Madeira Island Discovery - Winter

An excellent holiday, very enjoyable. The tour leader and programme were both very good. The trip provided an excellent introduction to Madeira.

Excellent itinerary and knowledgeable leader, who also knew the right places to eat. Slightly let down by the absence of aircon in the hotel - it wouldn't usually matter but this was an exceptionally hot wekk.

This was my first group tour and it was a truly fantastic experience! Our group leader was so knowledgeable and a great asset to our group, he went above and beyond to make sure we were all happy. The tour of Madeira showcased the fabulous landscape, industry and local people. I had the most amazing time and would encourage anyone who is thinking about going to book!

This accomodation for this trip was at one hotel in centre Funchal Though well located it had no air conditioning and was very noisy. Explore booked this hotel knowing its problems which had been highlighted in previous reviews. Lack of sleep due to heat and noise severely impacted the enjoyment of this holiday. When I complained I was offered a fridge in the room as compensation. If explore had been genuinely remorseful they would have acknowledged that all trip members were affected and looked to see how all could be helped I have been a customer of Explore for over 30 years and feel let down by their lack of care

It's the second time I've done this trip with Explore. It's just a lovely holiday on a beautiful island, with a nice easy paced itinerary and every day is enjoyable. The coastline, mountains, flora and fauna are amazing for such a small island and Funchal is a really nice old town with lots of nice restaurants and shops to look around and squares and gardens to sit and enjoy a coffee. I'll definitely be going back again.

A good way to see all the island at a good but not exhausting level of activity. Small group size is ideal

We saw a good deal of the island over the week with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. Sao Jao. The group got on well with each other and everyone seemed keen to learn about the island. If I had to make a change I would like to have had a day in an off road vehicle exploring some not so easily accessible roads.,...which I currently did on a motorcycle on my free day

This was an excellent tour and enabled us to see all parts of the island. I researched the itinerary before booking and it didn’t disappoint me. Excellent way to discover the beautiful island from both land and sea. The food was also excellent and our guide had a lot of great recommendations as well as being a font of information for all things Madeira. The hotel was in a great central location that made finding your way around very easy. Excellent staff, who were super friendly and always helpful. The hotel is undergoing much needed updating but when that’s completed it will make a huge difference.

A great trip with an excellent host! A lot was packed into each day with one pleasant surprise after another. Only downside was the amount of noise I had to endure at the hotel due to the ongoing renovation work. Having said that I would happily recommend this trip to anyone.

Maderia, my 1st Explore experience, exceeded my expectations, tenfold. The vibe of the island is friendly, welcoming, very clean, breathtakingly beautiful, and I particularly enjoyed the different terrains the island had to offer, sampling the local food and delving into the history of the island. The Tropical Gardens, Botanical Gardens, experiencing Toboggan (exclusive to Maderia), and visiting the Ronaldo statue, to name a few options enjoyed on the free day, were fantastic. The location of the hotel was great, within a short walking distance to the seafront, restaurants, and supermarket and the hotel staff were helpful, friendly and very welcoming. Our local guide, Benni, was fantastic. He was very hospitable, amiable, and dedicated to providing the best experience of Maderia as possible, and it was so lovely to meet his family as well. Overall, a really great experience for me, shared with lovely, like-minded people. Obrigada.x'

The accommodation was good and very central. Refurbishing works were an issue for some (but not me). Staff were very helpful with all requests. Benny our tour guide was fabulous. His knowledge and passion for Madeira is unreal…. no questions unanswered and he was always adaptable. It was lovely to meet some of Benny’s family (that he was clearly proud of), and appreciated the lengths Benny went to that enhanced our experience of this gorgeous island.

A really enjoyable week. A nicely relaxed itinerary. The hotel was in a great location. Benny was an excellent guide who loves the island and booked some excellent restaurants. Highly recommended.

A great trip on a stunningly beautiful island. Benny our tour leader was wonderful. His local knowledge and his love for his homeland shone out. Food is diners dream . Madeira is a must see island. I think group of 16 people is too many 12 would be ideal.

My First trip on an organised tour and it was really good. The pace was fine, we kept moving everyday , but enough time to enjoy the activities . Madeira is a stunning island and the people are lovely ,could not have been made more welcome. The guide was so good Bennie's knowledge was superb . overall i would go on another trip .

