Five Things To See On Your Holidays In Madeira

Madeira Island is a safe refuge from the modern and hectic society of today's age and the best part is that it is located at a very short distance from most of the major European cities.

The pearl of Atlantic, the Madeira Island, was found by the British more than a century ago as an island to spend holidays and due to this, it is the oldest tourist spot of Europe.

The spirits and wines are cheap and there are several casinos, discos and night clubs in Funchal. If you like to travel alone then Madeira Island is a nice place to select as it is safe. Locals are extremely friendly and you will not get bored for a single minute on this island.

Madeira is part of Portugal and in recent years has become a popular holiday rentals destination. There are many superb holiday villas and self catering apartments in Madeira that can be rented as holiday homes.

Madeira Island offers you a huge array of opportunity which will satisfy all your leisure time requirements. The first thing you should never miss to enjoy in the island is the water activities, including fishing, sailing, dolphin and whale spotting, surfing, diving, swimming and water skiing.

Recently, some of the excellent surfing destinations were located in Madeira Island and since then, it has attracted a large number of surfing lovers every year.

The mild climate throughout the year, crystal clear water and the probability of viewing creatures, such as barracudas, dolphins, rays, monkfish and mantas have resulted in a large number of scuba divers coming here to spend their holidays.

Because it is located in the middle of the ocean, the Madeira Island is blessed with some very special events of visiting dolphins and whales. Many of these tourists book self catering holiday homes as their holiday accommodation.

The second thing to do in Madeira Island is enjoying the golf and tennis. Apart from all the natural attractions provided by the island, it also offers perfect conditions to practice outdoor sports all through the year.

As far as golf is concerned, there are two spectacular courses on the island: Santo da Serra golf club and Palheiro golf. There are 27 holes in the Santo da Serra golf club and 18 in the Palheiro.

The Santo de Serra club hosts the Madeira Island Open every year and it has been rated as one of the best golf courses in Europe. There is also a golf course in Porto Santo which has two 9 hole circuits and one 9 hole illuminated pitch and putt course. Many golfers rent some of the splendid holiday villas that are located near and around the golf courses.

The third thing to do is mountain biking. The journey, which goes through some of the most excellent trail roads ends up down alongside the stunning beachs. The fourth thing you should not miss to do in Madeira Island is visiting its beaches.

Almost all the beaches of the island are pebble and can be very exciting for those who are fed up of visiting sandy beaches that are very common. In spite of that, if you still want to see some sandy ones, you can take a ferry to the Porto Santo Island that leave generally from Funchal.

The fifth thing to do is enjoying the nightlife of the island. Depending upon your preferences, budget and mood, you can visit any of the discotheques, night clubs, bars, cafe bars, casinos and pubs located throughout the island. Many holiday makers rent self catering apartments in the local towns and use them as an ideal base to sample the local food and culture.

Andrew Gibson is MD of http://www.directholidaybookings.co.uk/. They have a great selection of holiday villas and self catering holiday apartments around the world.