Porto Moniz Beach:
Lacking any kind of beach, Porto Moniz does have two large natural and popular
sea-water pools created by the reefs in the lava rocks. In this part of the island the
landscapes are steep, wild and rugged: nature in the raw. Buses reach this far, but
an overnight stay is a better idea.
Machico Beach:
Bright and bustling Machico is where man first landed on Madeira. The beach is
rocky, but not painfully so. Popular with locals, and backed by an ancient town with
excellent restaurants and bars. A stay of a couple of nights is a good idea, and allows
you to explore the Ponta de São Lourenço,a long, sinuous finger of volcanic cliffs that
so characterise the Madeiran coastline.There was a period when Madeira was,
unfairly, looked on as a resort for middle-aged and elderly travellers. But
today the island is a hugely successful and enjoyable family and young person’s
destination, too. Moreover, Madeira is generally regarded as a very safe place for
unescorted women, where they will be treated with good old-fashioned courtesy.
The extravagantly beautiful interior is networked by mini-canals, levadas, built to
carry water from the northern part of the island to the southern, more sunny
hillsides that today produce wine, bananas,apples, cherries and a wide range of
tropical fruits. Sunshine is a daily thing,and temperatures rarely beyond the
comfort zone.
