Madeira – Waterways & Flowers

We went in mid-May and found Madeira to be a beautiful island with a perfect temperature for a walking holiday. We had some sunshine, half a day of rain and lots of cloud cover. We learnt to ignore any daily weather forecast as they were always wrong. We woke on day 4 in Santo da Serra to thick cloud with steady drizzle, but a taxi down to Funchal (40 euros) took us to warm sunshine were we spent the day. This was also useful because we could do things in Funchal that were closed on the Sunday (which was our final day).

We found the levada walking to be very easy. Some of them were very popular but the walks also took us away from the busy sections.

Most of the hotels exceeded our expectations. The food (especially the fish) was excellent and everybody we met was extremely friendly and helpful.

'A Pipa' in Porto da Cruz is worthy of its many recommendations. They do accept credit cards but not bookings, on our night they were full by 7:30pm. Many of the recommended Funchal restaurants were closed on Sunday. But still plenty to choose from and we had a wonderful meal at Galeria Restaurant in the historical zone.

Thoroughly enjoyed the holiday - everything was really well organised and the hotels were lovely.  We will be returning to Madeira with Inntravel!

This was our first trip with Inntravel and I'm sure it won't be our last.  Absolutely delighted with the whole trip.  Very well organised, wonderful accomodation and first rate walking with accurate and informative notes provided.  Madeira is an absolutely beautiful Island and the Waterways and Flowers trip was everything we hoped for.  Would highly recommend the trip and Inntravel.

Madeira is a lovely island with beautiful flowers and amaxing people who are so friendly and helpful. Levada  walking is fun and relatively easy but ascents and descents are quite steep and not very well cleared.  The food is great particularly the seafood. A must is also the toboggan ride down from Monte in Funchal - great fun.  Make sure to check the weather before going on holiday - we were totally unprepared as it was much colder than predicted.

This was our first walking holiday with Inntravel and we were so impressed by the organisation of the holiday and quality of hotels and walks.  We thoroughly enjoyed it all and hope to book further walking holidays in the future.

This was an exhilarating and memorable holiday. The walks were varied and those involving Levadas were unique as well as being breathtaking at times. The accommodation was, as usual with Inntravel holidays, in the main of a high quality and although Costa Linda was more basic it made up for it with splendid sea view rooms. The fact that there were swimming and spa facilities at three of the four hotels was a welcome one as it was a good way to recover after long days of walking. The meal at A Pippa in Porto da Cruz was the best of the whole holiday although it is best to book as it gets very busy even in low season.

This was the first organised walking holiday that we have been on together and one of the most enjoyable in 40 years, although (being in our mid 60s) not one for the faint-hearted!

Highlights - drinking poncha in lovely , friendly bar at Quinta da Furao , walk up to the Caldera on day one in the rain that made the waterfalls spectacular, the walk at Sao Lorenco peninsula , the fabulous hotel Castanheiro in Funchal that has warm welcome, excellent location, great food and lovely rooftop terrace for relaxing. 
Great organisation as always from Inntravel - meals arranged, picnics sorted, transfers all happened as planned makes for enjoyable and relaxing trip.

We loved the unspoilt rural sections and the friendly welcoming local people, and Madeira has not yet become over-exploited. Dramatic geography, wonderful flora

It was a really great trip. The countyside was beautiful. We met a few people who were walking with other companies but felt the routes you had picked were fab. The walking notes were excellent and to our surpise we managed not to get lost at all. Having the map added reassurance at the couple of points where we weren't sure where to go. The transfers all worked really well. The hotel in Funchal felt like a real treat. We had thought about staying an extra night in Funchal but on balance were glad we didn't as it was the mountains that felt the best part. Will definitely look to book with you again and am sorry you don't do another self-guided walking trip (without having to hire a car) in Madeira. 

We thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of this excellent walking holiday. The days were just long enough, the scenery was breathtaking and the Madeiran people welcoming. Accommodation was well appointed and in some cases luxurious. This was exactly what we needed. We have booked with Inntravel a number of times and have never been disappointed. They know how to get the best from a country.

We thoroughly enjoyed the holiday. Madeira's landscape is stunning and there was a good variety of walks, on most of which we met few other walkers. Highlights for us were Santana to Porto da Cruz, Santo do Serra to Marocos and Santo do Serra to Camacha. We expected that it might be wetter in October, but we had mostly sunny and warm weather - perfect for walking. Porto da Cruz is a lovely place to stay, and we would recommend a second night there. The public sea water swimming pool is great and "A Pipa" a wonderful local place to eat.

First trip to Madeira, and worth the visit, great friendly welcome everywhere. Lovely walking along the Levadas, stunning plants/trees though end of flowers nearly. Weather average 24 degrees mainly, though in Levada worth an extra top at times especially until mists clear higher up.

