Madeira Holidays

Madeira has never quite lost its image of being an island retreat for those in delicate health, a place where the bankrupt old nobility of Europe could flee to escape their debts, or a retirement home for impoverished former colonial servants. Young travellers used to turn their noses up at the thought of a destination with no beaches, and no nightlife.

It is, however, one of Europe's most intriguing destinations. The island's mountainous volcanic landscape is carved into scores of deep valleys and ravines, clothes in the luxuriant vegetation that thrives in the frost-free climate. Hundreds of miles of footpaths run alongside the network of irrigation canals, bringing water from the wet side of the island to the drier south. Easy to follow, these paths lead you deep into the rural heart of the island, where the way of life has hardly caught up with the industrial era.

Funchal, meaning 'fennel', is the island's capital. It's name is said to derive from the abundance of fennel plants that Zarco, the island's discoverer, found growing here when he arrived in 1420. The city's cultural sights are packed into a maze of streets, intertwined with restaurants and bars where you can sample the island's famous wine and cake.