Porto Moniz Lava Pools excursion - what to do in Funchal, Maderia, as a cruise port of call

Following three days at sea, Funchal was our first stop.  We’d spent the last few days with blue horizons, and for most of it there wasn’t another ship in sight.  Waking up to the sight of Madeira, such a beautiful island, was an awe inspiring moment.  Absolutely magical and it brought a tear to my eye!

As we’d never been to Madeira before and as we’d never cruised before, we decided to book our excursion through P&O.  We liked the safety net of not bearing the responsibility of getting back to the ship on time, if you book your excursions through the cruise line they will not leave until you’re safely back on board. 

We chose the Porto Moniz Lava Pools trip, and we had such a great day out, in fact it was probably one of our favourite days of the entire holiday.  In fact the only negative we had about the trip is that it should have been the whole day, we didn’t want to get back on the coach!

Porto Moniz is on the north of the island and about a 45 minute to one hour journey from Funchal.  The coach ride went quickly as the scenery is beautiful, and the guide was very informative along the way.  The village itself is small but has all the facilities you would need for a day out, a handful of shops, bars and restaurants, public toilets by the coach stop and a tourist information centre.  As well as the Lava Pools, there is also an aquarium and a science museum, hence why three hours was just not enough!  There were beautiful views, of the sea on one side and the hills on the other.  If we ever cruise again and stop in Madeira we would consider hiring a car (remember they drive on the right!) and going to Porto Moniz ourselves, or getting a taxi from Funchal to optimise our time on the island.  The roads were clear, well sign posted and seemed easy enough to drive on.   

The excursion did not include entry to the Lava Pools, but this was only about three Euros in total for the both of us.  It’s like a big freeform swimming pool that has been naturally made by the rocks, and is filled with sea water.  It’s right on the water line, therefore its outer walls border the pool and the sea.  Dependent on the tide and weather, waves can come across these far walls, our bag got soaked, but it was all part of the fun!  There were sun loungers available to hire, for a charge, but we didn’t bother as we spent most of our time there in the water.  The bar had drinks, snacks and meals available at reasonable prices, and there was also a staffed area with lockers where we left our valuables.  I’m not usually a fan of swimming in the sea but it was so relaxing!  I started shyly, sitting on the side dangling my legs, then got a bit braver and sat on one of the set of stairs in the water, then just launched myself in!  Mr Roadtripper was braver than me and investigated the whole area.  We left just enough time to visit the two or three shops, stocking up on souvenirs and some of the local drink “Poncha”, a rum based honey and lemon concoction.  We didn’t have enough time to visit the aquarium or the museum, maybe we’ll have to look at getting a week away to explore further!

On the journey back, the coach gave us the option of being dropped in Funchal or at the port.  Unfortunately, we were still soaking wet and had to give it a miss, but on driving through we really wanted to go for a wander.  It was a bustling and attractive city centre, with well known high-street fashion names available for a spot of shopping.  There was very much a cafe culture also, with lots of people sat outside watching the world go by.  The centre was about 15-20 minutes walk away from the dock, but P&O did put a courtesy shuttle on also. 

The weather as we arrived in Madeira was overcast, but it soon cleared up.  We did find it to be quite changeable, so as we left the lava pools and the blue sky and sunshine, on arriving back at the port some clouds had rolled back in.  Madeira is a lot further south than I realised, and perhaps this is the reason I got burned.  I would urge people to be really careful, I sat outside reading in a maxi dress from 14:00 to 16:00, when the clouds had come back and the thermometer said 22 degrees Celsius.  Even wearing a thick coat of Factor 15 I still managed to burn to painful levels.  Don’t underestimate the strength of the suns’ rays!

The final two photos are as we sailed away from Funchal, the first of the locals/tourists gathered on the edge of the port to wave us off, the second a panoramic shot of the islands as we waved goodbye, hope it displays ok!