Island of Madeira

The first thing to say about Madeira, is that it is an extremely safe island. The crime rate is very low and the chances of having something unpleasant happen to a tourist, is extremely low. It is unusual to see anyone drunk and yobbish behaviour is extremely rare.

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Madeira is located just off the coast of Africa and hence, has a subtropical climate. Unlike the Canary Islands, which are rather arid, Madeira is a lush, green island. Portuguese is the first language, but English is widely spoken, so communication is not normally a problem. You will find the people on Madeira are honest and extremely helpful.
You do not get people trying to sell you things on the street, or trying to persuade you to come into their establishment (the only exceptions to this are a few restaurants by Funchal harbour and the odd person trying to sell you a timeshare. The latter usually lurks by the seafront in Funchal and (if you do not want a timeshare) the best way of handling them is not to allow yourself to become engaged in conversation, just keep walking. You do not normally get people trying to hustle you, which in itself make Madeira an attractive holiday destination.
If you are coming on a travel package, be sure to check where the hotel is located.
Although most parts of Madeira are extremely nice, many places do not have a lot of infrastructure and if you're not going to hire a car, you might find it difficult. If it is your first trip to Madeira, it is probably best to stay in the capital, Funchal and be sure that your accommodation is fairly central (see the section on Funchal for more information). You will find that a lot of the cheaper travel packages will accommodate you outside of the capital.

There are plenty of hotels in Madeira with a wide range of prices. They range from luxury hotels like the Savoy, to lower-priced budget hotels.
Unless your preference is one of the expensive luxury establishments, an extremely good alternative to a hotel is one of Madeira’s self-catering apartments. Even if you eat out (and there are plenty of economic places to eat) some of these apartments are of excellent value and of high quality.

If you are not hiring a car, Madeira has a reasonably good bus service which operates inside Funchal and to other parts of the island. It is possible to buy a weekly travel pass for the buses that operate within the precincts of Funchal. The last time we checked, the cost of the travel pass was €16 per week.

Taxis are also a good way to travel. Although they are not dirt-cheap they are nevertheless a reasonably economic and convenient way to see the island. It is possible to hire a taxi for half a day or a full-day and of course they will take you wherever you wish to go. A full day's hire can give you quite a good tour of the island. As with taxi drivers in all parts of the world you should ask the price beforehand and if possible compare prices (if you find a good taxi driver, stick with them).