Madeira
As I mentioned in my previous article, we tested the Fireflies system during our holiday in July and it worked very well. There was no question about whether we should do the same next time?
We had two weeks free in mid-October. We were looking for somewhere with good weather, not too far away and affordable airfares. Madeira was our choice. We booked our flights and accommodation. As the hotel was 25 kilometres from the airport and we wanted to see the island during the 12 days, we also rented a car.
The long-awaited day arrived and we were on our way to our destination. Four hours later we were on the island, but the landing was a bit of an adventure. As Funchal airport requires very special manoeuvres when landing, the adverse wind conditions meant that we first wasted about an hour at a nearby airport and then we could only continue to our real destination.
After a short delay we arrived, picked up our rental car and half an hour later we checked in at the hotel reception.
We took possession of our room, toured the hotel, and then sunbathing and splashing in the pools was the opening programme until the sun came up. After dinner, we cracked open a bottle of Madeira sweet wine, sat out on our terrace overlooking the ocean, and……………………..couldn’t get enough of the view. I think it was indescribable. Unfortunately, neither photos nor video capture the view, so I’ve included the following picture as evidence.
So began our truly unforgettable 12-day holiday at the Royal Orchid Hotel.
The hotel is built on the cliffs along the coast with large sun terraces. You didn’t even have to leave the building to sunbathe and swim, or choose between outdoor and indoor pools including a Jacuzzi, plus dry and wet saunas and a very well equipped gym. This was coupled with all inclusive catering. As we enjoyed warm sunny weather almost all the time we were here, we had everything we needed to relax and we really enjoyed this comfort.
There were three days when a shower for a few hours changed the weather and our programme. On those days we went on excursions or shopping.
You can read about these in the next section.
