The time had come for us to venture to the northern coast of Madeira, where we had already planned to stop at the Madeira Theme Park. We hit the road, passing through several tunnels (a very useful construction in Madeira, as it makes it easy to reach all parts of the island) and beautiful green landscapes, until we saw the sea again, this time facing north.
It was quite an exciting journey, between mountains and valleys, coming across a new parish every five minutes! I'll admit I was very curious about the theme park, in Santana, a place that had been recommended to us before. So far so good, the big question was: 'would the kids enjoy it?'. This is always a concern when travelling as a family. Anyway, I think this uncertainty is what makes us curious to discover more, hoping for new experiences and to learn more about the culture.
We arrived at Santana and headed for the Madeira Theme Park. Easy parking right at the entrance, we then walked up a ramp and reached the entrance. The north of the island was a bit cloudy but a few raindrops can't hurt, so off we went, with not enough clothes but confident. When we arrived, we were warmly welcomed and given a brief explanation of what was on offer at the Madeira Theme Park.
Our first activity was a boat trip, can you believe it? 'This family doesn't get along on dry land', I thought. The four of us went into a 'nutshell' of a small boat, which felt a bit unstable but ended up being a huge success, as everyone wanted to show that they could row. Naturally, the kids couldn't get the boat to go straight, despite their best efforts! Whilst in the lake, where we thought we were paddling all alone, it turned out we weren't... As we looked down, we saw several orange and white fish, aquarium style, but enormous, joining in with us. As if we weren't already totally excited, we thought about doing something a little 'extra', in the special moment when we decided to change positions inside the boat... A moment worthy of being filmed and which almost resulted in an unwanted dip... but we all managed in the end, whilst keeping dry!
We got off the boat and the kids immediately found their next activity: the remote-controlled ships! I'd never seen this one before and I thought it was spectacular. About five metres away, eight controllers were available to command mini replica sailing ships between obstacles in a small lake.
Needless to say, getting the kids to leave wasn't easy, but we managed by convincing them there was much more fun ahead.
From there we set off for 'The Walk of Discovery', this time inside! We got onto a boat on a rail - we really are made for life at sea, don't you think? - that began to move through a set with lights, video, sound and props, telling the story of the discovery of Madeira. It couldn't be better: fun and culture at the same time. And the kids were at an all-time high!
As we left that activity, we spotted a typical Madeiran hat in the distance, made of straw with a black band. As we got closer, we realised how big it was and we couldn't resist taking a family photo.
On the way we were approached by a gentleman who offered us a taste of a local drink - poncha, of course! - and I can assure you it was the best we've ever had. Perhaps it's the right quantities or the honey used, but there is something magical in the art of preparing poncha. We loved it. Later on, we came across a lady preparing the traditional honey biscuits. Our mouths immediately watered, but unfortunately they were still in the oven, so we couldn't try them.
With poncha 'in our tummies', we continued to explore the Madeira Theme Park and came across two ladies demonstrating their embroidery skills. We were amazed by how long it can take to embroider a simple towel and the level of skill needed.
We also visited a few more attractions before letting the kids use up the last of their energy on the slides. We were ready to head to Porto Moniz, where we had lunch booked and fresh fish waiting for us. This was the end of another incredible morning on the beautiful island of Madeira. With or without kids, this experience is not to be missed!
