Madeira touring and wine!

We are going self catering to Madeira on 23rd November for 2 weeks and have booked the first week at a peaceful apartment at Reis Magos near Canico de Baixo with the option of staying a second week if we want..
The guide book (Rough Guide Directions) says that all the islands sights are easily doable on day trips from Funchal.

Is this right?

Should we concentrate on seeing one part of the island for the first week and move to the west for the second week or just stay put and avoid the hassle of moving?

We have a car for the whole 2 weeks and like to see as much as possible and especially enjoy mountain driving which generally slows things down.

We plan to sample as much of the Madeira wine as possible (!) and plan to bring some home.

Because of the travelling with liquid restrictions we will probably have to buy at the airport duty free and would like to know if they are a rip off (like most UK airports) or should we buy locally and hope it survives the journey in our hold luggage.
We are flying to Exeter so shouldn't get as much rough handling as some of the other airports.

Thanks for any advice.

Yes, it's true that day trips from Funchal are doable to see the island's sights. However, I will warn you that we rented a car and then never used it except to go back to the airport. Tour companies offer bus tours all over the island. The roads are mountainous and twisty and can induce nausea if you are susceptible to motion sickness (I am). Your opinion may vary, but after looking at the roads we regretted arranging the rental in advance. However, the good news is that unlike continental Portugal, Madeira's drivers are laid back and cautious and if the winding roads don't bother you, driving can actually be a good experience. One of the locals we met had some interesting negative (and accurate) comments about how crazy the drivers in continental Portugal were.

While I haven't gone from Madeira to the UK, it's not difficult to pack wine bottles securely in your hold luggage. Wrap them in clothes or a local newspaper. I'm sorry, but the Madeira airport is pretty small and it's been a while since we were there. I don't remember if their duty free prices are really a bargain or not, but in general I have found "duty free" to be only marginally cheaper than buying locally for alcohol. The selection will be less at the duty free than in town.

If you like seafood, be sure to try the espada with bananas, a local delicacy. Espada is a fish that is very uncommon and according to one source I read, only Madeira and Japan have it. Unlike most of Portugal, Madeira has high quality beef so don't be afraid to try something with beef while you are there.

Thanks for your reply.

We have already paid for the car so will get the most out of it we can!

We don't mind mountain roads and have driven on many throughout the world and don't suffer from any motion sickness.

We have had a few 'hairy' moments in the past rounding hairpin bends to confront mad lorry or bus drivers charging towards us but so far have survived!

Will try the fish and beef as you suggested.

Thanks again.

Re-duty free (but being in the EU its not actually duty free) - the airport is not a rip off but you will get a much bigger selection at a fairly similar prices in Funchal. If you are serious about the wine then you need to get into Funchal.

Access to rest of island - no problem, you are close to one of the main dual carriageways that now provide a quick link the many parts of the island but do search out the small older roads. One of my favourite stats is the bus from Funchal to Ribera Brava on the new road (14 km) takes about 20 minutes or so and on the old road 1.5 hours!

Stay or move - I like to tour the island and stay in small place when I am there so I would suggest move for the second week. You might find your perfect place in the first week. You are based to the east of Funchal (make sure you go to Porta da Cruz and up round Ribero Frio) so for week 2 why not look at Sao Vincente - Ponta Delgada area on the north coast, or Porto Moniz in the far west corner, or one of my favourites the lovely Jardim do Mar on the sunny south coast (west of Ribera Brava).

Driving - spectacular and can even be fun on the old roads. Madeira is either up or down and lots of hairpin bends.

p.s. being an island in middle of the Atlantic means it does rain at times so take some rain gear.

Having studied the roadmap and bus timetables to get an idea on driving times (doubt if I could drive faster than the buses if the guide book is right)! it looks like it would be more sense to move to the west for the second week and will probably look for somewhere near Jardim do Mar as you suggested.

Will we be able to find self catering easily enough while out there by ourselves, should we go to tourist offices or book here in UK before we go?

At other parts of Europe we have visited owners have had signs advertising their apartments or houses, is this similar in Madeira?

Should we change our £'s into euros here before we go or wait until we get out there?

Thanks again for your advice.

Edited by: clanline

Accommodation in Jardim do Mar - I have always gone on spec, there is one hotel in the square where I usually stay and there are signs for rooms/accommodation to let. Also try asking at Joe's bar, just follow the signs. The main part of the village is pedestrian only because its a lovely maze of small alleyways. Park at the car park by the square. You can also find accommodation on the web.

If you want somewhere with more activity than sleepy Jardim do Mar look at Calheta which is much livelier and has Madeira's only sandy beach (man made but good) and lots more hotels etc.

Euros to £ - I don't know about the exchange rate. I usually take Euros with me but there are plenty of cash machines if you need to top up.