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One of the highlights of my recent trip to Madeira  was the one-day tour I took around West Madeira. Stunning mountain vistas, lush green landscapes, natural swimming pools and ethereal forests were all on the agenda. Suffice it to say, my camera got a good workout that day! Read on to find out more. If you don't have a rental car in Madeira, joining an organised tour is the most efficient way to explore the island beyond Funchal in one day. There are dozens of different one-day tours available, almost all of which focus on either the east or the west side of the island. The latter ticked more of my boxes and I booked a full-day small group jeep tour with  True Spirit . Our guide Gil was great, smoothly negotiating all of the impossibly steep, narrow, twisty roads, taking the time to share details about the history and culture of Madeira and even climbing up trees to show us some of the wonderful tropical fruits. My top tip for the tour is to pack an extra layer even if it's w...

The Portuguese island of Madeira — located some 500 miles southwest of the mainland, just over 400 miles west of Morocco — wasn't really on my radar until a few years ago. After a couple of friends had wonderful trips, it soared up my to-visit list.  With its semi-tropical climate, stunning natural features and wealth of outdoor activities, from hiking to dolphin watching, there's plenty to keep you busy for a week or more. And that's without the food, culture and history of the capital, Funchal. I could only take five days, taking advantage of this year's bonus UK bank holiday, but this girl definitely had a lot of fun(chal). THINGS TO DO Exploring the Zona Velha Funchal's historic city centre is easily explored on foot and there are lots of sights and things to do from  Quinta das Cruzes  (an old Madeiran manor house turned museum) and the  Madeira Photography Museum  to the Church Igreja do Colegio (with its wonderfully ornate interior) and the Sé Catedr...

By the time May rolled around, I was in serious need of a break and some sunshine. The Portuguese island of Madeira has been on my to-visit list for several years and I took advantage of the extra public holiday for the Coronation to book in a trip. I'll be sharing my Madeira travel guide soon but in the meantime, here are some of the speciality coffee spots I visited while I was there. Art Food Corner — Funchal I happened upon Art Food Corner on my first afternoon in Funchal while walking through the Zona Velha (old town). Attracted by the colourful décor and the promise of an Ethiopian speciality filter coffee, I grabbed a seat at one of the pavement tables and perused the menu. In the end, I ordered a piccolo, brewed with a Brazilian single-origin espresso, which was delicious – smooth and sweet. On another visit, I tried the aforementioned Ethiopian filter coffee, which was very good too. While I was there, the coffees were from Polish roaster JAVA  and Berlin-based 19 Grams ,...