Madeira sledge ride

 8/5: Into city center to take the gondola up to the top of the hill for the iconic Madeira sledge ride. When we got into town, we found a very long line for the gondola, and a cab driver offering to give us a great deal to drive us all around instead of taking the gondola. After a bit of figuring and more walking away from the busy cab/gondola area, we decided to forgo the gondola ride (as all of us have been on many gondola rides). We found a different large cab that would take us directly to the sledge ride, and wait for us at the end to take us back to the hotel. We were a little hesitant at first, as we thought we’d just get a different Bolt (their version of Uber) when we finished, but he cautioned us that getting a ride up there may prove to be quite difficult. While we weren’t confident he was right, we pulled the trigger and went with him. As we climbed and climbed up the hill, we became quite glad that we had our return trip lined up (no cabs hanging around at the top!)

Simone and Quinn shared a ride

Robo, Bob, and I shared the other

We headed back to the hotel to enjoy the last afternoon/evening at the pool and ocean.

Brandy, Neve, and Simone enjoyed the afternoon tea experience.

Our last night at the resort was fun and relaxing - HH on the patio, swimming in the pool, and our 3rd dinner at the Cliff Bar. We had thought we’d go out of the hotel for dinner, but we all enjoy the food and location so much that we decided to just stay put! A great decision once again!

Our waiter found our one missing card from the night before! The kids lost one, and we looked all over/under the table for it, and when we arrived for dinner tonight, he had it! Found it underneath one of the chair cushions! :-)

Drinks and pool in a room right off the patio

Final sunset in the rooftop bar

We loved Madeira! We could definitely stay another day or two :-)

Full Day tour Madeira

 8/4: Another amazing breakfast and then our driver John picked us up at 0900 for a full day exploring Madeira.

We had the traditional Poncha drink and then a micro shot of ‘something’ ?? that the woman shop owner wanted us to do...

We had the traditional Poncha drink and then a micro shot of ‘something’ ?? that the woman shop owner wanted us to do...

Above the clouds

Next we stopped at the natural pools that have been built at the edge of the ocean. It was a very unique experience - with a lot of people. And seaweed. Yuk. The surprise of the experience was how great the food was at the pool “snack bar.” We were all expecting hot dogs, nachos, and popcorn, but we had really great salads and burgers!

Bob showing a handful of seaweed (mainly for the enjoyment of our dear friend Chris Onan!)

‘Om’ by the crashing waves

Bride’s veil waterfall

A good day in the back of the Jeep!

Back to Cliff Bay for some pool and ocean time and dinner at our favorite outdoor spot.

The water was so warm!

Chicken fight!

Madeira! Day 1

 8/3: Our first day at the Cliff Bay hotel revealed a HUGE breakfast buffet, with the most amazing fruit, and everything you could want to eat. After no one took our room number (which made life easier for us because we were 4 people not the registered 3), some of us enjoyed a little pool time, while Bob, Robo, and I walked into town to check out the cars that had raced through the town.

Cristiano Ronaldo was born in Madeira

We headed to the Marina for our 1400 boat ride. We enjoyed our time snorkeling, paddle boarding, and enjoying the ocean waves and scenery.

The largest sea cliff in Europe

The kids loved their first time snorkeling!

We finished our boat ride about 5:30, and the kids were pretty excited to eat at the McDonald’s that was right there in the Marina. The adults said ok :-) and Robo and Bob enjoyed a Big Mac. We headed back to the hotel for a quick clean up before Robo, Bob, and I headed out to see the Buena Vista Social Club (a group that Bob has been listening to for 20 years but has never seen!) Bob discovered they were performing that evening on a street sign during our walk into town earlier. The concert start time was 6pm, and we thought it would be fine to arrive at 7pm. When we arrived, though, we learned that the show was almost over! No! When Bob told the lady at the front how he has been listening to them for ages, and could you please just let us in for the end of the show…she thankfully said yes! We essentially got a backstage pass for the last 15 minutes of the show. Sweet!

The 3 of us explored the town a little bit (1 sugary margarita), then headed back to find Brandy having a lovely dinner at the Avista restaurant. We went one level up to the rooftop bar and enjoyed a phenomenal sunset.

DJ on Friday night was great!