Really great tour with very knowledgeable guide Benny whom is really passionate about Madeira. The tour covers most of the island and you see the beauty of so many different aspects of this beautiful country. Hotel was in a brilliant location and very central to most things in Funchal. It was very clean and comfortable for the grade. Learnt and saw a lot and the food was amazing and very reasonable in price considering the quality. The people were very friendly and all in all a brilliant holiday. Thank you Benny for a job very well done!! Can’t recommend enough!

A beautiful island, great itinerary felt I’d experienced what the island has to offer. Loved the variety of experiences walks, tastings, whale watching, rock pool swimming even the bus rides which were not too long to the various locations. Amazing local tour guide - Joao -great knowledge and with lots of restaurant suggestions.

The accommodation was good for location; reception staff were excellent. Itinerary was generally good; but boat trip should have been in morning, as per itinerary; and not in the afternoon, after an included lunch. The tour leader did not meet us after the boat trip, when a fellow passenger was patently unwell. This is my first trip, after approximately 20 trips with Explore, when a tour leader had their partner and child join the group for dinner. The tour leader was not good re: time-keeping - and seldom informed the group re: the importance of this ... much time was wasted waiting for either the tour leader (on one occasion waiting for child minder) and other occasions because customers hadn't finished their coffee etc ...

Lots of variety, extremely interesting. Only downside was weather wasn't on our side and walks ended up very wet and muddy. Enthusiastic and friendly guide, informative and always ready to help. The whole trip very enjoyable.

This was our first time using Explore. We have used other companies before and so this was our 'tester'. 1) Group size is one of our first considerations as it makes a huge difference as to how well people on the group bond with each other. This was the perfect group size. 2) The booking process was easy and we found it easy to talk to an Explore rep when making the booking which included flights and extra nights. 3) We loved the Explore app and having the daily itinerary on our phones. 4) The itinerary itself was well planned and covered a lot of areas. 5) Finally, the tour guide was as good as any we've experienced and help make the trip very enjoyable and memorable.

A well thought out and varied itinerary which covers all parts of the island together with lots of different experiences. The knowledge of our guide, Benny, was exemplary, providing insights to Madeira, its culture and history, which added to the enjoyment of the holiday. This is not a physically demanding holiday but some of the days are long to cover everything. Good value for money and a definite recommend. Thank you

Our guide Benny, did a great job adjusting due to weather. Be aware that weather conditions are variable. The schedule is full.

Benny was lots of fun and took us to so many wonderful places! Great restaurants and local coffee shops. He showed us a little of everything; the ocean, the mountains, the lavadas and waterfalls. He took us above the clouds and into the farms. We saw pilot whales, and banana plantations. We baked bread and enjoyed a high tea. Our days were full of activities, information, and laughter. But most of all, I rode the wooden sleds on my "free" day, after enjoying the Monte garden, which had been a goal for me. I made friends who I will keep in touch with and maybe some day we will enjoy another trip together. Thank you so much, Benny, for this adventure!

We thoroughly enjoyed our Madeira trip and feel we came away with a good sense of the island's ecology, history and people. The hotel was well located and sensibly we stayed in one place, going out each day to explore a different part of the island. The tour leader Joao was knowledgeable, entertaining and considerate to all group members. The warm weather was also a welcome contrast to the UK in March!

More soundproofing in Hotel. Balcony door was ratly and needs more glazing due to Street noise. I enjoyed the itineary . it was nice to habe a free day. Joao the guide very good.

An excellent and enjoyable trip. Joal our tour leader was very attentive and full of information about the island. Highly recommended for those who like superb landscapes, walking, culture and history and a warm winter retreat.

This trip provides a good overall experience of Madeira - views, tastes, culture, some history. It is not a walking holiday, and felt quite leisurely, but we were out and about every day from 9am to 5pm, doing and seeing interesting things. The itinerary had to be swapped around but we saw / did everything that was scheduled, so just relax and let the Tour Leader do the work. The free day gives the option to hike if desired. Overall, a great holiday. The hotel is 3*, has a nice pool (unheated), and is in a great location for going out, especially in the evenings, shops, ATMs etc.