Or maybe Hawaii is the Madeira of the Pacific? 🌴

First Impressions

Madeira is an island paradise in the Atlantic Ocean, west of Morocco and north of the Canary Islands. It belongs to Portugal.

Before I go further, the title of this post is a joke—I don’t want to offend my European friends. Honestly, it would be more accurate to call Hawaii the Madeira of the Pacific.

I’ve never liked those tourist comparisons because every place is unique and stands on its own. Still, after our vacation to Madeira, I couldn’t help but notice how advanced the road network is and how the island’s natural beauty easily rivals Hawaii’s.

Madeira impressed us deeply, and I have a feeling it’ll become one of our regular winter getaways.

Arrival Adventure

The flight to Madeira takes only two hours. Since the island rises steeply from the sea, the airport sits on massive concrete pillars, and the runway is short. Combine that with strong winds and thick clouds, and landing becomes tricky.

Our pilot aborted the first attempt but nailed the second. ✈️

Staying in the Heart of Funchal

We always stay in city centers when we travel because we love to walk everywhere. The more we walk, the more we stumble upon hidden gems that never made it onto our itinerary.

The trade-off is higher prices and more noise. Our rental apartment sat in a perfect location, though the street noise made things lively. Thank goodness for earplugs.

Dinner by the Sea

For our first evening, we dined at The Beer House on the waterfront. I tried a banana wheat beer from Madeira’s Coral Brewery and paired it with a pot of arroz marisco and bolo de caco, a local specialty.

It’s like a giant English muffin turned garlic bread—simple and delicious. 🍺🥖

Hiking the Fanal Forest

We set out for a couple of half-day hikes during the trip. Madeira’s famous for its trails, and the Fanal Forest stands out as one of the best.

The moss- and fern-covered trees looked straight out of The Shire. A misty fog wrapped around us as we began, and the trees emerged one by one from the haze, giving the place a magical feel.

Later, when the fog lifted, sunlight revealed a sweeping coastline dotted with tiny villages tucked into steep green valleys. Up on the plateau, cows grazed peacefully.

We loved it. 🌿

Driving the Island

Driving in Madeira is an adventure in itself. The highways are smooth, well-maintained, and full of tunnels that slice through the mountains, making travel easier while preserving the scenery.

But the smaller village roads demand patience—steep, narrow, and winding, with cars parked right in the lane. Expect plenty of weaving around obstacles. 🚗💨

Lava Pools of Porto Moniz

After hiking Fanal Forest, we drove to Porto Moniz, famous for its natural ocean pools carved into volcanic rock. The water felt refreshing—not warm, not cold, just right.

Next time we’ll bring swimsuits.

For lunch, we ordered espetada—a one-meter skewer of sizzling beef straight off the grill. Just salt and charcoal smoke gave it incredible flavor.

A Day in Monte

The next day, we left the car in the garage and took the Teleférico (gondola) up to Monte to visit the Monte Palace Gardens.

It was definitely a touristy outing, shared with cruise ship visitors, but worth every minute. The gondola offered sweeping views that showed just how steep the climb is from Funchal to the island’s interior.

Emi and I love botanical gardens, and Monte Palace ranks among the best we’ve seen—lush koi ponds, waterfalls, tropical plants, and even an art gallery. The palace itself almost fades into the background because the gardens steal the show. 🌺

We found a cozy café in Monte for lunch and watched the low clouds roll in, wrapping us in fog.

On the gondola ride back down, we could barely see 50 meters ahead, and the occasional cable car appeared like magic from the mist. Halfway down, we suddenly dropped below the clouds, and bright sunlight filled the city below.

Madeira’s microclimates never cease to amaze. ☁️☀️

Ponta de São Lourenço Trail

The next day, we tackled the Ponta de São Lourenço trail. I loved every step, made even better by mild weather.

The trail stays exposed and dry, but the overcast sky and brief light showers kept us comfortable. Towering cliffs in shades of red, yellow, and orange rose from the deep blue sea, creating an incredible contrast.

At the peninsula’s tip, the rock formation looked like a sleeping dragon—you just need a bit of imagination. 🐉

An Unassuming Gem in Funchal

The hike left us hungry, so we followed a YouTuber’s tip and tried a snack bar in Funchal’s Old Town. I’ll admit, I was skeptical.

Most Portuguese snack bars are bare-bones—more for coffee or a drink than a full meal. This one sat right on the street, where you had to check for traffic before stepping out. Not exactly inviting.

But Portugal has taught us never to judge a restaurant by its appearance. The food was incredible. Everything revolved around fresh fish.

Emi went bold and ordered espada, a local specialty—black scabbardfish. It’s one ugly fish (look it up), but her dish blew mine away. My tuna steak tasted great, but hers, topped with a grilled banana and prawn, melted in the mouth.

I instantly regretted not ordering the same. 🐟🍌

Until Next Time

And that wraps up our Madeira holiday. We’ll definitely return.

I had to send my passport to the U.S. Consulate in Lisbon for renewal, so we’ll stay in Portugal until the new one arrives. We plan to visit the U.S. in early 2026—our next big trip.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.
Bye for now. 👋