Spent extra days at Santo do Serra so could do all but one of the route options, loved how quiet it was and hotel Porto Bay Serra Golf was lovely, great dinners (excellent value esp drinks). Beware of insect bites, esp in room at night.
Found Funchal busy after the quiet however, but worth an explore, though needed more time to do the gardens at Monte justice, as we went after walking there, mid afternoon. Had excellent last night meal at Gaviao Novo, needs booking as popular.

This was our first trip with Inntravel, as we usually organise our own walking holidays, and we were very impressed with the whole experience.  Everything ran smoothly from the moment we arrived at the airport and all our hotel pick ups, to the start of walks etc, were on time.  Each hotel had a different vibe and all the staff we encountered couldn't be more helpful.   Many told us how Inntravel regularly visit to make sure the service is up to scratch, which is good to know.  We have already recommended Inntravel to friends and will certainly be booking with them again.

This was our first walking holiday with Inntravel and we were impressed with the service from the office, the standard of hotel choice and the variety of routes. At 70 we were a little concerned about our fitness, not having been on a walking holiday for a few years due to health problems, but we're pleased with how it all went and plan to have another holiday through Inntravel before too long.

Madeira had been on my go-to list for years, and so I was so pleased that it had remained COVID-19 'safe' to be able to go. Planning a trip during a pandemic wasn't the most stress-free process (from not knowing if the trip/flights would be cancelled, to getting and waiting for results for a COVID-19 test before departure, to following new procedures at the airports etc), but the Inntravel team were very clear with their communications and keeping me informed of changes to my in-country itinerary, what their cancellation policies were, and supporting me on some issues I had with British Airways (even though Inntravel didn't book my flights). I only recently found out about Inntravel when I was reading a very old article about slow travel that I ripped out of a newspaper and had put away in a folder. It ticked all of the boxes in terms of a) desperately wanting an active holiday, b) planning on solo travel, c) being a time-efficient trip (in regards to the planning of it). I feel this is the main benefit of using Inntravel in that everything is organised. So if, like me, you are time-poor because of your job and other life responsibilities then this is a way to have an independent, sometimes physically challenging travel experience that you don't have to do too much planning or thinking about leading up to it. Another benefit is that half of the hiking days/itineraries that Inntravel set me on were not known by / being used by other tourists. Which definitely made my experience in, and my decision to book with Inntravel for Madeira more worthwhile.    

Our sixth Inntravel walking holiday and as usual it lived up to expectations. The hotels and included meals all lovely and after two weeks of travelling through Portugal, a treat to be so well looked after. The restaurant recommendations of previous travellers in Funchal and Porta da Cruz were very good. We were very glad to have included Madeira in our travel plans.

Not having to towel down after swimming in the green cauldron, we were soaked when we took our clothes off and put them back on wet when we got out. (We had trunks on!). The verdant vegetation was beautiful particularly the ferns. We are keen gardeners. The chaffinches eating off our hands, you'll know where. The hotels were great, maybe Costa Linda dissapointed with room size, but hey the location! And and A Pipa's the best meal of the week, loved the place, loved the beef skewers (more like half a cow!). Great tip. Although the Vin American with "Little Joe" across the road pre-dinner was not an experience to be repeated. Despite being like walking prunes for certainly 2 days it is not an experience I would wish to have missed. My feedback is intended to be objective, not a moan.

We loved the levada walking and will be back for more but at a different time of year. Mid October in the mountains was misty and ocassionally very wet so we missed the amazing views and several times had to negotiate deeper streams and run through waterfalls cascading over the levada path. This added to the adventure but we were extremely wet. As we expected, we were too late for the agapanthus lining the levadas. The 4* hotels and included meals were all excellent and the indoor pools were a bonus. The Costa Linda was basic but chosen for its beautiful location. Despite the weather, we enjoyed our walking holiday and as always the service offered by Inntravel and walking notes were excellent. We would highly recommend this holiday but earlier in the year.

Madeira is a beautiful island and Inntravel have devised a great holiday to showcase a good range of the local scenery, villages and culture with some exhilarating and beautiful walks. All the hotels were good but we particularly enjoyed the first hotel, Quinta do Furao in Santana, which has a fabulous setting on the cliff top and surrounded by vineyards. The hotel itself is very comfortable, our room had a lovely coastal view and we liked the layout with different sections for the hotel, restaurant and pub. The food was very good, it was lovely to be able to eat on the balcony overlooking the coast, and I had the best gin and tonic I have ever had in the pub (but sadly only one lady seemed to have the knack!). The hot tub provided welcome relaxation for the legs at the end of a walk too!

