Although Madeira has been\u00a0branded\u00a0as a holiday destination for the ‘elder\u00a0generation’, my trip with my family in early June\u00a0confirmed that this unspoiled, quiet gem has a lot to offer any<\/em> holidaymaker who enjoys a\u00a0less touristy destination with phenomenal walking opportunities, quaint cobbled high streets and welcoming locals.<\/p>\n Here are my top reasons why you should book a holiday to Madeira this summer.<\/p>\n Madeira is encompassed by rugged volcanic rims and towering cragged cliffs.<\/p>\n Whether\u00a0you’re at\u00a0the top of Funchal’s famous cable car in Monte,\u00a0trekking the region’s dramatic levada, overlooking the\u00a0ocean at the remarkable\u00a0Cabo Gir\u00e3o skywalk viewpoint or, at your accommodation high up atop the mountains,\u00a0you’re sure to be blessed with mind-blowing views of undisturbed sea by day and a moon beam to die for by night.<\/p>\n As well as traditional Portuguese food, Madeira also has its own branch of\u00a0seductive cuisine.<\/p>\n For starter, bolo do caco (a traditional Madeiran bread) smothered in garlic butter can be found at the top of every menu. Whilst grilled limpets drizzled in garlic and lemon and served in a hot pan straight from the grill, are a favourite amongst locals.<\/p>\n For main, espetada aka. meat skewers doused in salt and garlic butter are extremely popular and fish – especially black scabbard fish\u00a0– is traditionally served swimming in a sweet banana or passion fruit sauce. All Madeiran meals must be finished with a post dinner poncha and\/or Madeiran wine.<\/p>\n Often referred to as ‘the floating garden’, Madeira is very well-known for its colourful species of flora and fauna as well as, its\u00a0budding sea life.<\/p>\n Seabirds and Bottlenose and\u00a0Atlantic spotted\u00a0dolphins are a daily sighting off of the island whilst Sperm and Pilot whales\u00a0can be spotted in the Atlantic waters all year round.<\/p>\n As you will probably know by now, I’m not a big fan of tourist-fuelled places. Therefore, Madeira was a breath of fresh air when I began my\u00a0exploration.<\/p>\n It is authentic and\u00a0quiet\u00a0yet, offers so much to see and do. Its glittering turquoise waters, rustic narrow side streets, bustling, colourful markets and charming cafes and restaurants are just a few of the island’s unique and untouched selling points.<\/p>\n Madeira was the perfect spot for a getaway with my family. Whether you’re after a week-long relaxing holiday or, a weekend city break escape, Madeira is an excellent spot to do it!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Madeira is a small Portuguese island floating off of the coast of Portugal, Spain and Morocco.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67,68,125,169,216],"tags":[581,603,689,743,1155],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6525"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6525"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12624,"href":"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6525\/revisions\/12624"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/b9c6c-p6092800-720x540-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nScenery and views<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/2a502-p6092840_crop_720x540.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFood and drink<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/2bf1c-p6072677-720x540-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nWildlife<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/lydiagiles.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/0b3e2-p6072752-720x540-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nLack of tourism<\/h2>\n