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154 | DESTINATION GUIDES<br />
Madeira<br />
Portugal<br />
DIALLING CODE +351<br />
CURRENCY €<br />
FROM THE<br />
AIRPORT<br />
Visit the Europcar<br />
desk on arrival<br />
for special easyJet<br />
infl ight rates.<br />
Holiday Taxis<br />
(easyJet.holiday<br />
taxis.com) take you from<br />
home to the airport, then<br />
city or destination.<br />
TAXI<br />
A journey to the<br />
centre costs €30<br />
and takes 30 minutes.<br />
The Aerobus goes<br />
to the main hotel<br />
area, fi nishing at Praia<br />
Formosa. There are<br />
11 services daily from<br />
9.45am. Tickets: €5.<br />
BON APPETIT<br />
UP TO €15<br />
Restaurante Londres<br />
(64A Rua da Carreira,<br />
Funchal, tel: 291 235<br />
329) This inexpensive<br />
restaurant is open<br />
for lunch and dinner<br />
and serves up typical<br />
Portuguese dishes.<br />
UP TO €30 Il Basilica<br />
(Rua De Leichlingen,<br />
Funchal, tel: 291 708<br />
700) Popular with those<br />
who love genuine Italian<br />
fl avours, this busy<br />
restaurant is near the<br />
seafront promenade.<br />
UP TO €50 Taj Mahal<br />
Indian Restaurant (119<br />
Rua Imperatriz D Amelia,<br />
Funchal, tel: 291 228<br />
038) One of Funchal’s<br />
best Indian restaurants<br />
is situated behind the<br />
Hotel Savoy. Take your<br />
pick of authentic dishes,<br />
ranging from mild<br />
kormas to hot vindaloos.<br />
EXCLUSIVE Mulhe<br />
(Estrada da Pontinha,<br />
Porto de Funchal, tel:<br />
915 193 034) Exclusive<br />
restaurant ideal for<br />
dinner on New Year’s<br />
Eve thanks to its<br />
special gala menu and<br />
front-row seats for<br />
Funchal’s fi reworks<br />
display at midnight.<br />
AFTER DARK<br />
LOW KEY Taberna<br />
da Poncha (Sitio da<br />
Lage, Serra de Agua, tel:<br />
291 952 312) Maderia’s<br />
version of rum punch<br />
– poncha – made with<br />
honey, rum and lemon is<br />
served at this hillside bar.<br />
LIVE MUSIC House<br />
Jazz (16 Rua das<br />
Oranhas, Funchal)<br />
MUNICIPAL<br />
GARDENS<br />
GO Head to the<br />
beautiful Municipal<br />
Gardens, opposite<br />
Galeria São<br />
Lorenço, and visit<br />
the amphitheatre.<br />
Throughout<br />
December it’s a hub<br />
of activity, with stalls<br />
selling Christmas<br />
gifts and a whole host<br />
of entertainment.<br />
Friday and Saturday<br />
nights come alive at<br />
this excellent restaurant<br />
and live jazz bar.<br />
LATE & LIVELY<br />
Vespas (60 Avenida Sa<br />
Carneiro, Funchal, tel:<br />
291 231 202) Vespas is<br />
an established venue<br />
for visiting DJs and ideal<br />
for trendy club goers<br />
who want to party late<br />
into the night.<br />
THIS MONTH<br />
SHOP A Loja do Gato<br />
Preto is a popular<br />
Portuguese chain of<br />
shops selling candles,<br />
kitchen gadgets and<br />
trendy soft furnishings.<br />
It has three outlets in<br />
Funchal – the Madeira<br />
Shopping centre, Forum<br />
and Dolce Vita.<br />
SEE This month,<br />
fabulous displays<br />
of Christmas lights<br />
illuminate Madeira’s<br />
main town Funchal,<br />
and the centre bustles<br />
with activity on a daily<br />
basis: folk music, nativity<br />
displays, stalls and more.<br />
ESCAPE Take a day<br />
trip to Santana and have<br />
fun at Madeira’s fi rst<br />
theme park. Parents will<br />
be delighted with the<br />
mix of culture, history,<br />
rides and entertainment<br />
(parquetematico<br />
damadeira.pt).<br />
NO WAY!<br />
In 1776 when the<br />
Dighton Rock in Berkley,<br />
Massachusetts, was<br />
signed to mark the<br />
Declaration of the<br />
American Independence,<br />
the signers chose to<br />
drink Madeira wine to<br />
celebrate the event!<br />
Josie Rennie<br />
Madrid<br />
Spain<br />
DIALLING CODE +34<br />
CURRENCY €<br />
FROM THE<br />