All walking is well planned with excellent directions and the taxi to the top of the hills is a great idea. Most of the walking is therefore flat along the levadas, although the descents at the end of each day tend to be quite steep and a bit slippery in rainy weather. Our favourite levada walk was on day 2 from Roque de Fail along the Levada Castelejo as we happened to have lovely weather that day so could enjoy the views (in October we found that the weather can be mixed and the views shrouded in cloud on some days). Even in cloud however the other walks were very enjoyable and you just looked at different things!  We also thoroughly enjoyed, as a contrast, the alternative walk on day 1 to Praia de Calhau and the Sao Lourenca peninsula walk on day 4. It was good to have the opportunity to walk along the coast as well as inland to add to the variety. For Sao Lourenca we shared a taxi with another couple to the peninsula (organised by the hotel) and then caught the local bus back which was very easy and cheap. We had a stop of about an hour in Machico to change buses but it's a nice little town with a couple of interesting churches and a good spot to have a drink after the walk on the peninsula.

Funchal is a lovely city and the gardens at Monte are well worth a visit. There is a lot to do, but beware that most things are closed on Sundays so plan accordingly. We ate well every evening but would particularly recommend these restaurants: Kampo - excellent and creative cooking focusing on meat dishes and fabulous puddings. You can either sit at the counter to watch the cooking in the open kitchen, in the restaurant or outside. Akua - sister restaurant of Kampo but focusing on excellent fish and in the same road. Combatentes – good Portuguese style food (only inside tables). All are in easy walking distance of the hotel (which is well located and very comfortable) but we would recommend booking as they are all popular.

A great holiday which we would thoroughly recommend.

A unique experience with much historical and cultural interest whilst walking levadas carved into the mountainside. No crowds just peace and beautiful countryside. I particularly loved watching the local birds, all the amazing lizards and spotting fish in the levadas. A truly friendly island. Do bring wet weather gear as it does rain. The notes provided by Inntravel were brilliant, spot on, we didn't have one issue with finding our way. The walks can be challenging so you feel a great sense of achievement at the end of a walk. Overall a great walking holiday. We went at our own pace without any constraints.  

This was our first real walking holiday with Inntravel as we have been cyclists until this trip but we thoroughly enjoyed it and were pleased with our ability to cope with the challenges - (at our advanced ages!). We loved Quinta do Furão for its setting and views of the mountains and also its food and facilities - the staff were exemplary including the lady in the downstairs bar who went to the trouble of finding out about the cocktail of the day so she could make it for us! We joined in with the grape picking to be rewarded with a glass of the wine and profuse thanks from the owners of the hotel. The taxi transfers to the start of each day’s walking meant we couldn’t really get lost and local people we met along the way were so friendly (more grapes given as a gesture to ease our lungs and legs at the top of a long climb of steps). Swimming in the seawater pool at Hotel Costa Linda was a real treat - so refreshing after the descent from the path to the village. NB the hotel sells discounted tickets. The food at Porto Bay Serra Golf hotel was superb and the village was buzzing with life as we were there on a Sunday. The optional walk on this day (day 4) was very different as we chose to go out to the peninsula. A challenging 7.5km with lots of ups and downs but well worth the effort, just take lots of water and suncream as there is no shade. However, there is a cafe where you can buy food at the start or finish of the final climb if you don’t have a picnic. The hotel will help and advise about transport options. The final day heading into Funchal came all too soon, the last of the Levadas, but Castanheiro hotel was just another lovely oasis of calm in which to end the day. Whilst we knew Madeira was mountainous we had no idea how rugged but lush it would be. Views along the way were stunning and we were constantly pleased by the flowers and full of admiration for the feats of engineering that are the Levadas. You certainly need a head for heights but at no time did any of the routes feel unsafe. Thanks Inntravel for another brilliant and well organised holiday.

We have been on about 20 Inntravel holidays now and as always this one was excellent. The walking by the mountain levadas was breathtaking at times. Completely unique, like walking through the tree tops. The holiday was varied and interesting. We loved it.

We loved the walk from Sao Roque de Faial along the Levada Castelejo. Walking through the allotments with their lovely variety of fruit and veg and the lush woodland, it was a varied and beautiful walk, even in the pouring rain! The walk from Porto da Cruz to Santo de Serra was also beautiful but busier in some sections. We can thoroughly recommend the optional walk to the Sao Lourenço Peninsula as this is such a contrast to the rest of the holiday. We did this instead of the day 5 route and caught a bus to Funchal at the end of the walk. Don’t be deceived by the fact that it is a relatively short walk - it is quite strenuous in the heat and there is no shade on this part of the island. We loved the fact that all except one of the hotels had a swimming pool where we could relax after a days walking. We’re not big swimmers but a warm pool is very good therapy for tired legs!

We had a lovely holiday and all went very smoothly. The hotels were very good and the transfers worked seamlessl

We never got lost. All directions and routes were great. You prepared us well.

As ever an excellent overall experience. The Hotel in Funchal was of a particularly high standard and would recommend.

Another very enjoyable Inntravel walking holiday (our 6th, I think). The weather wasn’t quite as good as we’d hoped, but it didn’t detract from the overall experience. The organisation and attention to detail were up to Inntravel’s high standard, as usual.