SHY City Guide ~ Madeira, Portugal
SHY city guide ~ madeira, portugal
so after couple days in lisbon my family and i visited the magical place called madeira, a little island off portugal. did you know that beside mermaids and fairies living there for sure, it’s where the goat christiano ronaldo is from! (ya that’s their airport name)
think hawaii of europe to set the tone but if you love driving across the island exploring beaches and coasts, going on breath taking hikes, eating the freshest fruit and fish then strolling through markets.
definitely rec getting an airbnb in central funchal and renting a car to explore the island. don’t forget to wear your spf, hydrate lots, pack some cool european snacks and channel your islander.
high tea at reid’s palace was super special channeling my island princess after playing mermaids all day
like i was saying funchal is their “downtown” and a good midpoint to the other towns for staying
def take the cable cars up to monte and explore the mountains along with the gardens!!
make sure to see all of the animals at the monte garden including flamingos and turtles
i was so bummed i missed them in aruba but the universe was like don’t worry i gotchu
we discovered a lil mom and pop local restaurant called a nova celha which we were obsessed with (order portuguese garlic bread, their grilled squid omg, the white sangria too and the tuna salad)
the madeira fruit markets are literally next level with every tropical fruit you can dream of (they’ll let you taste)
fanal forest was enchanting to say the least! make sure to early to catch the fog and fairies
if you are lucky you’ll see wild cows and their baby calf’s who are so friendly
seixal black sand beach has to be like my top three beaches hands down… absolutely stunning
zeca diogo tattoo studio and ask for laura for the best fine line tattoos to save memories (i got lucky on my left hand and 1025 on my right which is parents’ anniversary then a lil strawberry on my right arm along with a fairy!! my sister got a matching mermaid)
so back to high tea at reid’s palace! the desserts were unreal esp the mango passion fruit
porto moniz natural pools were one of my highlights of the trip since they’re so innovative! they have two natural pools for people to explore. one’s completely untouched natural and another slightly upgraded (think built in stairs into the real ocean)
keep an eye out for all the sick sea creatures like sebastian from the little mermaid
if fanal forest is where the fairies live then the natural pools is for the mermaids.
we had some of the best chicken wings and overall delicious lunch by the natural pools (it’s up the stairs from the upgraded pools)
banana museum was a really cute pit stop to learn some facts and try some fruit
ok don’t be a hater til you try it but our tattoo artist recommended the big tastys which are only available at the portugal mcds and guys they had twice mcflurries (i mean!!)
it’s worth waking up at 5am to drive to top of monte to catch the sunrise with everyone
last but not least pack your hiking shoes and stamina for some of the best trails
love,
dovey
