Talk to me about Madeira please?

[MrsAvocet]

DH has suggested "a nice hotel in Madeira" for an Autumn holiday but it's not somewhere that hugely appeals to me. I remember my Mum raving about the botanical gardens but to be honest plants aren't really my thing. I like castles, historical and cultural sites etc plus (admittedly not too strenuous) hiking or cycling. I could be wrong but in my mind it's somewhere my parents and their friends went in old age. I appreciate it's not a popular destination for the young and single which is fine - we're a middle aged couple and our idea of a good night out is a nice meal or a concert, not a night club - but I just have a fear that a hotel in Madeira in October might feel a bit like nursing home and we're not quite at that stage yet. I'm not after sky diving followed by clubbing til the early hours but want there to be more to do than strolling down the prom or sitting by the pool reading a book.
I'm somewhat between a rock and a hard place as I had been moaning about always being the one who chooses where we go on holiday, DH never making suggestions etc so now he has done so I can't very well tell him it's a rubbish idea and I don't want to go! So please tell me what is fantastic about Madeira and what the pros and cons of each area are!

We went a few years ago and I loved it! Super pretty and green, flowers everywhere, fabulous walks through these cool mountain tunnel irrigation systems (you could see light at either end and stand upright so not underground or anything) - there's a fab outdoor seawater pool complex at one end of the island. Downside for me was we were on a resort outside the main town so it was a taxi or a long walk back after dinner if we went to the nearest town (Camara de Lobos.) Funchal was beautiful to walk around. I'd go back!

We went on honeymoon to Madeira in October, admittedly 16 years ago so there will have been changes and my memory for detail isn't good! It had a reputation for 'newly weds and nearly deads' at the time! No sandy beaches so few families with kids, and not somewhere the clubbers are going! But plenty of restaurants, bars etc - most people stay in Funchal which is a proper city.

There was loads of walkers there if that's what you enjoy - we did a little bit (not too strenuous) with a specific walkers guidebook. You'd probably want a hire car to get out into the country though. Stunning scenery. Lots of walks follow their 'levadas'. I don't remember any castles etc though. We did see some beautiful gardens. You can get a cable car up to one of them, and if you are brave a 'toboggan' down (we weren't). We had a lovely catamaran dolphin spotting trip too.

One word of warning about October - we had quite a bit of rain. Warm rain, and loads of rainbows! But you can't rely on it being dry. Although a colleague had been the week before us and saw no rain at all!

We've been going there frequently since our late 20s.
I love it but Dh loves it more.
We hire a car and get out and about.
Nice villages, great views, lovely restaurants and pubs.
We enjoy hiking and there are some spectacular walks. The weather has always been great. We ha e never had rain which is surprising as the land is very green.
I couldn't tell you the names of places we eat and drink at we are usually walk ins!
We are next going in November.
We are staying away from Funchal as it is getting busy there with cruise ships.
If you go i hope you love it as mic as us.
When we first went it was horse work getting around the island in a car as you had to take the coastal path but now there are new roads making tbe whole island more accessible.

I loved Maderia and found Funchal lively but not rowdy like other lively holiday resorts can be. Outside the city the mountains are stunning and it's a hikers paradise. No beaches, if that's a holiday requirement for you. We were lucky enough to see killer whales (orca) on a wildlife seeking boat trip!

We went to Madeira two years ago and absolutely loved it. Would definately go back. Like you, I worried that we would not enjoy it as had heard that it was popular with much older people. We also worried that there wouldn't be enough for our then 13 year old to do. We stayed at the Enotel Lido which was a lovely hotel. Lots of other younger people and young families were staying there.

We're just back from a week in Funchal, three females in our early 60s.
Madeira was a place I always wanted to visit and I wasn't disappointed.

We did a 2 hour walking tour of Funchal, visited Monte Palace and tropical gardens, which we enjoyed. The East coast tour, stopping off at Pico do Areeiro, various scenic stops along the way and got to visit the little triangular houses in Santana which were so quaint.

The tour companies do organised walking tours of the Levadas if walking is your thing.

One of the highlights of our trip was having dinner at the Ritz cafe and coffee shop. Not a place I ever thought I'd be but a very reasonable €16.95 for chicken pasta. They do a dinner cabaret show on a Saturday night.

It can be very hilly in places so choose your accommodation wisely if you can't do hills.

The shopping is fantastic but most shops close on Sunday.

We thoroughly enjoyed the holiday.
Edited to say that we found it had a diverse mix of age ranges.

It is a popular holiday destination, very beautiful place.
I really liked the Valley of Nuns. No need to hire guides or tourist bus to go there, we just hopped on a local bus in Funchal, tickets cost a couple of euros only. The views are spectacular.
Sometimes planes can’t land (or take off) in Madeira (‘coz of the mountains) as their runway is short and narrow, so pilots need a special kind of training to land there. If the wind is stronger than a certain miles per hour, the planes are not permitted to land. If this happens, planes are directed to the nearest airport, which in our case was Porto Santo. It’s a tiny island worth visiting anyway, most people who go to Madeira hop on a ferry and see it. It has a very long sandy beach. Madeira itself has no sandy beaches but lots of rock pools.
The island is full of very tiny, cute lizards that love basking on stones in the sun.
The whole island is just mountains, so the roads can be quite scary if you are afraid of heights. I swore never to return to Madeira because of that 😄There was even a fatal bus accident in Funchal a couple of years ago when a tourist bus fell on some houses below.
Otherwise it’s a gorgeous place.

We have been twice- first time on our own then with my parents and our children.

I would say it has something for everyone. When we were there last time, we noticed there were lots of younger Scandinavians and Germans there. I think the elderly reputation is British, not shared by other countries.

There is lots to do and it feels very safe. The accommodation is mostly 3 star and above.

There are some great bars in Funchal that stay open untol the early house. There is also a great food/restaurant movement and a street art area near the cable car station . Funchal has lots of young people that live there!

This is where we stay https://hotelnext.pt

We went in February last year for a week and loved it, stunning scenery and mostly good weather. We booked our 1st 2 nights accommodation and hire car before we went and the sorted the rest as we went along, a mix of hotels and AirBnb. We did a lot of hiking, a few dips in the sea water pools on the north and a few days chilling in a nice hotel at the end. We didn't do anything in Funchal itself, apart from one evening/ dinner.

Driving took some getting used to, roads in some places are very steep and narrow! Would happily go back as feel there's lots of walks we'd still like to do as well as the sights in Funchal.

Thanks all. Good to hear the positive feedback. Does anyone have any recommendations of places to stay other than Funchal? We'd prefer somewhere less built up if possible.

Have a look at the Azores. Amazing hiking and not quite as humid as Madeira.