Last month (October), we came to the Portuguese island of Madeira to attend a wedding of Sue’s friend.  Her friend, A who is from Madeira was marrying F from France.

A’s family is in the travel business and they put together a wonderful package for the bridegroom’s family and guests who came to the island. All visitors stayed at the CS Madeira Atlantic Hotel & Spa.

The bulk of the hotel and rooms are on top of the cliff while the spa and pools are right next to the ocean.  There are several elevators that take guests up and down the cliff.

A water aerobics class had just started in the pool.

The hotel was rather quiet as it was not yet the peak season. The atmosphere was very relaxing – the pool and spa services were at our disposal.Neither the ceremony nor the reception was held at the hotel. Because the place is so spread out, it would feel a bit impersonal. For us, the arrangement was great because we had a chance to make new friends and be part of the party for the entire stay.

There is a dive site near the rock just offshore.

The hotel has two infinity pools.

.

Madeira is a subtropical volcanic island but surprisingly it has no beaches. The hotel built these jetties (see photo below) that allow guests to access the ocean – one can just jump off – it is not very deep as the bottom is just visible but deep enough for diving in head first.

.

More pictures of the island will be posted soon.