Madeira for summer hols? Advice please.

[winosrus]

What would Madeira be like in August or late July? Newbies to travelling abroad and would like somewhere not too busy or touristy. Possibly a villa or apartment with a pool, but more to do and see than sit on a beach. Maybe a small town, with pretty views near the coast. Is it very hot?
Any thoughts or recommendations?

Why Madeira? It's not known for its beaches (volcanic) and does tend towards the 'older' visitor.

What makes you think OP does not fall into the “older” visitor bracket?

Absolutely nothing, in terms of age I'm very 'old' by MN standards! I've been to Madeira once (on an Army yacht, seriously rough seas!), but there are so many other places I think I'd revisit before Madeira

Lol, I am older, do have a 15 yr old, but am fairly clueless when it comes to places in Europe! Someone mentioned Madeira and I was hoping it might be a nice place to visit that ticked some of our boxes. Didn't realise it was volcaic! Any ideas for somewhere different?

I have read some of the threads on Portugal, but lots seem like waterpark/ AI / family style hotels or book a year in advance. It will be an expensive hols for us (when we normally camp in a farmers field in Wales) so want to make sure its the right place.

With a 15 yr old why not look at a city break instead?

We did a SC villa in Corfu last summer with a nearly 15 year old. It was great but this year I've discovered/realised that a city break to New York and Washington (in hotels), DS now 15.5, is marginally cheaper and much, much more exciting.

Greek Islands - Kefalonia would be a good choice

Your holiday happiness totally depends on the 15 year old!

At that age I was happy in a self catering place in France with my sun lounger, Walkman and book by the pool. Mind you I had a sister similar age so had all the company I needed. One of my friends at the time had a younger brother and all she wanted in a holiday with her family was somewhere she could go and meet a friend a similar age, go to teenagers discos and look at boys. I was happy looking at my books.

Think he wants a pool and villa. Although America sounds great its a bit of a long haul. Corfu might be nice. I think Greece gets very hot in the summer, but if there were a sea breeze...

We went last year - with ds2 who was 15 at the time.

There are. Few man made beaches, which are really nice. Loads of outdoor public pools, very friendly. The farmers market made a brilliant morning out.

It’s very hilly/mountainous. The cable car is good. We went dolphin watching, which was the highlight of ds2’s holiday.

We went in July and it was hot.

It depends what you’re looking for though.

I think if you don't like very hot weather Madeira is a good option. We stayed as a family with children 13-6 and had a great time.

Late July and August are very hot, so the advantage of Portugal, Madeira or the Canaries (for instance), is that they tend to get a cooling breeze off the Atlantic. I wouldn't personally go to Greece that time of year, because for me it's just too hot. It could easily be high 30s or hotter.

Portugal is not all AI resorts and waterparks, btw. It's lovely. Some gorgeous villas on the coast, lovely beaches, much quieter than many places in Spain or Greece.

I've never been attracted to Madeira - it just seems rather staid and I can't think of one thing to do there (and I do a lot of reading up about holiday destinations!). I'd take a look at Portugal, if I were you.