Looking for help for a beach

[StoogeUK]

hi all

 

We are travelling to Funchal in September on independence of seas and have a 2.5 year old

We want to go to a beach and not sure what beaches there are

 

We need some facilities and easy access to taxis

[Hlitner]

hi all

 

We are travelling to Funchal in September on independence of seas and have a 2.5 year old

We want to go to a beach and not sure what beaches there are

 

We need some facilities and easy access to taxis

 

Hopefully you will get somebody who knows the island better then me. But, when we drove around Funchal (have done this a few times with a rental car) we once drove over to Praia da Calheta...which is considered one of the better sandy beaches on an island that really has very few beaches. Like a few other beaches, Calheta is a man-made beach and was about a 30 minute drive from Funchal (I think it takes more than an hour if you use the island buses). This beach is very sheltered (to keep the sand from washing away) and suitable for families.

 

For what its worth, we have been to Funchal 5 times...and during 4 of our visits the weather was awful. Being a beach lover we once asked a bar waiter where the locals go when they want to have a beach day. He just laughed and said they get on a boat and go over to Porto Santo....which I think is about a 2 hour ferry ride from Funchal. We vowed that if we happened to stay on Madeira...we would go to Porto Santo for a day....but I do not think this is possible for most cruisers.

 

Hank