Kavey...I have a Madeira Island Question
 

Kavey,<BR>Do you know about how much a taxi is from the airport to the Hotel Savoy in Funchal? The hotel is offering a transfer service for 32.42 Euros each way. Does that seem a bit high or not? Also...I search and search for my previous postings and can NEVER find them! I used keywords "Madeira," "Savoy," and even "Kavey" among a lot of others to try to find the Madeira Island message/posting...what's up with that? So I'm sorry I had to post a whole new message.<BR>Thanks,<BR>Amy

Kavey...are you there?

Sorry - I am here... wasnt on here yesterday...<BR><BR>I don't recall the price myself but if you can wait till Monday I can email the resort staff in Funchal and ask their advice on the price and then post here.<BR><BR>You can try searching under Funchal and see if that helps but usually posts come up. I didnt do a trip report but there are postings on restaurant recommendations etc.<BR><BR>Kavey

Amy<BR><BR>Just reread your post.<BR>They aren't indexing posts as often as they used to, which means that your posts may not come up in a search as they have been posted after the last index.<BR>It's just a case of bookmarking them when you create them, or tediously working down through the 50s until you find them.<BR><BR>:(<BR>

Amy - The easiest way to find recent posts on Madeira is probably just to sroll down and highlight 'Portugal' in the subject search box. Assuming the original post was under Portugal you should find it easily. I think what your looking for may be #5?<BR><BR>Hope this helps ...<BR><BR>Steve

PS<BR><BR>It's about a 25-35 minute taxi trip, from memory. <BR><BR>First time we did it a private taxi transfer was included in the package.<BR><BR>It's about 45 minutes plus in the coach (2nd time taxi transfer was not included).<BR><BR>Anyway, will contact the resort tomorrow and ask...

I guess what I am wondering is...is it less expensive to just take a taxi from the airport to the hotel? I know in Prague it was cheaper to take a taxi from the airport than it was to use the hotel's private transfer service. I don't know how the cabs on Madeira are and was wondering if you had any experience with the cabs there. But you said the hotel provided the transfer service in the package. I wish the Hotel Savoy would include this in my stay as well! I thought 32.00 Euros was a bit high. I'm a teacher and always trying to save a buck!! Sorry!<BR>Thank you for all your help...I really appreciate it! And thanks for topping the Madeira Eats thread!<BR>Steve...What does "#5" mean?<BR>~Amy

Hi Amy<BR>No sorry, I wasn't clear.<BR><BR>That first trip I did, the tour operator (which is actually the company I work for) provided the taxi transfer, and it's just a regular taxi, that they book and pay for in advance. The hotel (Savoy) wasn't involved.<BR><BR>It's Thomson Holidays I work for, a UK based tour operator, and like most tour operators these days, they have differentiated products.<BR><BR>When we went to the Savoy we booked from the A La Carte brochure, which includes the top class hotels in each destination, and always includes a private taxi transfer in the price.<BR><BR>When we went back, to the Pestana Carlton Casino Park, also with Thomson, we booked from the regular Winter Sun brochure, where included transfers are on a shared coach.<BR><BR>So the resort staff, who book those private taxi transfers, should have a pretty good idea of the price of a regular taxi from airport to Savoy.<BR><BR>I will let you know once I have asked them which should hopefully be by Monday or Tuesday.<BR><BR>It is a half hour journey, so it's worth taking that into consideration, but I really don't know regular taxi rates so I cant comment without asking resort.<BR><BR>Will post this and then add another message with other money saving tips.

I am sorry, my English is far from perfect, but do you mean by "each way" that 32 euros covers BOTH airport-hotel AND hotel-airport? Because then it is not more expensive than a taxi. If I remember right, last time we payed a taxi something like 40 euros ONE WAY, but that was from Praia Formosa, about 6-8 kilometrres further from the airport than Savoy.

Dear Elina<BR>Your english is excellent and far better than my second languages...<BR><BR>Each way means for each journey, so the price would be 64.84 for a return trip.<BR><BR>Usually I would say in english, to express a price in only one direction.<BR><BR>It costs XXX each way<BR>or<BR>It is XXX for a single<BR><BR>And I would say<BR><BR>It costs XXX return <BR><BR>to indicate a price which covers both in and out bound trips.

Thanks, Kavey! So, it seems that if Amy is by herself it is cheaper to take the hotel transport, but if she is travelling with someone else, it is cheaper to take a taxi. Anyway, Madeira is one of my favourite places. I have been there 6 or 7 times.

