Recommendations for Madeira with a toddler

[artifarti]

We can't go on holiday until November and so are looking at Madeira as it's not long haul but might still be vaguely warm. I had been told it was mainly a destination for older people but several people have told me it's good for families too.

Has anyone been? With young children? (our DS will be 2) Would love any recommendations for accommodation etc. Thank you!

We went in February this year - got back the day before the floods!

It is a lovely island, and we saw a few families with young children, but to be honest, I'm not sure that there is really much for young children to do. There are pools etc in the hotels, but we found that the weather was fairly unsettled (we were told that is normal for the island, and it explains why it is so green), so the outdoor pools were not an option, and the indoor pool at our hotel was more of a 'spa' atmosphere, so again, not great for young children. I suppose it depends what your child would normally enjoy??

The next island - Porto Santo - has a fab beach and much more settled weather, so might be a better option for a 2 year old.