november-2011

THIS TRIP WAS COURTESY OF THE MADEIRA PROMOTION BUREAU.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE ISLAND, PLEASE VISIT VISITMADEIRA.PT
AFTER DARK
Proving that the island is hipper
than ever, the über-chic rooftop
pool bar at the Vine Hotel (27-A
Rua dos Aranhas, hotelthevine.com)
is great for a sundowner, with
stunning views of Funchal creeping
up the hillside. If you’re going late
GETTING THERE
For more information about Madeira, visit your
local Thomas Cook or Going Places store, call
+44 (0)844 412 5966 or visit thomascook.com
Madeira, Portugal Insider guide
into the night, try Venda Velha (170
Rua de Santa Maria) in the trendy
Old Town, where you can sample
poncha in every flavour from
blueberry to tomato, or Sneakers
Delight (7 Rua da Alfãndega), an
offshoot of the shoe boutiquecum-bar
in Lisbon’s trendy Bairro
Alto district, where Funchal’s
in-crowd migrates at the weekend.
Clockwise from
top left: Say
cheers at the
Old Blandy Wine
Lodge, Funchal;
the triangular
houses of
Santana; stroll
awhile on
Funchal’s mosaic
pavements; the
mighty Pico
Ruivo at dawn
WHAT TO KNOW
MORE INFORMATION
Thomas Cook Publishing has two guides that cover the island:
Traveller Guides Madeira, £9.99, and the abridged HotSpots, £4.99 9
(pictured). See thomascookpublishing.com for more details.
Hiring a car is essential to explore
the island’s interior. But don’t worry
about scrabbling around to find
Wi-Fi signals to download maps:
Madeira was recently found to be
one of the islands with the best
Wi-Fi coverage in the world. TC
Thomas Cook Travel
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