Today was a transfer day, to cover the 45km trip to Santana – a trip that could be done in about an hour … for us though, it was a day full of activities and sightseeing.

The first stop – after leaving Porto Moniz – was already 15 minutes down the road in the town of Seixal – to check out the small port and the black sand beach (one of the few natural beaches on the island of Madeira).

We continued towards São Vicente with a stop just before town near the  Miradouro Água d’Alto. In town we enjoyed a quick tour and had an opportunity, to stock up for lunch in a local bakery – to then watch the crashing waves hitting the pebble beach.

The next stop was less to my liking – we pulled in at a hotel parking lot in Arco de São Jorge, made our way through the resort – to end up in a rose garden, where we had time to look around. To me the garden felt a bit run down – though this might be due to the season – November is not really time for roses – right?

The next stop was more to my liking – Miradouro da Beira da Quinta – a view point with great vistas of Madeira’s North Coast, a good spot for lunch – and with a nearby bar for an introduction to another Madeira drink – Poncha – a rum punch, usually made with honey, fruit juices and (of course) generous portions of rum.

Another viewpoint was waiting for us at the Quinta do Furão with good views of the coastline near Santana.