Travelogue: Madeira Portugal

Madeira, Portugal

This travelogue is about a small island off the coast of Portugal, later I will tell you why I recommend it but before I do let's talk about getting there.
As always when you see a deal that is too good to be true, it usually is. We traveled to the Azores, as that area is called, on TAP which is the Portuguese national airline. The price at first glance was unbelievable especially since we were going to be staying at a 5 star hotel.
The airline only flies out of Boston and Newark so we drove to New Jersey. Not a bad 3 hour ride. The price did not include any baggage beyond a handbag! Extra luggage cost $120 round trip and then there was the seat at the back across from the toilet. It cost another $45 per person, each way, to upgrade the seats. All I can say is beware the cheap deals they may end up costing more in the long run. We could have flown out of a closer airport for the same amount of money.
We wondered about racial profiling since we seemed to be the only people searched on the way in and I was again double screened in Lisbon. I'm OK with it if that is what it takes to be safe :)
I must say I did not sense any racism at all while my husband and I were in Madeira. The people were very gracious and welcoming.
Madiera is a beautiful island and like its people it is serene and calm. There were no hoards of tourists since it was late fall (Thanksgiving) but still the weather was very pleasant. The largest number of tourists seemed to be from England and not surprisingly almost everyone spoke English. It apparently does not appeal so much to young people because it doesn't have sandy beaches and major discotheques.

It has a wonderful relaxed atmosphere and no one is in a rush. There were an amazing number of restaurants everywhere, this is testament to the fact that their major industry is tourism. If you like sea food you are in luck, we saw very few cows on the island.
If you really want to enjoy Madeira you should go on a couple of island tours and then rent a car. You can criss cross the island and back in a day, the roads are great and the system of tunnels exciting. Up in the hills it is nice to see the homes and traditions. We bumped into a funeral procession walking from the church to the burial ground in Santana.
Many people go on lavadas which are walks that follow the irrigation system on the hillsides but even if you dont go on a lavada you will still get your steps in. We averaged 12,000 a day just walking downtown for dinner each day. If you are conditioned to avoid desserts Madeira is not for you, between afternoon tea and the dessert shops it is very hard to resist, I gave up trying after 2 days, I was so grateful for those steps!
Shopping: Madeira is famous for its wine, apart from this it is definitely not a shopping capital. It has a huge mall and the usual boutiques but certainly doesn't rival Madrid or Rome. Its a good place to buy lingerie, funny enough, much better quality, selection and price than in the US.
Spoiler alert: Black Friday sales are universal now as a result of globalization. The people have no idea what Thanksgiving is but they do sales on Black Friday, we noticed it in Rome last year too. Works for us!