The first thing that came to mind when we thought about discovering Porto Santo was the huge beach with its endless sand and crystal-clear blue water. But once we found a van and started exploring the roads, we couldn't believe the variety of landscapes and activities the island has to offer.
It's very easy and tempting to arrive in Porto Santo and spend every day on that golden sand beach that extends as far as the eye can see. However, we wanted to find out more about the so-called 'golden island' and we thought the best way to do that was to rent a car and hit the road. And so we did... not with just any car, but with a very cute 'van' we found.
The first stop was Quinta das Palmeiras. This attraction would have been difficult for us to reach if we hadn't decided to rent a car. But with the van, we decided to visit this place which, from the outside, looks like an Oasis full of green vegetation, contrasting with the yellowish tones of the surrounding flora, which characterises Porto Santo so well in the warmer months.
We arrived at Quinta das Palmeiras and after observing several different species of vegetation, we came across a lake with unbelievably enormous freshwater fish.... Realizing we were interested, the man who looks after the fish kindly passed us some fish food and let us feed them by mouth. We weren't throwing food into the water, but we did have food in our hands, and the fish, with their huge mouths, were practically sucking on our fingers. We'd never seen anything like that before. We then found out that this species of orange fish is called the Cói Carp. Later we would also find them in Madeira, on a visit to the Monte Palace - Tropical Garden
The visit to Quinta das Palmeiras, however, didn't stop at fish... we also came across an ostrich and some small animals somewhat similar to guinea pigs (I confess I forgot the exact name, but I remember the kids were thrilled with their meteoric speed and comical appearance). The terrapins were also a huge success with the kids, but the stars of the park were the parrots and macaws, which interacted with us in a very entertaining way with their strong personalities.
Once our visit to Quinta das Palmeiras was over, we sat back in our van and set off to discover Porto Santo, with no GPS, no maps and no recommendations. We drove off towards the east side of the island and soon passed the Portela Viewpoint, which allowed us to see the Marina with its sailing boats and the ferry that makes the daily connection between the islands, with the famous giant sand beach that only ends at the islet. The colour of the water seen from above is even more impressive! - 'Caribbean what? We've got much better right here!' I told Margarida at that moment. I fell in love with the island right there.
We continued eastwards, rounding and rounding, passing some neat locations and then we began to enter an area where nature was in the raw, on a simple and magical road, through valleys and mountains, with unbelievable landscapes.
There we went, very happy, in our van in the middle of all that scenery, getting to know Porto Santo. When we looked back, both kids were knocked-out asleep. 'What a classic!' we said to each other. Shortly after we arrived at the top, the Morenos Area, and suddenly we began to see the Sea on the north side of the island... 'Wow, what a wild coast!' I thought to myself as I watched the sea hitting the rocks below and felt the wind blowing strongly on this side of the island, especially at that altitude.
We passed by small parishes, where we met very friendly people, who even taught us how to make bolo do caco (which we didn't know was a recipe that originated in Porto Santo). We were all invited to make this delicious and typical bread, and even the kids could get their hands on the dough!
In fact, they were so active that suddenly all we could see was flour in the air... It was a very fun and tasty experience, namely because we got to eat a warm, freshly baked bolo do caco in the end.
On the west side of the island we found the Ponta da Canavieira viewpoint, at sunset time, which overwhelmed us with the islet in front of us and the sun diving into the sea, with those orange colours hitting the imposing cliffs... we liked it so much that we didn't leave until the evening in our van. The kids trying to fly with the wind hitting their chests and the many hugs we gave there are engraved in our memories.
In the evening we took the van to a more remote restaurant for dinner and to eat the famous Madeiran espetada, also a Porto Santo delicacy and one that you really can't miss when you want to get to know the archipelago better. All regional products, it tasted even better! In the airport area we also visited the dunes, where it feels like you're in the desert, surrounded by sand everywhere. It's curious to see how we can find so many contrasts on what I consider to be a small island.
I have to confess that this van journey made me feel an urge to come and live in Porto Santo in the near future. I never thought there would be so many activities and alternatives of things to do, especially in nature, which is what we're most looking for with the kids. I thought it was just the sea, but there are many trails to walk through in the countless mountains, valleys and viewpoints that you can reach quickly by van or other means.
At the end of our little van 'trip' to get to know Porto Santo, we were left with the feeling that there really is so much more to see, whether by van, on foot, by boat, by bicycle or even by 4x4 motorbike. We have totally abandoned the idea that it's just a beach destination, because it's much more than that. A magical moment for us was, of course, finishing the tour by van and taking a dip in the spectacular water of the long sand beach.
