Festivals & Events in Madeira 

Rarely a week goes by without there being some local celebration in one of the island's villages, celebrating everything from Saints to chestnuts and fruits of all varieties. The main events – drawing visitors from all over the island and beyond – are as follows: 

November – As well as being All Saints Day, 1st November also sees the Chestnut festival in Curral das Freiras. Funchal's Christmas Illuminations are switched on on the 18th, lending the city a festive glow for the run-up to Christmas. 

December – The Christmas Exhibitions in Funchal start on the 7th and continue throughout the festive season. New Year's Eve is marked with spectacular fireworks displays in the Bay of Funchal – a sight not to be missed. 

January – The Twelfth Night Festival on 6th marks the end of the festival season. From 13th to the 17th the Madeira Walking Festival starts the new year's activities. 

February – This month see the island's vibrant Carnival celebrations, with the main Mardi Gras parade on Saturday 21st and the Fun Parade on the 24th (Shrove Tuesday).  

April – The famous Funchal Flower Festival starts on the 25th with the Wall of Hope Ceremony and continues on the 26th with the Big Parade. 

June – The Atlantic Festival takes place throughout the month with classical music concerts, street entertainment and firework displays each weekend. 

August – The Assumption of the Virgin Mary on the 15th is the island's most important religious festival, and the main celebration is in the village of Monte. 

September – The Madeira Wine Festival takes place from 4th and 6th of the month with live harvests in Estreito de Camara de Lobos and exhibitions in Funchal. The Columbus Festival is held on Porto Santo between the 10th and 12th September.

Other Activities in Madeira 

Madeira’s stunning array of land and seascapes provides just the right environment for a variety of exhilarating outdoor pursuits, so that in spite of the island’s rather genteel image, it has in recent years attracted a growing number of active holidaymakers.  Perhaps unsurprisingly, walking continues to be the most popular sport, but there are many other activities on offer, such as paragliding from the island’s imposing peaks, scuba diving in the marine reserve just off the coast at Caniço, or even canyoning in the rugged interior.

The not-quite-so-adventurous will find two world-class golf courses (plus a third one on Porto Santo) and several tennis courts, and can also enjoy a range of excursions by minibus or boat. Or for a really unforgettable experience, why not join a dolphin and whale watching expedition, go deep sea fishing, or take a helicopter ride for a bird’s eye view of the island?

Our local representative on Madeira can advise you about the various options on offer locally and assist you with making the necessary reservations.

General Information

HOW DO YOU FIND OUT MORE OR MAKE A BOOKING? 

We hope that our website has given you a clear picture of the type of holidays, service and properties we offer but we are always happy to answer any detailed and specific questions you may have. Our friendly team has first-hand experience of all our locations and if there is anything they can’t answer personally they will certainly know a man who can! Please telephone us on 020 8847 8700 

Our office hours are: Monday to Friday 0900 - 1730 and Saturday 1000 - 1500. 

When you have decided on your preferred dates and location, just telephone us or complete the booking form on this website and we will make the necessary reservations, subject of course to availability. In order to confirm the booking we require a deposit of £100 per person, plus any applicable pre-paid air fares or relevant insurance premiums, or the full balance if you are booking within 8 weeks of travel. 

We accept cheques and most types of debit cards and credit cards. Regrettably in order to keep the price of our holidays competitive, we have to pass on a credit card processing charge, so a 2% fee will be added for payments made by Visa or Mastercard and a 2.5% charge for payments made by American Express. There is no charge for payment made by debit card. If you wish to make your initial payment by cheque we allow 5 working days for its receipt but the booking is deemed to be confirmed and our booking conditions apply from the time that you make the reservation. 

We have allocations on most of the properties listed on this website, so we can usually confirm availability instantly for most of our holidays. However, some of the smaller hotels and individual villas work on a request basis, which means that we will need to reconfirm the availability when you come to make a booking. The same applies to scheduled flights, and in cases where we have already filled our contracted allocation at your chosen accommodation. To request flights or accommodation, we need to take your full details, including a credit card number as a guarantee for your deposit, and will confirm the booking back to you as soon as we receive confirmation from our suppliers, which is usually within 24 hours. 

