A week in Porto Santo was coming to an end, but not until 6:00 p.m. when our favorite taxi driver was set to pick us up and take us to the ferry port for our departure to the main Madeira island. We had originally planned to start the day early and try to get in our beach visit before lunch, but we wisely chose a little extra sleep instead. By late morning, we’d gotten our bags largely packed and tidied up the main living areas as best as possible.
I had to call United, as we were within the 24-hour window of our flight, and Eilidh’s reservation had not been formally attached to ours. It marked the third call to United in the past three days, but after some more time on the phone and $178 for Eilidh’s infant ticket, we were officially all set for our Tuesday departure.
Lunch was the nearby takeaway spot, which has become a staple during our vacation. Including drinks, we have never spent more than 20 Euros on a meal, and the food has always been reasonably good. Today was spaghetti, something I expected to generate excitement, but perhaps our traveling crew had grown tired of the Italian food over the last few days. Cassy and Emmie ate the biggest servings; Amanda focused on the side potato dish.
I’d bought some Coke and Mentos at the mini-market so Amanda and Cassy could collaborate with Noah and Emmie to build a beach “volcano” that could have an explosion-like effect. It didn’t work quite as well as they hoped but still provided ample amusement for the kids. I’d gotten Eilidh to take a nap while everyone else was at the beach, so she got in some peaceful sleep without noisy siblings running through our house.
By 2:00, we felt like things were in really good shape for our departure. Amanda took advantage of the extra time with a short nap; Cassy, Noah, Emmie, and I played at least 25 rounds of Heads Up on the iPad; and, I later snuck in a quick nap before a final walk to the beach with Noah and Emmie.
The final Porto Santo beach photo.
When Claudia arrived to ready the house for the next guests, she came bearing gifts from the homeowners. Eilidh received a bib knitted in Madeira. Cassy and Emmie got matching bags, also made locally. Noah’s present was a souvenir hat, while Amanda and I received a set of soaps made from minerals found in the island sands: one each for face, body, and feet.
All in all, we had a wonderful stay in Porto Santo, finding everyone we met to be friendly and helpful. The home we stayed had the perfect space for our family and Cassy and was less than 5 minutes from an uncrowded ocean beach. Restaurants were affordable and much of our food was memorable. We will be back… next year?
The taxi ride to the ferry port was uneventful, though we did receive a few helpful tips about what to expect for the ride including how luggage was handled. We had no problem using our pre-purchased tickets to board the ferry and as soon as we were on the ship, we sought-out the self-serve restaurant.
Boarding the ferry.
Ferries have become a bit of a tradition for our annual “big” trips. In 2014, we rode a ferry to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. The following year, we made the day-trip to Heimaey Island in Iceland. Last summer, we took a ferry from Nova Scotia to Prince Edward Island.
We have typically enjoyed the food on the ferries, but our good-food-on-ferries streak came to an abrupt end on the Porto Santo Line. Noah was the only person to finish his hamburger; Amanda and I could hardly tolerate ours. We threw a lot of food away and shifted our eating focus to the three bags of chips we ordered to accompany our burgers.
Amanda and Cassy made their way to the second deck cinema to watch The Notebook, while I took the kids to the children’s space. While it was quite dated and featured very limited play options, the kids enjoyed running around and interacting with the handful of other boys and girls in the room.
We also did some exploring of the ship, making our way to almost every deck. The solarium at the top offered wide open space and decent scenic views but was easily the noisiest open-to-the-public space on the ferry. The seventh floor had bench seating and an open-air snack bar. We spent enough time there for a selfie before returning to the reception area on the fifth deck where we reunited with Amanda and Cassy.
We had the solarium, the 8th deck of the ship, nearly to ourselves.
As our ferry approached the port in Madeira’s capital city Funchal, it was interesting to observe and compare Porto Santo with its parent island. Madeira is far more developed with four-lane roadways and a comparatively huge number of buildings and population density. We also passed the Madeira Airport, the reason for our ferry ride, and saw its unusual runway configuration which is partially built on concrete pillars above the ocean.
The view of metropolitan Funchal from the ferry.
I had exchanged a couple of emails with our hotel, the Albatroz Beach & Yacht Club to ensure our two rooms were properly set for our arrival. They confirmed as much and offered to arrange a fixed-rate taxi pickup from the port to the hotel. Our Porto Santo taxi driver had warned the Madeira taxi line can be cumbersome for families looking for a larger vehicle, so this opportunity made a ton of sense. As expected, as we exited the ferry, the driver had a sign for “Mr. McMillin.”
The van wasn’t as roomy as those we rode in Porto Santo, but accommodated all of our luggage and had a unique built-in baby seat for Eilidh. She was evidently tired enough to find the seat acceptable, at least when paired with her trusty Tula blanket. We went through tunnel after tunnel on the 30-minute ride from the ferry port to the hotel.
The driver dropped us off in the hotel parking lot, leaving us to walk at least 100 meters to the hotel entrance. This was clearly unacceptable to the receptionist who was upset he’d not driven further to drop us off directly in the lobby. A little paperwork was completed, then the receptionist walked us to each room. Amanda, Cassy, and Eilidh slept on the ground level; I roomed with the kids in a room on the first floor.
The hotel was considered a “five-star” property, but we were unable to use its notable amenities. I chose due to good reviews, a reasonable price – and, mostly, its close proximity to the airport. The rooms were modest but well-appointed. The kids and I were hungry after sub-par ferry dinners so we demolished the provided fruit plate and drank our free bottles of water before winding down and going to sleep.
Noah and Emmie rode what they deemed the “world’s tiniest elevator” on the way up to our room.