{"id":23708,"date":"2019-02-25T09:42:04","date_gmt":"2019-02-25T14:42:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/?p=23708"},"modified":"2020-09-02T04:41:41","modified_gmt":"2020-09-02T08:41:41","slug":"the-atlantic-paradise-of-madeira","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/blog\/the-atlantic-paradise-of-madeira\/","title":{"rendered":"The Atlantic Paradise of Madeira"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"TheAt Wheeler Expeditions, we define an \u201cexpedition\u201d as an adventure with a purpose, with a mission to be accomplished.<\/span><\/p>\n

We have hardcore adventure expeditions exploring the Gobi Desert or the Amazon, overland expeditions across Central Asia or the Sahara, helicopter expeditions through the Himalayas or the Dinaric Alps, cultural expeditions to Israel\u2019s Holy Land or with tribal people in Southeast Asia, and safari wildlife expeditions to Zambia or Borneo.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s a <\/span>fun<\/span><\/i> expedition \u2013 with the purpose and mission to simply enjoy being in magical places with luxury accommodations, wonderful food and wine, surrounded by natural beauty, Goldilocks weather (not too hot, not too cold, just right), exploring something cool to see and do around every corner, just relaxing and having fun.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ideally, such places would be easy to get to and nearby \u2013 not halfway around the world. And where it won\u2019t cost an arm and a leg to have a life-memorable experience you\u2019ll always remember with a smile. Oh, without a lot of time, say in about 10 days or so. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, there are such places \u2013 and we\u2019re going to a trio of them this coming June. \u00a0We call them <\/span>Atlantic Paradises<\/span><\/i>. We\u2019re going to focus on one this week \u2013 the Portuguese island territory of <\/span>Madeira<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TheThe capital is Funchal, founded by the Portuguese when they first arrived 600 years ago in 1419. \u00a0Wouldn\u2019t those early explorers love to stay in one of the marvelous seaside resorts here today?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TheOr have Madeira\u2019s <\/span>99 miles of beaches<\/span><\/i> turned into the playgrounds they are now?<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TheFirst, let\u2019s ride the spectacular <\/span>Funchal cable car<\/span><\/i><\/a> to the hills above Funchal to explore the world-famous <\/span>Monte Palace Tropical Gardens<\/span><\/i><\/a>, considered by many to be among the most beautiful on earth.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TheAfter a relaxing stroll through such a luxuriant haven of serenity, have a shot of adrenaline returning downhill to Funchal via Madeira\u2019s uniquely famous <\/span>Carros de Cesto Wicker Toboggan<\/span><\/i><\/a>. \u00a0There\u2019s nothing like it, it\u2019s a Madeira tradition for over 100 years – it\u2019s safe, fun, and exciting.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TheReady for an aperitif after that? There\u2019s no better place than <\/span>Blandy\u2019s Wine House<\/span><\/i><\/a>. <\/span><\/i>Blandy\u2019s has been here for over 200 years, since 1811. They make Madeira\u2019s most renowned wine. Time to get to know each other over a glass or two.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then we explore this fascinating island. Drive along the south coast to the traditional village of <\/span>Camara de Lobos.<\/span><\/i> The picture-perfect little harbor is filled with fishing boats, while most of the village is perched high on a cliff above.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

Further along the coast, cantilevered on top of a massive sea cliff, is the astounding <\/span>Cabo Girao Glass Skywalk. <\/span><\/i>Standing here is an experience you don\u2019t forget.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TheWe go up a valley to the island\u2019s center with views like this:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TheWe drop down to Madeira\u2019s north coast where we find these amazing natural lava pools for unforgettable swimming fun \u2013 there are a series of them, so bring your bathing suit.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TheWe have to be back in Funchal before the party begins that evening. June weekends are the time of Madeira\u2019s <\/span>Atlantic Festival<\/span><\/i>, meaning Old Town Funchal tonight is one non-stop series of concerts, street performances, parades, and parties on every block. Everyone is dedicated to having as much fun as they can, and we\u2019ll join right in!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TheNext morning, it\u2019s time for a walk. Unique to Madeira is a series of irrigation channels called <\/span>levadas<\/span><\/i>. The Portuguese have been digging, building, and maintaining them for over 500 years to bring water from the mountains to towns and agricultural areas. There are maintenance trails along them, thus, <\/span>levada walks<\/span><\/i> are immensely enjoyable. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Some involve steep hiking. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"TheOthers are easy walking along a breathtakingly beautiful levada. We\u2019ll start mid-morning and enjoy a nice picnic next to a waterfall along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The\"The\"TheWe\u2019ll be back mid-afternoon to change into nice clothes for an exceptional experience: \u00a0<\/span>Afternoon Tea on the Terrace at Reid\u2019s Palace<\/span><\/i>, a time-honored Madeira tradition. How honored? It\u2019s exactly where and how Winston Churchill ordered it when he stayed here in 1950.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

This evening, <\/span>spectacular<\/span><\/i> doesn\u2019t <\/span>begin<\/span><\/i> to describe what we\u2019ll see. Tonight, at one of Funchal\u2019s best restaurants overlooking the city, we witness one of <\/span>the<\/span><\/i> world\u2019s greatest fireworks displays — Madeira\u2019s celebration of the summer solstice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/span><\/p>\n

Does all this look like your idea of fun? If so, then <\/span>Click here to let us know that Atlantic Paradises are for you<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Carpe diem<\/span><\/i>. Life is short. The time for a great adventure is <\/span>now.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

Jack Wheeler is the founder of\u00a0<\/b>Wheeler Expeditions<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

Click here to get advance notice of expeditions you can join & stunning photos of Once-in-a-Lifetime Adventures<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  At Wheeler Expeditions, we define an \u201cexpedition\u201d as an adventure with a purpose, with a mission to be accomplished. We have hardcore adventure expeditions exploring the Gobi Desert or the Amazon, overland expeditions across Central Asia or the Sahara, helicopter expeditions through the Himalayas or the Dinaric Alps, cultural expeditions to Israel\u2019s Holy Land […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":366,"featured_media":23709,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[2044,7449,10257,7450,10334,10308,3680,10331,10332,10333,10330,6391,2730,3744,10335,7974,2198,2191,3778,6262],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/image1-4.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23708"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/366"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23708"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23708\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29152,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23708\/revisions\/29152"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23708"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23708"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23708"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapeartist.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=23708"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}