We are also happy to accept bookings via certain independent travel agents. Please ask us if your local agent is on our list.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? 

Once we have taken your deposit we will issue a confirmation/invoice, which you should check thoroughly as soon as you receive it. If there are any errors or omissions please advise us immediately, as any changes made at a later date will incur amendment fees. Your confirmation acts both as your contract and final invoice, so you should make a diary note of the date that your balance is due. 

Should you wish us to automatically deduct the final balance on the due date from the same credit or debit card please let us know at the time of booking. Tickets will be dispatched to you approximately 14 days before you travel. 

WHAT IS INCLUDED IN OUR PRICES? 

• Return charter flights from London Gatwick to Madeira (regional departures and scheduled flights are available at a supplement), or scheduled flights from London to the Azores. Please click here for full flight details.
• Accommodation and any meals specified. 
• Return transfers between the airport and your accommodation, by taxi or minibus, unless a complimentary car is included in the cost. For holidays in Porto Santo, inter-island flights from/to Madeira are also included.
• Complimentary cars, including their insurance, where specified. 
• All airport and local government taxes. 
• Maid service, linen and towels. 
• Services of our local Representatives and Agents. 
• A small ‘goodie bag’ on arrival at your first centre in our self-catering properties in Madeira (not available in the Azores)

WHAT EXTRAS ARE ADDED TO YOUR INVOICE? 

• Any applicable flight supplements. 
• Any applicable fuel/currency surcharges
• Travel insurance, if you have elected to take ours. 
• Any Pre-booked Walking Tours
• Any additional car hire, car-hire upgrades or child seats
• Any room upgrades or optional board supplements
• Handling charges for payment by credit card (Visa/Mastercard 2%, American Express 2.5%)

WHAT COSTS ARE YOU RESPONSIBLE FOR? 

• Travel to and from your UK departure airport. 
• All meals except those in-flight where provided or where a board basis is specified. 
• Alternative travel insurance. 
• Fuel deposit and CDW excess for hire cars

WHAT ABOUT CHILDREN AND INFANTS? 

Most hotels offer reduced prices for children as long as they are sharing with two adults - these prices are shown in the price list for the relevant properties. Any relevant flight supplements apply in full. Infants under 2 pay just £35. This charge includes the provision of cots requested at the time of booking. Child seats for hire cars are charged locally by our car hire suppliers. Please indicate at the time of booking if these are required or if you are planning to bring your own.

WHAT LOCAL SUPPORT IS THERE? 

On Madeira, we employ our own resort representative, who will meet you upon arrival at the airport providing you arrive on our main flight day, Monday (guests arriving on other days will be met by our car hire agents or taxi drivers, depending on whether your holiday includes a hire car or a transfer). Our representative will visit you once or twice during your stay, if you so wish, and offer any friendly advice and guidance that you may need to make the most of your stay. Should you encounter any difficulties they are just a telephone call away and have all the local contacts needed to solve most problems. On Porto Santo, staff employed by our local agents will make all your ground arrangements including airport transfers if applicable, and they are on hand should you require any local advice or assistance.

WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR SURROUNDINGS? 

Our locations and properties are chosen to give you a relaxing and authentic holiday experience. Many of our properties are in beautiful rural areas where it is possible that you will experience the sight and sounds of some local wildlife. In many of our locations you will exist in close proximity with the local population so their way of life should be not only observed and enjoyed but also respected. In the low season and on Public Holidays some of the public facilities may not be available and during local festivals villages which are normally peaceful may be transformed. Sadly there are no seasonal building restrictions in many places and we have no control over such matters. On Madeira in particular, the local authorities are carrying out extensive infrastructure improvements, such as constructing new road tunnels and remodelling seafront promenades, which may lead to temporary diversions. Wherever we feel that any major construction work is close enough to your chosen property to impact on your enjoyment of that location, we will advise you accordingly and, where possible, offer the option of changing your accommodation to an alternative venue. Any short term local ‘DIY’ activities are however totally beyond our control.

WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR ACCOMMODATION? 

