Madeira

Hi Oldcroc, we went to Madeira about eleven years ago. Were with a tour group and went all over the island and I cannot think of anywhere specific now as it was all beautiful. A visit to Funchal market would be good. The colours are amazing. Have a brilliant holiday, it is a wonderful place.

The Botanical gardens are a must and a trip on the cable car gives magnificent views over The island.

It is a beautiful island. There seem to be lots of interesting places to eat. We always struck lucky in the old town but I know they had very bad fires after our most recent visit last year. We're hoping the old town wasn't badly affected. There were lots of lovely little places to eat there.
You'll love Madeira!

We were there about 10 years ago and had a fabulous holiday. We're trying to find the time to go back!

There are lots of nice restaurants just about anywhere, so I think you can simply look at the menus posted outside and take your pick.

I'll second the market and the cable car, also the museum in Funchal.

There are lots of walks on the levadas. We didn't do any but friends have done them and they're very popular. www.visitmadeira.pt/en-gb/what-to-do/walking-routes

I recommend afternoon tea at Reids hotel. Churchill stayed there. Magnificent views.

Afternoon tea - I went for my 6th.

So many to choose from, but all depends where you are staying.Visit Funchal, sit and people watch with a coffee, and lots of nice little shops and parks there.
Book an excursion to go high up into the hills, and then down to the coast.

I had afternoon tea at Reids with my sister. Very posh!

Reids is not cheap though.

I return from Madeira a few weeks ago and agree the cable car ride was spectacular. Don’t book a tour it’s cheaper to do it yourself and the bus station is two minutes away so you can’t miss it. We spent two afternoons in Funchal and walked down to the lighthouse which was very nice. We stayed at the cliff bay and the hotel was so fabulous we hardly left it. I found the food very salty everywhere we went but perhaps we were unlucky with our choice of restaurants. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

It's a lovely climate too. Not too hot but a very pleasant temperature. No need for long sleeves even during the evening stroll.
We were very taken with the music of a group who played outside cafes. The main player, Juan Calderado, organised for us to go to his wife's restaurant for dinner. We were a bit wary but, in the event, it was easily the prettiest restaurant we'd ever been to (and we've been around!). The food was great, ambience terrific and the cost was extremely reasonable. Only problem is I don't remember the name! It was in among a warren of streets in the old town.
While I remember, even if it's overcast, it's possible to be sunburnt. DH ended up in a bad way with very burnt legs after a morning lying out. Our E111 card worked well at the excellent medical centre.

We went dolphin watching with a small company who only had one boat, there are big companies with bigger boats, but this one was excellent. They picked us up from our hotel in the morning. I think it cost about 20euro each but was well worth it. We also did a couple of the easier guided walks. Don't go into Funchal when the cruise boats are in - it gets packed. The flower market is lovely.

Thank you all very much for your suggestions. Plenty of ideas there to get us started.