Resort recommendations for Madeira please

[MadameGazelle]

Hi - we're thinking of booking flights to Madeira in January for a 1 week holiday (me, DH and our two DS who are 9 and 11), and are looking for resort recommendations that are near to good beaches and a couple of shops/restaurants.

If anyone can recommend a particular apartment/hotel as well that would be an added bonus!

We probably wouldn't bother hiring a car - and would just sort out a transfer from the airport ourselves. TIA

Madeira is beautiful but not ideal if you want a beach holiday or for it to be very warm to swim in sea. Mainly pebble beaches. I was there in June, super sunny but seawater cold to swim in. It's a very chilled, low key island, not loads for children unless you're happy with poolside holiday, then aim for Funchal. Porto Santo has lovely beaches.

Canaries might be better that time of year.

If you want beaches, go to Playa Blanca in Lanzarote. Papagayo is particularly nice but is a car ride, or a longish walk away.

Might be beach weather in January, but that is luck of the draw, but there are plenty of other things to do if not. If you were there on the evening of the 5th January, there is the Three Kings Parade too (bigger than Christmas in Spain).

This place is amazing
cabo girao

Kids similar ages to yours loved it.

No beach though... (but we didn't find madeira to be a beach holiday kind of place really)

Madeira is fabulous, but not a beach destination. Besides, in January it isn't really beach weather. We went one April, and I think we got up to about 21 degrees. Average January temperatures are 16 degrees.

Madeira is a stunning island we stayed at the Vidamar in Funchal which was fantastic....we hired a car and explored and the two infinity pools were beautiful.
Certainly not a beach destination though.