A Gilded Island in the Atlantic (Porto Santo Island (Portugal))

Member Name: Praskipark

Product:	Porto Santo Island (Portugal)
Date:	02/01/09 (182 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Somewhere to visit for a bit of peace and tranquility

Disadvantages: Once you have seen the sights not a lot to do

Porto Santo is Madeira's neighbour - a sleepy island that hasn't changed for hundreds of years where there is very little to do but it does have one major asset, a long, golden sandy beach. I have always been intrigued by this small island mainly because it is stuck out miles away from anywhere in the Atlantic Ocean and also because the spoken language of its inhabitants is Portuguese. Having just returned from Madeira I was bursting to review Funchal but then realised I had already done so from a previous trip so seeing that I only visited Porto Santo just over a day ago I would like to tell you a little about this strange island and the people who live there.

Firstly, if you like holidays that are packed with action and the high life then you will be disappointed with this island. In the winter months and most of the year it is very quiet. Every now and again I like to take a break from city life and the pressures of the modern world and I do look forward to some peace and tranquility even if it is only for a short time. Here, I was able to find 5 miles of golden sand, lapped by the turquoise waters of the Atlantic Ocean - the perfect desert island.

In the summer, especially in August, this is a different story. As this is the Portuguese holiday month hundreds of Lisboans, refugees from the hot capital escape to Porto Santo's more equable climes. For one month, Porto Santo is packed with visitors soaking up the sun by day and dancing in the discos all night. Then September comes and the island goes back to its slumbers once again.

Over the Christmas period the island welcomes a few more visitors as day trippers from Funchal come over on the boat or take the small plane. As this was the first time I have visited in winter I was surprised to see just how sleepy the island is. The islands inhabitants seem to do nothing for many hours except sit on street corners, brushing away the flies and watching the world go by. But really - what else is there to do on a tiny island in the middle of the ocean, measuring just 10 kilometres in length and 4 kilometres across? I can understand now why the people of Madeira consider their near neighbours to be slow and are the target for many Madeiran jokes, although I think this is a little unfair.

Precious little has changed on the island in the past six hundred years. Although Porto Santo was the first island in the Madeiran archipelago to be discovered, it was soon abandoned in favour of its larger, more fertile and hospitable neighbour. In the summer the climate is dry and stable and even one shower of rain in the winter can turn the island a rich green colour overnight. Far fetched - but it is true. Madeira is known as the green island whereas Porto Santo's landscape is mostly a patchwork of yellows, ochres and browns. The island was always known as the brown island but seems to have been given a new epithet which is the Ilha Dourada which can be translated as the gilded (or sunkissed) island.

Not much remains of the island's indigenous vegetation. Early settlers came here to exploit the sap of the legendary dragon tree, which was used to make dye. Juniper also thrived, along with tree heather - although I didn't see any of those plants so if they do exist I think you will have to search hard to find them. Agricultural production on the island is also limited. The soil is not very fertile and produces meagre crops of melons, figs and pumpkins in fields sheltered by stone dry walls. Over the years trees such as cedars and aleppo pines have been re-introduced as they are able to withstand prolonged periods of draught.

More successful are the grapes that grow along the south coast. Most of these are cultivated for eating but a small part of the harvest is used to produce Vinho do Porto Santo, a heavy red wine with a distinctive reddish brown colour. It has a pleasant taste and goes down surprisingly easily. The wine varies in quality and can be sampled in local bars ad restaurants.

Although tourism thrives in the summer months there are bold plans to develop the future of the island. Several new hotels are being built and hotel blocks already line the beach, offering accommodation within sight and sound of the sea. There is an 18 hole golf course, designed by Severiano Ballesteros, which is quite attractive as it adds a strip of emerald green to the tawny landscape between the airport and the hills to the west of the island. Also an equestrian centre and along the seafront there is an arts and crafts centre.

To take advantage of this, you must, of course, first get to the island. There are two options: the 15 minute flight from Madeira is fast but expensive. The alternative is the 2 hour and 10 minute journey by sea. This is the option I chose and it was very relaxing and comfortable. The Porto Santo Line runs a ferry every day at this time of the year and it is quite a luxury boat. It is fitted out with a cinema, restaurant, bars, shops and a multimedia room for whiling the way away the 75 kilometre voyage. The price costs 50 euros per person in the winter and I would say about 10 euros extra per person in the summer. For extra information it is best to check the details with the car ferry office which is in Funchal at Rua da Praia 6.

The ferry terminal is located about 2 kilometres to the east of Vila Baleira which is Porto Santo's main town. It is easy to walk to the town although there is a sporadic bus service and taxis are always available. A more romantic way of arriving is by horse and carriage and you can find these in the settlement around the ferry terminal.

Vila Baleira
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There are only a few buildings of interest in Vila Baleira and they are close to Largo do Pelourinho which is a palm lined square which fronts the town hall. One of the most interesting buildings is the restored parish church - Nossa Senhora da Piedade. Like all Portuguese churches it is adorned with its azulejos (hand painted tiles) and gleaming white walls. On the southern side of the church are the remains of the island's original Gothic chapel, one of the first places of worship to be built in the archipelago.

A narrow street lies behind the church and this leads to the Casa de Colombo which is the "House of Columbus". This house has just been recently restored and I think worth a visit. There is always some mystery hovering around any building which has been connected with Columbus. There is no evidence to support the idea that he lived in this house during his sojourn on the island. Some say he never visited Madeira or Porto Santo, while others claim that Porto Santo inspired his dream to explore the seas beyond the horizon: his adventurous spirit was fascinated by the strange tropical seeds and fruits that he found washed up on the island's shores and made him determined to find out whether they had drifted here eastwards from the fabled Spice Islands. Whatever the truth, studying the displays here and in the small Columbus library is one way of keeping your mind active if you feel the need for some mental exercise during your visit.

