Photo taken by Mr C
After just a few hours in bed we arose at 3.15 am so that we could get to the airport with plenty of time to spare.
Checking our bags in and passing through security went smoothly leaving us time to purchase sandwiches for brunch on the plane.
The flight set off on time meaning we landed in Funchal as scheduled. I was amused that Mr C wasn’t expecting the abrupt landing even though I had told him that it was a short runway.
I had a small hiccup passing through the automated passport control system. I didn’t get my passport aligned for automatic scanning and the scanner rejected my fingerprint impression. Then as my photograph was being taken a man stood directly behind me so that there were two faces in the photograph. I was rejected and directed to the queue where my credentials could be manually checked. This ran smoothly and I learned that I had to press my hand flat for finger print images to be captured. I was reunited with Mr C who had sailed through the automatic system without a hitch.
Our bags arrived in the bagging area and shortly after we were greeted by the Jet 2 rep who directed us to our private transfer car. As we set off to Funchal our driver played us a recorded message introducing herself in English. We enjoyed riding through the streets of Funchal before arriving at our hotel, The Vine, where we were dropped off in the Taxi Rank. Our driver told us this was the hotel with a sweeping curve of her arm taking in the building and pointing towards the front of the building.
Mr C did a recce and the hotel entrance wasn’t obvious through the shopping centre entrance where I knew the hotel was located. So, in the entrance where we had been dropped off there was a lift that had a button labelled ‘The Vine’. Mr C pressed it; we got in and stepped out on the relevant floor.
There was a door with an intercom button to press which Mr C did and we were allowed through. It became immediately apparent that this was the back door (service entrance) to the hotel. We were greeted by the hotel concierge who directed us to the hotel reception area. He was surprised that we were able to get that particular lift into the hotel; it should have needed a card or passcode.
We checked into the hotel and the concierge relieved us of our luggage to be held in a safe area until our room would be ready at 3.30.
We visited the hotel roof top bar with lunch in mind but decided to choose one of the many eateries, Lyfe, in the shopping centre below where we chose pancakes.
Still with time to spare, we explored the harbour before returning to The Vine where we were escorted to our room to find our bags had been neatly placed. We were also shown how the light switches, air-conditioning and blinds worked. Then we were introduced to the free water fill system. Water dispensers are located on every floor with a reuseable glass bottle in each room. The bottle can be refilled as many time as you need. The water dispenser can also be used to refill personal water bottles.
After settling in we walked to the nearby Municipal gardens to chill out with suitable refreshments. Later we dined in one of the local street restaurants, Espaco that Mr C had recced whilst I had been relaxing in the hotel room. The atmosphere was lovely, warm and vibrant. I chose one of the local dishes, Scabbard fish, cooked to the house recipe which was followed by a shared crème brulee. During the evening, we enjoyed bantering with the waiters and were served with a complimentary glass of sweet Madeira as we waited for the bill to be prepared.
We returned to the hotel’s roof top bar for a nightcap overlooking the twinkling lights of Funchal.
