Dolphin and Whale–watching In Madeira, like in other parts of the world, marine mammals have passed from being a hunting resource to a (eco)tourism resource. In the Whale Museum you’ll learn all about Madeira’s past as a whaling island. The maritime region of Madeira Island is actually one of the best whale-watching sites in the …
Should I rent a car for my Madeira trip? Yes, you really should rent a car. Unless you plan to stay in your hotel and read books…but that would be a pity…because Madeira has a lot more to offer than the hotel grounds! Where can I best rent a car? Cartrawler’s booking engine offers the …
The Praia do Porto Beach The Praia do Porto do Seixal Beach is a black sand beach. This really is true for all of the natural beaches on Madeira. The dark sand beaches on Madeira Island are born from sea erosion of volcanic black rock. Except for the color, the dry or wet sand has a similar …
Porto Moniz Porto Moniz is a charming small village perched on the dramatic north western tip of Madeira. The region offers towering mountains and views over endless deep Atlantic Ocean blue. Historically, the topography of the region isolated Porto Moniz from the rest of the island. Yet it survived by specialising in whaling, a practice …
The Hotel Reid’s palace is a magnificent luxury hotel, exuding elegance, glamour, refinement, and aristocracy of long gone centuries. The hotel offers two hard tennis courts, a spa, table tennis and a children’s playground. There are two rectangular swimming pools (one with sea water, one with fresh water) located high above the sea on a …
What to expect from the laurel forest The Laurisilva or laurel forest of Madeira is a true garden of Eden. Visiting it is much like traveling back 3 million years to a typical Western European forest. On the whole, that’s because the laurel forest is an outstanding relict of a previously widespread laurel forest type. …
Covid-19 on Madeira The Covid / coronavirus has taken over Europe. Luckily, Madeira is relatively spared. The Regional Government has taken precautions to protect the population and halt the virus from spreading. There are cases of coronavirus / covid 19 on Madeira archipelago, but the virus spread no where near the one of the mainland. …
At Ocean Retreat we know something about both Madeira’s Romatic Hotels and hotel review systems. So we want to share our findings. For those couples who want to travel, we have decided to rank Madeira’s most Romantic Hotels in this post. The hotels on this list are usually smaller, more intimate and more luxurious than …
Vacation Rental – Alojamento Local MadeiraCasa – This spacious family house offers a peaceful and secluded retreat without being remote and inaccessible. On the edge of the quaint village of Boaventura, this villa sits on the “Levada de Cima”. The vacation cottage overlooks surf-crashing seascapes and rocky mountain vistas. For more pictures and information, please …
Calheta The municipality of Calheta is the largest municipality in square kilometers with its 115km2 for nearly 12.000 inhabitants, This municipality includes eight parishes (Arco da Calheta, Calheta Village, Estreito da Calheta, Jardim do Mar, Prazeres, Faja do Ovelha and Ponta do Pargo). It sits on southwest coast of Madeira. It shares borders with Porto …