Finding Your Way around the Island
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Most visitors choose to take a boat tour but I am not one for exploring with other people so we hired a car. However, you can travel around by public bus, by taxi or even by bicycle if you feel energetic and adventurous. Boat trips can be booked from any of the travel agencies in Avenida Henrique Viera e Castro which is the street that runs parallel to the beach. Or the staff in the local tourist office are extremely helpful and will help you book a taxi etc.

If you take a boat trip, you will be able to see some of the smaller islands which are offshore. I have visited these once before in the summer many years ago and it is worth seeing. It is an interesting trip because there are grottoes and many rock formations. Many have poetic names such as the Pedra do Sol (Rock of the Sun) or the Aranjas (Oranges), which are orange shaped calcareous formations on the Ilheu de Cima.

* please note hear that the word for orange in Portuguese is Laranja - Aranjas is a clipped island word.

My trip by car took me to Portela and Serra de Fora. Here the dominant colours are a sulphurous yellow and ochre as the land is extremely arid. Then we went on to Serra de Dentro which is part of the island with the most water, and hence formerly its agricultural centre. The terraced hill sides here bear sad witness to the islanders' attempts to make a meagre living from the dry soil; nowadays the hillsides are deserted, and serve only as subjects for photographers. Apart from a few grazing cattle, goats and sheep, the area is uninhabited and shrouded in an almost eerie silence - although the ruined, abandoned farmhouses do provide an opportunity to study the characteristic architecture of the island.

In some of the smaller eroded valleys I did notice that various attempts are being made to store rainwater in reservoirs. Together with reafforestation, these measures hopefully will increase the fertility and soil stability of the island, and consequently improve the chances for agriculture.

From here I continued my tour to Camacho which is a tiny hamlet with two main claims to fame: the delicious barbecued chicken sold in local restaurants, and a picturesque traditional windmill, still in working order, although it has not actually been used since 1993.

Drinking the cool, mineral rich spring water at Fonte da Areia is said to guarantee eternal youth. The water bubbles out of the surrounding sandstone rocks which wind and rain have eroded into bizarre natural sculptures. This is a good area for a picnic. A small cafe/bar with covered benches and chairs provides refreshments and views of the rugged north coast, while a footpath leads down to the sound of the sea. It is a wonderful spot to fish (if you like fishing), or just relax and enjoy the sound of the waves.

At an altitude of 438 metres Pico do Castelo is where you get a superb view of the whole island; rusty old cannons are all that's left of the fort that once stood here to protect the islanders from pirate attacks. You also get a close up view of the most developed part of the island's infrastructure - the airport, whose 3,000 metre long runway slices neatly north to south right down to Porto Santo's middle.

The modern airport terminal looks too large for its purpose, and is still clearly waiting for the charter planes that local people hope will one day bring tourists in their thousands. For now, the airport is mainly used by the smaller planes which shuttle several times a day between Madeira and the island.

Heading west took me to the Pico das Flores, passing Campo de Cima and Campo de Baixo as well as a few windmills and the occasional donkey, once the island's principal form of transport. Picos das Flores offers sweeping views across the island from east to west. From here you can see the results of Porto Santo's reafforestation project, and the outline of Madeira in the distance.

The westernmost point is Ponta da Calheta - where the long, sandy beaches break up into small bays, dominated by rocky outcrops; these provide shelter from the wind, making this a good spot for sunbathing. Two fish restaurants sit invitingly on the beach; the menus are simple but the location is excellent. If you visit for lunch or evening meal you can relax and watch the sunset and gaze across to the Ilheu de Baixo. A popular dish and one worth trying if you like fish is fragateira. This is a spicy fish stew made with octopus, prawns, espada, potatoes, onions and tomatoes. Mopped up with chunks of fresh bread it is delicious.

The island's other mountain peaks need to be explored by foot. The highest is Pico do Facho (517 metres high). Translated it means "Peak of the Torch" and it was so called because warning beacons were once lit here to alert islanders of impending attacks by pirates.

An alternative to Sightseeing
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Even though I said in the beginning of the review that the island is a wonderful spot for relaxing and watching the world go by I managed to see about as much as I possibly could in the time available but if you don't want to race around taking all the sights in there is another option.You can always take in a little alternative therapy. Forget mud packs, ice cold cucumber or aromatic oils - on Porto Santo the thing to do is to bury yourself from head to toe in sand. Just find a spot on the beach, dig a hollow, lie in it and ask an obliging friend to do the rest. Then wait patiently for the sands to work their magic. The people of this small island are very proud of the healing powers attributed to their sand, and more than a few visitors can vouch for the fact that skin complaints, aggravated by Madeira's humid climate, have made a speedy recovery on coming here. Stomach, liver and intestinal problems are also said to benefit from drinking the island's natural spring water.

Final Words
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Perhaps that is where Porto Santo's real future lies - as a spa resort on the extreme western fringe of Europe. From speaking to people, I know the locals would like to see more visitors throughout the year and would like Porto Santo to become a fully developed tourist resort. Personally I hope this relatively unspoilt holiday island stays the way it is. If you value peace and quiet while on holiday, like I do, then I think it would be very wise to visit Porto Santo while it lasts.

Highly Recommended for a one/two day visit or even three days but I thnk a week's visit would be too long as there isn't enough to do unless you just like to swim, sunbathe and do what the locals do - nothing!

Summary: A Relatively Unspoilt Holiday Island