Most people would agree that the UK winter can sometimes seem long and tiresome. The dark evenings, the rain, the cold. They all add up to feelings of desire for something a little more pleasant. A winter sun holiday perhaps?
This winter we felt that we needed to do something to brighten up our pre-festive month. So we went online to see what was on offer. It didn’t take us long to find something that started to pique our interest. There was Cape Verde, but it was almost all large all-inclusive resorts with little interaction with the destination itself. The Canaries (Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and Tenerife) all had good deals available too. However even though we could see the financial merits of a ‘package’ holiday we didn’t just want to be sitting in a hotel all day. We wanted to actually see the place, eat out, go shopping and perhaps sip a drink in picturesque locations.
A Great Winter Sun Deal With Jet2
Jet2 were offering what seemed to be a great winter sun deal to Madeira, staying in a nice hotel, but close to its major city of Funchal. We liked it because Jet2 took care of all the incidentals like transfers, information packs and such, but it was a simple ‘bed & breakfast’ deal, allowing us to come and go as we pleased, with our own choice of restaurants and bars in the locations we wanted to visit. We stayed at the Allegro Madeira on the Rua Monumental, just to the west of the city. We’d actually stayed at a neighbouring hotel a few years ago but on that occasion we stayed half-board and sort of regretted the fact that we only ate at the hotel, amongst the same group of people in the same place each evening.
That part of Madeira is great for gastronomes. Some of the best hotels and restaurants are nearby and likewise there’s no shortage of ‘fine-dining’ venues. However, there are also some lovely small restaurants, with more intimate settings and really good prices, all within easy walking distance of our hotel.
Getting Around
It’s quite a hilly place, so it’s maybe not best suited to those with mobility issues. But once in the city, there are numerous shops, cafés, restaurants and bars. They’re all on relatively level ground and easy to get to. The hotel was on major bus routes, so getting into and out of the centre was a breeze. There was something really nice about sitting down to lunch in the open air sunshine. The temperature was in the twenties during December. The warmth and winter sun really ‘perked’ us up. For those so inclined there also seems to be an infinite number of activities available to suit all ages and tastes. Whether it’s walking the ‘Levadas’ (irrigation canals weaving their way around the mountains) or whale watching on a catamaran, the choice seems endless!
We have to comment on how superbly efficient the whole Jet2 process was. From the moment we clicked ‘book’ to the time we disembarked the plane on our way home, everything worked like clockwork. Everything ran to time, the flow of information was just right, the flights were at convenient times and the check-in process was so easy and uneventful.
Holiday Extras
To make things that little bit easier again we decided not to travel to the airport on the day. Traffic nowadays can be so unpredictable and stressful. Instead we found a great package from Holiday Extras. This included an overnight hotel room on-airport at the Hampton by Hilton and car parking for the duration of our stay at the Silver Zone Parking area. Again everything was so easy. We drove to the hotel, dropped off our bags. I took the car to the parking area, where you simply drive straight in. You drop your keys in a box after filling in some on-screen questions. The shuttles are plentiful and frequent, so I was back in the hotel within minutes.
We also took advantage of Jet2’s twilight check-in. This meant that the following morning there was nothing left to do other than walk through security and have a coffee before our flight. It was one of the most relaxed foreign trips I think we’d ever done.
Looking for an inexpensive, enjoyable dose of winter sun? You couldn’t do much better than a week in Funchal, Madeira. It has lots to offer and the Madeiran people are all so lovely. There was a smile and a welcome everywhere we went.
