Porto Moniz holidays
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Green cliffs, black sands and blue seas – holidays to Porto Moniz are a photographer’s paradise.
Sea pools, sand and scenery
Pull up a map of Madeira, and Porto Moniz is easy to find – just zoom straight into the island’s northwestern tip. This seaside town might be small, but it sizes up in the scenery department. We’re talking black-sand beaches, volcanic rock pools and steep, forest-cloaked hills that wouldn’t look out of place in Hawaii. And if all that’s not enough to have you packing your suitcase already, the daytrip possibilities include tours of the capital, Funchal, and beach days at a stretch of sand voted one of the best in Europe.
Saltwater swims
The Natural Pools of Porto Moniz are the town’s biggest calling card, drawing in tourists from all over Madeira. Every time the tide rolls in, these sculpted lava rock pools fill up with clear-as-gin sea water measuring up to two metres deep. You can watch the waves crash against the jagged, black rocks from the calm water of one of the pools, or nab yourself a sunlounger on the surrounding solarium. There’s even a kids’ pool and a playground here, so you can make a family day of it.
Views for days
The panoramic vistas from the natural pools are top notch, but if you want to snap up the best views in town, you’ll want to head uphill. The winding mountain roads here are peppered with viewpoints. The most popular spot is Miradouro da Santinha – a steep 20-minute walk or a few minutes’ drive from the town centre. And as soon as you reach it, you’ll understand why so many people flock here for photos – you can see the whole of Porto Moniz, and as far out to sea as the eye can reach.
Dialled-up daytrips
There’s a handful of beaches within easy daytripping distance of Porto Moniz, so you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to where to flick down a towel. Take Praia do Porto do Seixal, for example, which is less than 15 minutes’ drive away. This stretch of charcoal-coloured sand is flanked by steep, forest-cloaked hills, and has been dubbed one of the best in the whole of Europe. If you’d rather up the pace, you can always make the hour-long drive to Funchal, where you’ve got a cobbled old town, a cluster of botanical gardens and cosmopolitan cocktail bars to check out.
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