AIRPORT<br />
Visit the Europcar<br />
desk on arrival<br />
for special easyJet<br />
infl ight rates.<br />
Holiday Taxis<br />
(easyJet.holiday<br />
taxis.com) take you from<br />
home to the airport, then<br />
city or destination.<br />
TAXI<br />
A taxi to the centre<br />
costs about €25.<br />
The number<br />
200 bus leaves<br />
every 10 minutes from<br />
6am–11.30pm. It stops<br />
at Avenida de América<br />
bus station. Tickets: €1.<br />
BON APPETIT<br />
UP TO €15 FrescCo<br />
(8 Calle Caballero de<br />
Gracia, tel: 91 521 6052)<br />
This all-you-can-eat<br />
salad bar is packed with<br />
pizzas, pastas, soups<br />
and desserts – perfect<br />
if you fancy a change<br />
from tapas.<br />
UP TO €30 La Finca<br />
de Susana (4 Calle<br />
Arlaban, tel: 91 369<br />
3557) La Finca’s has<br />
bright, airy spaces,<br />
speedy staff and rockbottom<br />
prices. Tuck<br />
in to well-presented<br />
Mediterranean dishes.<br />
UP TO €50 Nina<br />
(10 Calle Manuela<br />
Malasaña, tel: 91 591<br />
0046) Presided over<br />
by the eponymous<br />
Nina, this Malasaña<br />
restaurant is a classic,<br />
thanks to its warmly lit,<br />
comfy surroundings,<br />
plus the popular<br />
Sunday brunch.<br />
EXCLUSIVE Ramón<br />
Freixa Madrid (67 Calle<br />
Claudio Coello, tel: 91<br />
781 8262) The famous,<br />
Michelin-starred<br />
Catalan chef Ramón<br />
Freixa has moved his<br />
operation to the capital,<br />
and the results are<br />
stunning. Expect some<br />
of the fi nest cuisine the<br />
city has to offer.<br />
AFTER DARK<br />
LOW KEY Rustika<br />
Café (11 Calle Limón,<br />
tel: 91 542 1567) Take<br />
a round-the-world trip<br />
at Rustika Café, which<br />
boasts decorations<br />
from the four corners<br />
of the globe. Mojitos<br />
and caipirinas are the<br />
preferred selection for<br />
most of the clientèle.<br />
LIVE MUSIC Café<br />
Jazz Populart (22<br />
Calle Huertas, tel: 91<br />
429 8407) Buzzing<br />
live music joint that<br />
has been a favourite on<br />
the Madrid scene for<br />
almost two decades,<br />
thanks to its nightly<br />
offering of jazz, along<br />
with great blues and<br />
Brazilian tunes.<br />
LATE & LIVELY<br />
Zombie (7 Calle Pez)<br />
The latest bar where<br />
Madrid’s cool kids<br />
meet – plus a<br />
smattering of celebrity<br />
faces. See and be seen<br />
thanks to the large bay<br />
windows and corner<br />
spot on the busy street.<br />
THIS MONTH<br />
SHOP Pick up<br />
a special gift at Ricami<br />
Veronica, an Italian<br />
textiles shop where<br />
they embroider your<br />
chosen text on any of<br />
their stock (1 Plaza del<br />
Angel, tel: 91 523 4549,<br />
ricami-veronica.es).<br />
SEE Christmas<br />
means gospel choir<br />
concerts in Madrid, as<br />
a series of companies<br />
come to visit from the<br />
US to get you in the<br />
festive mood. They will<br />
perform throughout<br />
the month at various<br />
venues (obrasocialcaja<br />
madrid.es).<br />
GO No visit to Madrid<br />
in December is<br />
complete without an<br />
afternoon browsing<br />
the stalls on the<br />
Plaza Mayor. The<br />
Christmas market here<br />
sells toys, traditional<br />
nativity scenes and<br />
comedy wigs.<br />
ESCAPE La Granja,<br />
close to Segovia,<br />
features an 18thcentury<br />
Bourbon<br />
Palace and is<br />
a good starting point<br />
for a wander into<br />
the Guadarrama<br />
mountains. Take the<br />
one-hour trip on the<br />
buses running from<br />
Paseo de la Florida<br />
11 all day.<br />
NO WAY!<br />
The famous statue<br />
of Madrid’s mascot,<br />
a bear, located in<br />
Puerta del Sol, is<br />
eating berries from<br />
the madroño tree –<br />
the berries have a 10%<br />
alcohol content!<br />
Simon Hunter
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