. Take the red bus to visit Monte, the funicular, and the wicker basket descent.
Budget alternative. Be photographed in the wicker toboggan on the top floor of La Vie shopping mall, a few steps away from the seafront.

4 GLASS BALCONY VIEW
Take the yellow bus tour (or drive or take a public bus) to the lookout point with the glass floor.

5 LEVADA WALK
Do a levada walk. Easy walk on a level - Ribero Frio.
Budget - take a public bus to Ribeiro Frio (meaning cold river). Take the walk above the road to the lookout balcony with birds.

6 LEVADA WALK DOWN TO WATERFALL Walk on the levada walk downhill to see the waterfall. Catch the bus back uphill. (It's an eight seater minibus like a big jeep, about three dollars.)
This killed my calf muscles. Leave it to the last day.

7 MADEIRA WINE
Try some Madeira wine, a fortified wine, and learn about it.
Visit in Funchal:
a) D'Olivera  Madeira Wines - sit at barrell tables and try the drinks. We had a pre-arranged group talk for about 15 people. We had a talk from Luís D'Olivera, a quietly spoken dear little man, sad about the death of his older brother, whose picture you can see at the entrance - such a shame - a lovely man, elegant, refined. I wish I had had the chance to meet him.
www.doliveiras.pt
b) Blandy's Madeira Wine Company  - around the corner from D'Olivera. These are the two big ones. Blandy's is bigger.

8 MADEIRA RUM IN SPECTACULAR SETTING BY CLIFFS
c) Drive to Porto da Cruz, to see the Distillery producing rum from sugar cane. Big old distillery. Just walk in and read the captions and leaflet.
Next door is the shop which has open bottles for free tastings but if we had not read the leaflet we'd never have known.

Toilets by the seafront restaurant, with views from tables on one side, but when we were there everybody sat the other side. Toilets with graffiti. Another visitor exclaimed in horror. (However, to me a toilet cubicle and water to wash hands was a luxury after visiting the peninsular walk at Ponta (viewpoint) São Lourenço - magnificent sea views but no toilets and no bushes either, toilet paper scattered along the verge by the parked cars.)
Porta Da Cruz has a tiny stony black vaolcanic ashe beach under a massive cliff with crashing waves and - impressive.
www.engenhosdonorte.com
Read up in The Wines of Madeira by Trevor Elliott.

9 SKEWERS OF MEAT OR FISH
Try local food, such as tender moist fish or tender meat on skewers. I recommend two very different places:
1 Cosy rooftop terrace down a side street, no view. Coffee, Madeira wines, or a full meal with the meat on skewers.
Casal da Penha terrace bar
tel:291 227 674
2 Beer House, on a pier with a view over the boats and sea.  They make their own beer in a small distllery you can see. Toilets downstairs.
www.beerhouse.pt

10 SEE TRIANGULAR THATCHED HOUSES. (See my previous post.)
They are in Santana, a village named after the chapel for Saint Anna. Yes, you can visit them, photograph the outside and go inside. They are used as shops to display local crafts. I went into the flower shop.

Finally, shopping.
You can buy cork bags and hats, embroidery with the thatched houses,
 Madeira wine, honey rum, and bottled cocktails.

Useful Travel Information
Hotels
https://www.pestana.com/en/hotel/pestana-casino-park
https://www.pestanacr7.com/en/hotel/pestana-cr7-funchal (Named for Madeira's Critiano Ronaldo and his football tem number 7, next to the museum dedicated to him and football.)
www.pestana.com
https://www.belmond.com/hotels/europe/portugal/madeira/belmond-reids-palace/

Restaurants
www.casaldapenha.com

Wine tasting
www.doliveiras.pt

Sightseeing
Red bus
www.citysightseeing.pt

Travel Tips
Fly by (alphabetically)
Azores Airlines (A Portuguese airline)
https://www.azoresairlines.pt/en 

British Airways
britishairways.com

EasyJet
easyjet.com

TAP Portuguese airlines
flytap.com

Flight Comparison
expedia
expedia.com

tripadvisor
tripadvisor.com

Official website
http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/homepage

Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have other posts on Madeira and footballer Ronaldo and his museum

Thatched Triangular Houses In Madeira

Problem
Traditional triangular houses, like little pyramids, are a feature of Madeira. You see the images everywhere, on postcards and embroidered on tablecloths. But where are the houses?

I had given up hope of seeing them. Then I looked at a copy of walks in Madeira, the German version owned by the German driver of one of the cars hired by my hiking holiday group.

I noticed the name of the area where the houses were found. It was the same name I saw on the signpost ahead!

Two of our cars, travelling in convoy back from a hike to the highest peak in Madeira, were looking for a restaurant where we could have coffee, tea, beer, and/or something to eat.Another plus would be a toilet.

As we drove into a village I saw one of the pyramid shape houses. We all commented, 'It looks amusing. But how can you live in it? Can you stand up in it? Is there room for furniture? There are no flat walls.'

The car drivers stopped when they came into the village and saw a busy cafe with people sitting outside on the corner of the main intersection. On the way back from the parking area I walked past a hotel with a thatched traditional cottage on the forecourt. People were taking selfies of themselves and their families of children in front of the open doorway.

I peeked inside. It had beds and furniture. It looked very cosy. Plus of course, very original, character.
It was much larger inside than it apeared from outside.

