I am back to tell you the details all about my Madeira trip! I took quite the hiatus on my blog because life got super busy. I wanted to document my Portugal trip because I planned it SO well! I had found Madeira island through a video on Tik Tok and I absolutely had to go and explore this beautiful and diverse island.

Things to look forward to: Levadas, Hikes, Waterfalls, Haunted Forests, Sunrise over the clouds, and some of the most beautiful overlooks you will ever see!

Remote work with Digital Nomads Madeira. I was able to make so many friends and get plugged into the local community through Digital Nomads Maderia. The group has weekly meetups and dinners and their beautiful co-working space is right in the heart of Ponta Do Sol.

I went in April of 2022 and the weather was really nice. Sometimes the air was a bit cold in higher elevation, but overall the temperature was very mild and you could swim.

Map of the locations I visited while on the island.

itinerary for Madeira, Portugal - the hawaii of europe

Home Base in Ponta Do Sol - Digital Nomad Village
Fanal Forest
Porto Moniz Natural Pools
Santana
Seixal Beach
Sao Lourenco
Funchal

How to get to Madeira, Portugal

Book a flight from wherever you are to Lisbon, Portugal. You will then need to book a flight through TAP Air Portugal to land on the dreamy island of Madeira. When you get to the island, you will need to rent a car. This is the best way to travel around the island freely for your stay. Beware that the roads in Portugal are steep and winding, if you rent a manual car like I did, it will be some of the most challenging driving you will experience.

where to stay - madeira, portugal

I wanted to stay in the nomad village of Ponta Do Sol so I could work in the mornings from their office and then explore in the afternoons. I found the most gorgeous hotel called Villa Alto Boutique Hotel. I could not have picked a better place to stay. The hotel staff is incredible and there is a full brunch every single morning for you to fuel up for the day.

For the end of the trip I stayed at their sister hotel called Sé Boutique Hotel. Sé Boutique Hotel is in Funchal, the biggest city on Madeira, a much different vibe than the countryside hotel, Villa Alto. I spent the majority of my stay with Villa Alto as my home base. This is a pretty central location if you are wanted to explore around the island. Most of the destinations were 30 minutes to an hour away from my hotel, with a gorgeous view on every drive.

FANAL FOREST

This was an absolute dream. I must admit that the Tik Tok video I saw about this forest was one of the main reasons I wanted to visit. It is so majestic and eerie. I felt like a Disney princess while exploring the magical forest. You are at a higher elevation which puts you in the clouds. The fog would come and go and it was the coolest thing watching the clouds role in.

Ponta Do Sol Nomad Village

I cannot recommend staying in Ponta Do Sol enough! Every Friday at Estalagem da Ponta do Sol they have Purple Fridays which is super lit. There is a DJ and performances and vibes are high. Sunset DJ sets with really friendly people from all over the world? Sign me up! The digital nomad office is also gorgeous with an open floor plan and outdoor seating with super fast wifi.

Porto Moniz Natural Pools

Another wonderful say trip is to the Porto Moniz Natural Pools on Maderia Island. These natural pools are absolutely incredible. They are free to enter and swim in. There are other man made pools down the street that cost 10 euros. Those have a diving board into the ocean, but are not as beautiful as the natural ones pictured below.

carwash waterfall - ponta do sol

I also had to go and see the famous Car Wash Waterfall. This waterfall flows right over the road 5 minutes from Ponta Do Sol. I went twice because it is so much fun and also close to where I stayed.

Seixal Beach & seixal waterfall

One of the only beaches in Maderia is in Seixal. It is a black sand beach and surrounded by waterfalls. It is on the north side of the island and to get there you will take your prettiest drive through the Valley of the Nuns! This drive was breath taking, I believe my mouth was open the entire drive in awe.

Sao Lourenco - Dragon’s Tail

Ponta de São Lourenço is on the most eastern tip of the island. It is known as the “dragon’s tail” and is about a 4.5 mile hike to the very end. There are rare seals and tons of different kinds of birds! I mainly wanted to see the overlooks on the north part. It was very beautiful and easy to access.

Around the island

My cute little fiat did the trick for me on my solo trip around the island. The small car allows you to park pretty much anywhere! Funchal is the only area where you will need to pay to park in an overnight lot, then walk back to your hotel.

Overview

Everyone needs to visit this island sometime in their life. The most notable spot to see was extremely cold and snowing when I was there. It is the Pico de Aerio hike and overlook, where you can see the sunrise above the clouds. I have heard that you have to try atleast 5-7 times before you really get the best view at sunrise. I went once and was NOT prepared for the cold snow at the highest point of the island.

I made tons of friends with the Digital Nomad community and would highly recommend staying in Nomad Village. Funchal was also very fun too! I walked throughout the city and coastline, and explored local shops. The rooftop bar at Se Boutique hotel was also super cool.