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Overview

Spend a relaxing week in Camara de Lobos at the boutique Pestana Churchill Bay. 

If you’re looking to escape the bustle of the capital Funchal but you’d still like to have a great selection of local cafebars and restaurants on your doorstep, the historic harbour town of Camara de Lobos is the ideal location. It’s the up-and-coming place to live for Funchal’s commuters due to it’s south-coast location, it’s sunny micro-climate and it’s proximity to the capital. For visitors to Madeira, it’s a great location from which to explore the whole island – the green valleys of the east, the peaceful fishing villages of the west, and magnificent seacliffs of the north are all a short, thirty-minute drive away.

Flexibility is always the key with our holidays – we can include a hire car and you can spend a week touring the island at your leisure. If you’d prefer not to drive, you can explore with our resident guides – our private tours are the best way to learn about Madeira’s unique island culture.

Gallery

Itinerary

Day 1

You’ll begin your holiday flying direct to Madeira. You’ll be collected on arrival in Funchal by our driver, for your transfer to Camara de Lobos (a twenty-minute drive).

Day 2

We'll leave your first morning free so you can relax and explore Camara de Lobos on foot. This south-coast fishing village is home to the island’s largest banana plantations and vineyards. Winston Churchill famously visited the town during a stay on the island in 1950 – the ‘Miradouro de Winston Churchill’ was named in his honour. Your hire car will be delivered at lunchtime - you could take a drive to a more modern miradouro at Cabo Girao: the famous glass skywalk which extends out over the 580m high Cabo Girao seacliff.

Day 3

It's a short drive from Camara de Lobos to another famous viewpoint - the Eira do Serrado which overlooks Curral das Freiras: the Nuns Valley. The nuns of the Convent of Santa Clara famously took refuge in this secluded in the mid-16th Century, following attacks by French pirates on Funchal. Cherries and chestnuts are the main crops grown on the terraces that you’ll see lining the steep sides of the valley - the annual Chestnut festival on the 1st November is one of the island’s most popular celebrations.

Day 4

You could take a drive into the capital Funchal to visit the historic Sé Catedral and the famous Blandy’s wine lodge. In the afternoon, you could take the Teleferico cable car up to the beautiful Monte Palace Gardens, before returning to the city riding the famous Carro de Cesto wicker taboggans. You might also like to add a whale and dolphin watching trip from the local marina.

Day 5

You could take drive over the island’s central mountains, via the summits of Pico do Cedro and Pico da Encumeada, down to the north coast and the magnificent sea cliffs that dominate the landscape on this side of Madeira. The coast road leads to Porto Moniz, where the coastline is dotted with natural rock pools; it's one of the best swimming spots on the island.

Day 6

You could take a drive to the most westerly point on the island – to the lighthouse at Ponta do Pargo and the 140m high cascata da Garganta Funda waterfall; one of the highest waterfalls on the island. An en-route lunch stop the fishing village of Paul do Mar is highly recommended. You’ll also pass through the town of Calheta – home to one of the island’s few surviving rum distilleries at Engenho da Calheta.

Day 7

You might like to head east, up to one of the highest points on the island – the summit of Pico do Arieiro (at 1816m). Weather-permitting, you’ll have an amazing panoramic view across the whole island. You could spend the afternoon in the forest park at Ribeiro Frio; home to the miradouro at Balcões – a wonderful spot overlooking the Ribeira da Metade valley. We'll collect your hire car at the end of the day.

Day 8

You'll be transferred to the airport for your flight home.

From £1200 per person

We can create a tailor-made holiday to suit your budget.

INCLUDED: direct return flights from the UK. Accommodation in twin/double en-suite rooms on a B&B basis, return airport transfers and car hire.

Accommodation

Pestana Churchill Bay Hotel

Activities

Guided tours Our Guided Tours are the best way to explore Madeira and Porto…

Location

Central Madeira The miradouro at Eira do Serrado, overlooking the Curral das Freiras (the…

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