Over the road from the cafe was another of the triangular houses. Leading to it were a rose garden and a geranium garden. The reason why became apparent when I looked inside. It was a flower shop. Shelves on all sides showed brightly coloured flowers and packets of fruit and flower seeds.

Thatched house in Madeira used as a flower shop. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

This one seemed smaller, one room at the front, a door leading to the back. The shelves on the sides created a vertical-sided space like a normal square room.

Flowers
I was tempted to buy a banana plant. However, I was not sure it would be legal or advisable to bring a plant with roots to another country. I remember how phyloxera destroyed vineyards all over the world in the 1860s onwards.

So I bought some seeds instead. I hope to have plants with fruit to remind me of my trip to Maderia and the tirnagular houses.

The houses have red roofs and doors which makes them especially attractive. The buildings were constructed by farmers in the early days of Madeira. Now they are maintained as tourist attractions.

Thatched house in Madeira. Photo by Markus Bernet in Wikipedia.

Travel Tips
Fly by (alphabetically)
Azores Airlines (A Portuguese airline)
https://www.azoresairlines.pt/en 

British Airways
britishairways.com

EasyJet
easyjet.com

TAP Portuguese airlines
flytap.com

Flight Comparison
expedia
expedia.com

tripadvisor
tripadvisor.com

Official website
http://www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/homepage

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
Angela Lansbury

How To Find Colourful Old English Villages With Odd Names Such as Sonning and March, or stay in a thatched cottage

Problem
Where can I find cute English villages?

Answer
They are all around. You just have to get off the motorway. For example:

On our way between Harrow and Cambridge, to reach the hotel The Old Bridge, at Huntingdon, we passed signs to a village called March. I had all sorts of punning thoughts.

'We are no longer marching like the Romans but driving through.'
'Shall we go to March in January, or go to March in February?'

We never got to March, so to speak. Just as well. No fun for photographers. It was raining.

The Romans marched this way. The small March museum is open a few hours in the middle of the day on Saturdays and Wednesdays. A church has a hammerbeam interior which you can see on Wikipedia.

The following day we drove from Harrow in NW London through Hungerford on our way to Little Bewyn to a Michelin starred restaurant, The Harrow (described in earlier posts).

Around England nowadays some of the older buildings have been painted bright colours. This one is blue. Unexpected. You could say it goes well with a blue sky on a summer's day. I like it.

I like the steeply gabled roofs and the inn signs. 

Here's a building with a steeply gabled roof, the triangular area  painted orange. I love it.

On the way out of Little Bedwyn, we passed a sign on a gatepost. It threated to charge you a large number of shillings if you left the gate open. Shillings. I remember shillings. Those were the days.

What does that sign say? Close the gate - or we'll fine you forty shillings! Photo by Angela Lansbury.

The M4 had two warnings signs about delays, so we diverted through old roads, which we call 'the scenic route' and discovered some more, equally delightful little villages.

I liked Sonning. But not much to do or see.

I started researching thatched cottages. I see one regularly driving through Kingsbury in NW London. But what can you visit?

If you want tea in a thatched cottage, there's one over the sea in Ireland.

In England the major tourist attraction with thatch is Anne Hathaway's Cottage in Stratford upon Avon.

Want to stay in a thatched cottage?
http://www.historic-uk.com/ThatchedCottagestoRent/

More ideas:
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g186338-i17-k6623220-Thatched_cottages-London_England.html

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Medieval Farm Fare and Treehouse Bedrooms At A Family Run Farm in Romania

The round windows on the left are the farm hotel bedroom windows enjoying views of the countryside.

You could sit here forever.

In the distance are circular buildings with thatched roofs.

The canopy where we are sitting is also thatch.

Problem
Where can you see the real Romania, the old countryside, but still enjoy modern plumbing and creature comforts?

Answer
The Farm complex.

Story
We arrived just before a storm. We had time to enjoy sitting outdoors under a wooden canopy, watching the animals and focussing our eyes on the distant hills.

Casserole Lunch
When it rained we went indoors.

The farmhouse lunch was filling and satisfying. Heavy bread bread soaking up the vegetable and meat stew.

The complex of buildings provides non-stop entertainment. There's something to look at, at every turn.

The dining area spreads over two buildings and the outside. The family, we met the father and son,  and their helpers are busy bustling about, carrying trays of food, lots of banter, friendly chat, information about how they breed animals, plant crops, create the old style buildings.

Bedrooms
I asked to see the bedrooms. You have a choice. adjoining the dining room is a long corridor with bedrooms. Those on the field side have a view of the fields.

On the road side, no windows. Not sure I'd like that. The whole point of being in the countryside is to enjoy the countryside. However, if you were on honeymoon, or having a couples weekend, you might enjoy the privacy of a room without windows.

Alternative accommodation is in the tree houses. Very popular. Fully booked. So we couldn't get to see inside one.

I loved it. Normally I like the city and culture and like to take a quick look at a country scene, snap a picture and move on. But I think you could pass a night or two or longer here. Every piece of furniture, every piece of equipment, has a story which the family owners are glad to share.

Ferma Dacilor Inn
T o h a n i Gura
Vadului 107302
Romania
Tel: +40 728 757 048
www.fermadacilor

Find them on Facebook and TripAdvisor.
https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=ferma%20dacilor
https://www.tripadvisor.co/Hotel_Review-g7127809-d7722787-Reviews-Ferma_Dacilor_Inn-Gura_Vadului_Prahova_County_Southern_Romania.html

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.