Madeira Carnival

Madeira Carnival
BY AIR
v16-06
Semi All-Inclusive
Madeira - The island of Madeira is lapped by
the waters of the Gulf Stream. Blessed with
warm summers and mild winters it makes it
an enchanting holiday destination all year
round. When you arrive in Madeira, take a
good look around. The pleasant soothing
colours invade the senses with the different
shades of green set against an azure sea – the
hallmark of the subtropics.
Funchal – Europe’s most picturesque and
cleanest capital. It is a modern, cosmopolitan
city, well known for its many top class
restaurants, stunning new 4 & 5 star hotels
and of course its most famous export, world
class footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. In short, it is
now known for its style as well as its
substance. The city itself is nestled in a great
natural amphitheatre, facing the blue Atlantic
with a backdrop of dramatic mountains.
Located in the stunning south of Madeira, on
its sunniest coast amidst banana plantations
and wonderful gardens where flowers bloom
all year round in the shelter of the verdant
mountains, it is an extremely lush, green and
relaxed city by day but scratch Funchal’s
surface and you will find it to have a vibrant
and varied nightlife scene with multiple
personalities.
Carnival
The Carnival of Madeira is an annual festival
held forty days before Easter ending on
Shrove Tuesday (known locally as Fat Tuesday
or Terca-feira Gorda in Portugese) the day
before Ash Wednesday or first day of Lent.
One of the first major festivals of the year on
the island, The Madeira carnival is known as
one of the best in Europe. Traditionally there
are two main parades which are very different
from each other. The allegoric parade, which
always takes place on Saturday, is the more
sophisticated of the two. Numerous Samba
groups with thousands of particpants in
magnificent and colourful costumes dance to
electrifying Samba music through the streets
of the capital Funchal, spreading an ambiance
evoking that of the Rio Carnival.
The second parade, called trapalhao, is older
and used to occur all over the island, now it
floods the streets of the city centre with
thrilling joy on Terca-feira Gorda, ending the
8 Days £799pp
Funchal
The Madeira Carnival
carnival period. Anybody can take part in this
parade and the - sometimes quite daring costumes and depicted caricatures are left to
the particapants own imagination.
ITINERARY:
Day 1: Check in at your selected airport for
the flight to Funchal. Transfer to the hotel
Raga included.
Day 2: Morning free. Half-day afternoon tour
including the Quinta das Cruzes museum of
ancient buildings, orchids, porcelain, furniture
and silverware or the Frederico de Freitas
museum created by a lawyer and art collector.
Visit the Santa Clara Convent and finish the
tour at the church of the Colegio.
Day 3: Morning half-day tour to the centre of
the island. Travel to Pico dos Barcelos, west of
the capital for amazing views then stop at Eira
do Serrado, a look out point on a crater in the
`village of the nuns’ Curral des Freiras.
Continue to Monte to see the grave of Charles
I of Austria. If you fancy you can descend a 1.5
km track by toboggan.
Day 4: Allegoric carnival day
Day 5: Free day
Day 6: Full day excursion with lunch. Visit
Camara da Lobos where Winston Churchill
painted, Ribeira Brava, Ponta do Sol, Madalena
do Mar, Loreto and the plateau of Paul da
Serra protected by UNESCO. Travel to Porto
Moniz with it’s lava pools and enjoy lunch by
the sea at Sao Vicente. Retun via the
Encumeada Pass and the Serra d’Agua valley, a
World Heritage Site.
Day 7: It’s Trapalhao carnival day.
Day 8: Transfer to Funchal airport and check
in for your flight back to your selected airport.
Hotel Raga – 4 Star
Idyllically situated on the hillside in the heart
of Funchal’s renowned Lido area and
commanding spectacular views of the
surroundings from its high vantage point, the
4-star Hotel Raga is the perfect destination for
a comfortable and relaxing holiday in the
magical island of Madeira.
Lying a short distance away from the city
centre, the hotel has easy access to the
popular Lido swimming pools and sea and is
surrounded by the selection of shops,
restaurants, cafés and bars that abound in this
lively area. The nearby coastal Lido
promenade, lined with a colourful array of
typical Madeira flowers, also provides plenty
of opportunity for picturesque strolls along
the sea front.
The hotel provides all the comfort and wellbeing of a newly refurbished hotel that has
earned a solid reputation for welcoming
visitors to the island. All of its rooms have
balconies, some offering breathtaking views
of the sea, while its broad range of facilities
promises to make your stay a pleasant one. A
dip in the swimming pool, a refreshing drink
by the pool or a quick work-out in the fitness
centre before heading out to explore the rest
of Madeira are just some of the enticements
on offer.
A new outdoor swimming pool that is heated
in winter overlooks the sea and the
surrounding Lido attractions and offers a
wonderful opportunity to appreciate the
views and sun without having to venture out
too far. Drinks, light meals and snacks are
available from the swimming pool bar.
DATES - CODES
2016
February 3
Tour MA2
DEPOSIT: £200pp
INCLUDED:
• Return flights to Funchal
• Return airport to hotel transfers
• 7 night’s sharing a land view room
• 7 breakfasts, 6 lunches & 7 dinners
from the buffet, plus afternoon
coffee and cake
• Drinks included with lunch and
dinner - aperitifs, local wine, beer,
Sea View Room
The hotel’s enviable hillside location ensures
that its sea view rooms offer fabulous views of
the Atlantic ocean and the Lido promenade.
All the rooms have balconies furnished with
two chairs and a table. To add to your comfort,
all these rooms are equipped with a flat
screen satellite TV, air conditioning, a direct
dial telephone, a mini bar, a safe, a sofa and a
desk and chair. The bathroom includes a bath,
shower and hair dryer.
soft drinks and local spirits
• Live entertainment 3 times per
week (subject to change)
• Use of the hotel gym and outdoor
heated pool
Land View Room
The land view rooms look out over the
landscape on the hill behind the hotel and
have balconies equipped with a table and two
chairs. The comfortable, modern decoration is
complemented by a flat screen satellite TV, air
conditioning, a direct dial telephone, a mini
bar, a safe, a sofa and a desk and chair.
All the land view rooms have double-glazed
balcony doors and a bathroom with a bath,
shower and hair dryer.
• Porterage
• Excursions as stated
OPTIONS:
• Single room supplement £150pp
• Sea view supplement £70pp
Flight Information ■ Easyjet
RETURN
OUTBOUND
3RD FEBRUARY
11:40
07:10
Gatwick
Luggage
• 1 piece of hold luggage up to
20kg is included per person
• 1 piece of carry on luggage is
included per person up to 50
x 40 x 20cm incl wheels
Hotel Pool
Hotel Bedroom
Hotel Terrace