Day trip to Porto Santo Island
Beach days in the Madeiran Islands
One of the first things Charlie noticed when she arrived at Homeoffice Madeira were the islands off the coast that she could see from her room. She checked whether these islands could be visited. Those are the so-called Deserted Islands that are protected and can only be visited as part of an organized tour.
There is another island north of Madeira that is meant for tourists to visit as they please: Porto Santo. There is a ferry from Funchal once per day. Charlie and some of the girls from the coliving wanted to see it and booked the ferry for a Sunday.
Ferry to Porto Santo
The best way to book the ferry to Porto Santo is via the official website portosantoline.pt The fares are different in winter and summer, and you could take your car with you. Charlie and the others paid €50 each for a round trip. The ferry left from Funchal at 8 a.m. and they had taken a taxi from the coliving to the harbour.
The sun had just risen as they set off to sea. It was a lovely morning in November and the sun was already strong and warm. It took 2.5 hours and they arrived in Porto Santo at 10.30 a.m. There was a bus stop outside at the ferry terminal which took about 10 minutes into the town centre and the price was € 1.60 per person.
An early lunch
The girls hadn’t had breakfast yet, so the first goal was to get something to eat. Sabi had found a restaurant by the beach on Google Maps where they headed to. They walked along the promenade and to the restaurant and beach bar Pé na Água. They sat at the terrace, ordered lunch and of course a litre of Sangria. There were also a few sunbeds and stairs leading to the beach. It was a long, sandy beach that looked very inviting. The girls though knew that the best spot would be towards the western end, called Calheta. The walk would have been more than an hour and the girls decided to take a taxi. The driver Alberto even made a special price for them, €7 when it should have been €10. There aren’t many taxis in Porto Santo. It’s a good idea to have a number ready. You can contact Alberto at +351 964 831 987.
Calheta beach
The part of the beach they were at was called Calheta beach and it was the most western tip of the island. There were some rocks in the water that the waves were breaking on and there was a smaller island opposite. The girls found a spot under the cliffs where the rocks formed a little lagoon. Charlie and Sabi went for a little swim and had some fun in the waves. They were quite messy because the water would push off the rocks and the island opposite, but not very powerful. They enjoyed diving through the waves near the shore.
Afterwards, they rejoined Liesa and Emily in the lagoon and fell asleep on the beach. Around 4 p.m. they walked to the nearby beach bar to get a beer and food. The kitchen was closed at that time, so they only had a beer.
They considered calling the taxi driver Alberto to get back towards the harbour, but they also had to eat something before returning to Funchal. There was another beach bar halfway between Calheta and the harbour and there also was a bus at 4.45 p.m. Bus times can be found on the website of the bus and car rental company Moinho.
Early dinner
The girls told the driver that they wanted to go to a beach bar called Sol e Mar and asked him for a sign where they should get off. They noticed suddenly that he took a turn towards the right where he was supposed to continue straight and at the end of that road was the bar Sol e Mar. The bus driver had dropped them off in front of the door. What a lovely gesture!
They sat down on one of the tables and ordered a round of beers and food. Charlie tried Scabbard and Banana which sounded very strange but is a popular dish in Madeira. And it was delicious! It was literally a fish filet with a fried banana on top, served with salad and potatoes.
Return to Madeira
They called the taxi driver Alberto to pick them up at 6.15 p.m. to return to the ferry which was scheduled for 7 p.m. Alberto arrived on time and to their surprise, there were two gentlemen sitting in the 9-seater taxi. They had spontaneously decided to continue their taxi journey to the supermarket which was on the way to the harbour. Charlie and the girls didn’t mind sharing the taxi, but it was still a bit unusual.
At the ferry, there was wine for € 1.60 per glass and it would have been rude not to drink. Charlie and the others had a glass each and were off on the way back to Funchal. It had been a long day and they were struggling though to not fall asleep during the 2.5-hour-journey.
Back at the harbour in Funchal, Marta, their taxi driver from the morning, was already waiting for them to return to the coliving.
