Dom Pedro Garajau Aparthotel Canico

... to do which is going to a local grocery store to see the local food items. Unfortunately, it reminded me of the grocery stores in London since most items are probably imported from the mainland. Portuguese is spoken here but there seemed to be enough English speaking locals too. The locals reminded me of the Spanish in the sense that they don’t walk around with smiles on their faces so they come across as unapproachable at times but once you make contact ...

On Sunday we got up, had breakfast and we went off on a tour organized by P&O to the top of the second highest cliff in the world, and very spectacular it was. On the way we saw all sorts of plant life, including banana trees and the very colourfull South African trees, with very large red flowers. We passed through Camara de Lobos and on to Pico da Torre where a magnificent view over the cliffs down to the sea showed how beautiful Madeira is.

We arrived outside Funchal at about 12:30 and because Independence of the Seas had taken our berth, the ship anchored outside the docks and we went ashore in the ships tenders. Had a couple of hours wandering around the lovely town of Funchal and went back ...

... rough on the shins.<br><br>Last land for another 7 days!<br><br><br>The last few days have been ******&#8230;.literally. There&#8217;s been an outbreak of Norovirus on the boat so the crew has had to be Germ Nazis, cleaning every surface immediately after it has been touched. We can&#8217;t serve ourselves at the buffet. We aren&#8217;t even allowed to fill our own water glasses! Luckily Jacqui and I didn't get sick!<br>

Generally of a high standard, despite the occasional tourist trap, below are a few that are worth remembering.<br><br>Venture forth into the old fisherman's quarter, but be wary as there is at least one restaurant I would not deem suitable, forgetting the name not wanting to remember the experience and having left so fast. Distinguishing factors are a luke warm soup, congealed butter on the garlic bread fish dish that looked like puke and ...

... not recommend this hotel to anybody.<br><br>This hotel shows a decided lack of attention to detail and without a doubt that the concept of a quality hotel is beyond their understanding, from the simple things like service to the finer touches like toiletries in the spa area. One look at the vastly over priced buffet menu and we ate "a la carte" in town at an utterly delightful restaurant for substantially less. So avoid if you can but be prepared if you can't rather ...

... It starts as a fairly wide easy way but gradually gets narrower and the quality of the path deteriorates but never becomes impassable and in some places there are repair works being carried out. <br><br>Along the way the lavada goes through a cleft in the mountain, at this point you have a choice turn right and follow the levada through the cleft (this is where a torch will be handy as it gets quite dark in there), or you can carry on ...

... walking guide for timings and keep in mind the buss times.<br><br>On the return journey take care when coming down the boarded section as the boards are all painted the same rust colour and it becomes difficult to distinguish the steps. <br><br>Start<br> Time 12:46:38 <br> Altitude 397 ft <br> Location N 32.74312° W 16.70147° <br><br>End<br> Time 14:56:42 <br> Altitude 426 ft <br> Location N 32.74300° W 16.70149°

... addition some patches are covered in moss so shoes with good grip are a must. Do not attempt this path unless suitably shod. <br><br>The village itself has little to offer apart from a view from the top. On arrival you will get accosted with offers of coffee and cake. The chestnuts are an acquired taste and proximity to the autumn harvest would improve their flavor. But I for one would not recommend them ...

... Player César Abrantes<br><br>Fado-Sempre<br><br>MADE IRA GUIDES<br><br>Madeira Island - a guide to Madeira<br><br>I will go to Guide<br><br>Madeira Online - a directory for Madeira and Porto Santo Islands <br>