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?

Its fine for a holiday with children, I would go for a hotel with swimming pools if kids/you want to swim. We stayed at PortoBay hotels. Car hire was very useful for at least part of stay.

Its not your non-stop entertainment sort of holiday and probably worth looking at videos of the island to see if its your type of thing. Its similar to Azores, lots of natural beauty, boat trips (dolphins etc), botanic gardens etc.

We (two older adults) found it quite boring. I don't recall seeing anything specifically for children and the hills are hard work. Public transport wasn't great, mediocre tourist food. Cable car was fun but terrible public toilet facilities (or lack of) at top. Terrifying runway - closed in windy weather so flights may be delayed. I am amazed that so many people think it is fine for children. I won't be returning as an adult.

Make sure you try ananas-banana the pineapple banana fruit!

I went as a teen with family and enjoyed it. Definitely a safe place to go. Subsequently I have a lot of Portuguese friends and it is very much a culture that adores kids.

No real beaches, so for that reason I wouldn't pick it for small children. Older ones would be fine.

We had a lovely trip there with our (then) 9 year old a couple of years ago. We went with Tui to Funchal. It's good to be near the Lido area as there's a public park with ice cream etc that's nice to go to in the evenings (a lot of the waterfront round there is privately owned). She spent a lot of time in the hotel pool with another British child she met.

The Portuguese are friendly and kind to children in my experience. Our daughter was doing pull ups on some public exercise equipment as we waited for one of the cable cars and was complimented on her core strength by a couple of young men doing similar!

Meant to add - the public parks are great and play equipment is well maintained. They even have cafes with table service.

The play park that looks down on the Ronaldo museum/ship dock is fabulous.

Infrastructure is well maintained there.

There's a waterpark out by the airport.

An (older) colleague of mine found it so boring she left early! Whereas we loved it with young children. My colleague likes evening entertainment, all inclusive hotels, and and a bit of luxury. She doesn't hire cars abroad, and doesn't sightsee. I think Madeira is not great for all that. Whereas we like exploring, sightseeing, swimming, hiking, and eating out. Madeira ticked all those boxes.

I think it's more about what you want from a holiday

Crikey. It wasn't boring at all. You must like very different things to me. What do you like to do on holiday then?

And where on earth did you eat mediocre food?

We stayed in the old part of Funchal last time and ate some lovely meals in the many good restaurants in the area.

Just the right place for us. Flight has been booked. DH is all very keen! 😁

My parents went there when they were in their 70s and said it was the most boring place they'd ever been to.

They couldn't find a good word to say about it which was very unlike them.

Glad you booked it, OP. We are currently there with adult DDs and we are all living it for the reasons you mention. We went 30 yrs ago when DDs were small and loved it then too.

Not the place to go to if you love the beach (unless you go to Porto Santo) or a 'strip' with lots of pubs and clubs, so I can see why it m

Sorry sent too soon -

Why it might be boring for some people. Not us though - we've loved every minute. And ate very well each night too.

Have fun!

Sorry I meant 20 yrs ago - DDs are young adults now. The weather is perfect and we have loved hiking, sightseeing, hiking and visiting fishing villages as well as wine-tasting. Plus chilling by the pool. Would thoroughly recommend.

I think this more an issue of missing out on the best parts of it if you have young kids. It has incredible hikes, which can be done when they are a bit older. So, whilst it isn’t bad for kids, it’s better to time a trip later so that you can see the best it has to offer.

Hope you all have a great time @Rekka !

Have a great time Rekka

I think that it says more about the people who found it boring than the place. There is so much to see and do.

What do these people who found it boring want from a holiday?

We have been twice.

Last time we went up to Monte in the cable car and explored the beautiful gardens there, we took a whale watching trip, went to the botanical gardens, explored Funchal, visited the Forte de São Tiago, hired a taxi for the day to explore the island, and ate out at some lovely restaurants in the old town.

How can anyone be bored there?

I guess if you don't like sightseeing, just want to lie on a beach all day and visit karaoke bars and clubs every night you would find it boring.

Went with a 20 month old, and it was a brilliant holiday. Although there are no beaches, there are pools with slides for little one, and we spend hours swimming. Food was great, and children seemed very much loved. Dc had a tour of every restaurant kitchen and loads of fuss.

It felt like a place that was skilled in tourism and loved tourists.

I'm glad you booked it, Madeira is so nice! Make sure you get to pont moniz and seixal beaches - allow a full day to explore both (they are close). They are stunning. Not white sand but I promise you won't miss the sand! Garaju is another one - no white sand but absolutely beautiful and you get there via cable car. Also make sure to go on a wild life boat tour. There are lots of small hikes that most kids could handle. If you have a Ronaldo fan do the museum.

If you need inspiration Madeira is very Instagram-able so start there!! Enjoy

Yes Monte Gardens is fab and the sleigh ride back down the mountain!