Yes I will be traveling by myself...I'm a loner....<BR>Elina...you've been to Madeira quite a bit! Any suggestions on the walking trips on the island? (You too Kavey!) And I agree with Kavey...your English is great!

Amy<BR>I will have a think, but a trip we enjoyed was hopping on a very cheap bus up to Eirra do Serrado and the entrance to the Nun's Valley (forgotten the Portuguese name, Curral...???).<BR><BR>From the bus stop, many walkers walked down to the valley floor which looked beautiful. <BR><BR>Too steep for me but many regular walkers were doing it.<BR><BR>Also there is an excellent guide book for walking the levadas which I canr recall the name of.<BR><BR>Will check.<BR><BR>We walked a LOT in funchal itself, many guidebooks have walking routes...<BR><BR>More later... did you find the restaurant thread I topped?<BR><BR>Kavey

Landscapes of Madeira <BR>John Underwood, Pat Underwood

As one teacher Amy to another, have a great time in Madeira! It's just gorgeous. There's a levada walk that ends at a teahouse, and it's a lot of fun (although maybe a little touristy, as far as the Horticultural Center/ Teahouse is concerned.) Don't miss the wicker chair ride down from Monte! (Did you ever, by chance, read the Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace? It's mentioned in there.) I travelled there by myself, too, and I had a wonderful time.

There are several good hikes along the "levadas", another breathtaking among Pico do Arieiro and Pico Ruivo being both the top mountains in the island and Kavey I will help you a bit with the portuguese name... " curral das freiras". Eira do Serrado is a beautiful place, the viewpoint is located right at the edge of and old caldera and Curral das freiras is a little town just at the bottom.I am certain you will love Madeira Island wherever you go, but I always recommend the spectacular northwest road between Seixal and Porto Moniz and the area around Sao Louren&ccedil;o Point, the easternmost area offers also beautiful sea landscapes and the only little sandy beach in the island "prainha".

Hi, Amy! Kavey gave you the info about the absolutely best book on Madeira walks. Landscapes of Madeira is published by Sunflower Books (blue books that fit into your pocket). I have walked a lot in Madeira, both levadas and mountain walks. The one Kavey mentioned (from the busstop down to Curral das Freiras) is a short and easy one. Very recommandable. The one Pedro mentioned (from peak to peak) is a tough one, and you have to be in a quite good shape. There are two walks I recommend. Both are easily accessible by bus from Funchal, and both are prime examples of how varied Madeiras landscape is, although it is so small. First one is a great representative of a beautiful levada. Take a bus to Ribeiro Frio, the walk starts from there, and ends in Portela. Then you just wait for a bus and roll back to Funchal. It is called Levada do Furado, and it is describedi in the book under number 27.<BR><BR>Another great one (all the way downhill!) is under number two in Landscaps of Madeita. Well, there you need a taxi to go to the starting point. So, ask the taxi to take you to Poco da Neve (an old "icehouse" near the top of Pico Areiro. And from there you can dance downhill to a place where a connecting bus takes you to a place where you can reach a Funchal bus. On that one you´ll get treeless hilltops, a small and a wide levada, little waterfalls falling down the cliffs... And it ends into a eucalyptus forest. Oh heavens, I get all carried away! Anyway, I hope you´ll like Madeira! (In fact, I know you will.)

You guys are awesome!! Thank you so much for all the great info! I can't wait to go to Madeira!!! I am going to print out this thread and the "Madeira Eats" thread as well. <BR>Kavey...I will wait to hear back from you regarding the taxi/hotel transfer information before I email the hotel back to accept or not accept their transfer offer.<BR>Thanks Again!!!<BR>Amy

Kavey or Elina...have either of you been to Bucharest? A colleague of mine is visiting there in March and has posted a message called "Romania." If either of you have been...can you please share some info with her? <BR>Thank you both again!!<BR>Amy

Amy<BR>I have had a response from the Funchal office:<BR><BR>"A taxi at the airport will cost about 29 euros each way, probably as easy to book with the Savoy."<BR><BR>For that price difference I would agree, as they will probably meet you where you come off the plane, with a name placard or such (check with Savoy on where they will meet) and you will not need to join the queue for taxis with others on the flight.<BR><BR>Kindest Regards<BR><BR>PS Yes I have been to Bucharest, but I was young and foolish and recall nothing so much as the drunken antics - I remember Prague, Odessa, so many other stops on our trip, but Bucharest fades from memory and I can't provide anything useful at all...