Is Madeira a children-friendly place to visit?

[Rekka]

Don't know it much at all. Just got mentioned by a colleague who went with his girlfriend without children. He highly recommended the place but has little idea if the islands are children friendly.

We have a 5 years old. Would that be any concern or complexity?

Not really child friendly, it's geared up for the more mature tourist. Some lovely botanical gardens and levada walks. I wouldn't recommend for young children tbh.

Dh and I went nearly 20 years ago for our honeymoon, we were definitely the youngest on the plane. It’s a beautiful place but I don’t remember it been particularly child friendly, we stayed in Funchal.

Definitely not child friendly. Which is why I'm a regular visitor
And I'm certainly not boring or old @PamelaD Just very selective

Beg to differ! My parents used to have a timeshare in Funchal and we took our son there when he was a baby, a toddler and a 5yo. He had a lovely time - the timeshare was in a really nice hotel with a couple of pools, a playground, kids' pool etc. We also took him into Funchal and on the cable car up to Monte which was fun. Plus the Portuguese all seemed to love children. If you find a child-friendly hotel where other families go it'll be fine! (Wish my parents still had their timeshare but unfortunately they don't any more!). There was also a big outdoor natural type pool we went to when he was 5, somewhere on the outskirts of Funchal, that had plenty of families there.

Thanks, all. May I ask if the reason is mainly for fear that kids get bored or something else?

Newly weds and nearly deads. That's Madeira.

It's fine for kids, but nothing specific for them. But they have hotels with pools and boat trips to see Dolphins and ice cream so plenty for a five year old to do. It's a fun island, always something going on.

Newly weds and nearly deads.
That's Madeira.
It really isn't.

It is a bit.

I like it, but it's definitely not your typical family holiday resort.

Not really unless you want a hideaway villa.

I found it really child friendly when we took our 3 year old there! Loads to do and the locals seemed to love children in all the restaurants and shops. Our son was welcomed everywhere we went and given loads of attention. Really lovely laid back place to visit, short plane ride from the UK and lots of activities to keep us all occupied. I’d definitely recommend it!

I've taken my kids. It was one of the first places to open up post covid. We had a great time and assuming you want a good hotel and pool etc will be fine. Kids clubs possibly less prominent than in other countries.

It's child friendly, but not necessarily child orientated. As PP have said, less kids clubs etc.
We were there last year with our teenage kids and we all loved it. We are neither newly wed nor nearly dead 😆.
It depends what you are looking for in a holiday.

When all the "celebs" made all those cruise and travelogue shows just after lockdown, both Jane McDonald and Susan Calman did episodes in Madeira.
maybe watch those? They deemed to do every activity, and visit every beauty spot and place of interest between them.
Might give you an idea of what it's like.

Thanks to all. Just to check if nothing unsafe or difficult to deal with. We usually don't do "kids-oriented" holidays anyway - they just tag along wherever we want to go, as long as it's safe and workable. :)

Thank you! Will find that and have a look.

It's child friendly, but not necessarily child orientated.

I would agree with this.

I have been twice and loved it. It is a beautiful island with loads to see and do. I didn't find the landing and take off any different from flying from and into Manchester TBH. And the first time we went was before they extended the runway.

This thread is full of clichéd stereotypes. I would say that Madeira won't appeal to the club 18 -30 crowd though. Now that is the type of holiday I would avoid.

We went to Madeira before covid and loved it. We intend to take our DS before he starts school and we're fleeced by school holiday prices. Nice short flight, great food, lots of opportunity to be out in the fresh air. People in Madeira do have children, so I can't see why it would be an issue!

Madeira is utterly safe and very easy. The big reason it doesn't have more families is because it basically has no beaches (the coast is mainly rocky). And because of that, there won't be lots of other kids to play with, or other child-focused things like kids clubs. It's mainly older people and those who want to do serious hiking in the big mountains in the middle.

But if you're not fussed about kids clubs and beaches, then I think it's actually really suitable for a young family. Safe and friendly. Not too busy. Very beautiful. Lots of easy levada walks which are beautiful but flat and not too long. Boat trips and dolphins. Nice little places to potter about and get an ice cream. And a climate that's really reliable but not too crazy hot. If you have a nice hotel or villa with a pool, I think you'd have a lovely time

We all loved it when we went with my 7 year old, and my 5 and 8 year old niece and nephew. We enjoyed:
A hotel with 2 pools
Dolphin watching boat ride
Multiple beaches - some of the most stunning I've ever swam in
Botanical gardens
Hiking
Lovely little towns
A local music and food festival one night
More beaches, more hiking
Ice cream and/ or crepes most days

So if your kids will enjoy that, and you will enjoy the beautiful scenery, go for it. I was also worried that it was only for old people, but that wasn't my experience at all. I wasn't put off by the lack of theme parks etc, as we don't really do that on holiday. There was a real lack of beige food my fussy eater found acceptable, but we made do with pizza and garlic bread!

It's main draw is that it doesn't get insanely hot - maybe 29-31 in the hottest point of the day, but plenty of days were cooler. Night time temps in the high teens. I think that alone makes it child friendly!

Only time I’ve been there was as a small child and I had a wonderful time - and 10yr-old DS’s friend just went for his summer holiday and loved it, mainly because of the quantity of custard tarts available!

Disclaimer I’ve not been yet but have planned it out and looks great. It’s not a place with water parks, kids clubs and mini discos but my DS is happy with a pool, nice food and a trip to the Ronaldo museum.