Hotel accommodation in Madeira is generally of a high standard, but naturally the level of service in the smaller, rural establishments tends to be more laid-back and informal than in the larger city or resort hotels. Hotels on Porto Santo tend to be more simple than those of an equal official rating in Madeira, and the service here tends to be in keeping with the island’s unhurried atmosphere. Unlike Madeira, which has a long tradition as a holiday destination, the Azores have only recently turned to tourism, so service tends to be a little less sophisticated than on Madeira, but hotel accommodation generally is of a good standard. 

Our self-catering properties range from simple apartments to luxurious villas and our description should give you a good indication of the level of comfort of each property. All are equipped with linen and towels (except beach towels), as well as sufficient crockery, cutlery, glassware and utensils for preparing simple meals. Kitchen facilities do not normally include ovens, washing machines or dishwashers unless otherwise specified. Irons, ironing boards and hairdryers are also not always the norm. 

Swimming pools described as 'heated' in our brochure have the facility to be heated; however this may only be in use at certain times of the year, according to the weather. The mention of satellite or cable TV indicates that some international channels will be available; but this often only extends to one or two news channels in English.

Our brochure is prepared and photographs taken well in advance so some of the décor and facilities may be updated. It is also impossible to describe and photograph each individual room or apartment, so whilst all the main facilities will be common the layout and furnishings may differ slightly. Maintenance and repairs may need to be undertaken from time to time in order to keep properties up the standards we require and our staff make health, safety and quality control checks. You however are responsible for any breakage or damages caused by you or any member of your party during your stay in your accommodation. It is your responsibility to either put things right or advise our local representative so that she can replace things and recharge you before your departure. Some hotels and apartments make additional charges for the use of such things as safety deposit boxes, sunbeds and sports facilities.

MAID SERVICE

In all hotels, maid service is offered on a daily basis, with towels changed at least two or three times a week. As is becoming the norm internationally many hotels change towels on a request basis, whereby the maid will assume that you will reuse your towel of you place them back on the rack, and that you would like them changed if you leave them in the tub or on the floor. If your hotel operates this policy there will be a notice in your bathroom explaining this procedure.
Our self-catering properties are cleaned thoroughly before each arrival. Most villa or apartment complexes in resort areas provide subsequent maid service and linen change once or twice a week, but this is not the norm in rural self-catering properties (although sufficient towel and linen for the duration of your stay will be provided). If the frequency of cleaning is of importance to you, please ask for more details at the time of booking.

TRANSFERS

For those properties where complimentary cars are included in the holiday price, or where car hire is offered at a 'special rate, the car is collected from and returned to the airport, and we will provide you with detailed driving instructions on how to find your accommodation. All other properties include return transfers from and to the airport, usually by taxi or minibus, directly to your accommodation. 

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO TRAVEL?

The climate in Madeira and Porto Santo is temperate with relatively minor temperature variations throughout the year. The winter months are usually warm enough for al fresco lunches, whilst even in the height of the summer it rarely gets too hot for exploring. Although the summer months offer the most reliable weather, winter is traditionally the peak season in Madeira, especially during Christmas, New Year, Carnival and Easter. May and June are the quietest months, making them ideal for exploring the countryside, whilst July to November are the best months for sea swimming. August can be a little busy as it is a popular month for the Portuguese holidaymakers. Madeira's mountainous terrain creates distinct microclimates: the south coast is statistically drier and sunnier than the north coast, and temperatures drop noticeably with altitude, so if you are planning on walking in the mountains, do take some warmer clothing.
Porto Santo is busiest between June and September, which offers the best conditions for enjoying the island's fabulous beach. In the winter months Porto Santo is extremely quiet, ideal for those who enjoy solitude and complete relaxation.

AVERAGE PEAK DAYTIME TEMPERATURE

January: 19C / 66F
February: 19C / 66F
March: 19C / 66F
April: 20C / 68F
May: 21C / 70F
June: 22C / 72F
July: 24C / 75F
August: 26C / 79F
September: 26C / 79F
October: 24C / 75F
November: 22C / 72F
December: 20C / 68F

WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO CONSIDER? 

Our Booking Conditions are clearly laid out and you should read them carefully before making your booking. They should answer many of your remaining queries but please don’t forget we are approachable and available on 020 8847 8700.