Porto Santo, Madeira's Unspoilt Little Neighbour
Tiny Portuguese Island with an Almost Deserted 5-Mile Sandy Beach
Apr 11, 2009
There’s a Robinson Crusoe feel about the little island of Porto Santo thanks to its spectacular beach. Only 8 miles long and 4 wide, Porto Santo lies way down in the Atlantic, 600 miles south of mainland Europe and 25 from its better-known neighbour Madeira. Its weather is usually very pleasant, rarely too hot or too cold. Even in winter you can expect 6-7 hours of sunshine each day.
Porto Santo’s Long Beach, Healing Sand and SunshineThe long beach with its rolling turquoise surf is as perfect for activities like windsurfing, sailing, snorkeling and kitesurfing as for simply soaking up the sun. And the sand itself is reputed to have healing properties, particularly for broken bones and rheumatism. Indeed the Hotel Porto Santo, until recently the island's only hotel, has a spa specializing in sand treatments.
Porto Santo’s Sun-Baked Countryside and Wide Views
Inland the countryside is sun-baked and rather barren-looking, dotted with old windmills and clusters of whitewashed cottages. Six small conical peaks are criss-crossed by footpaths, shaded in places by dragon trees and pines. Walk to the top of the highest, the 437-metre Pico do Costelo and you are rewarded by views over the whole island laid out like a map.
The Village/City of Vila Baleira, Porto Santo's Capital
The capital, Vila Baleira, is little more than a large village, though everyone on the island refers to it as ‘the city’. Palm trees and bougainvillea line its main square and harbour promenade. Surprisingly it has a very good choice of bars and places to eat – 50 at the last count - as well a few small shops including several smart boutiques.
Christopher Columbus
The two main ‘sights’ are its gleaming white church decorated with blue tiles and the house, now a small museum, where Christopher Columbus lived before he sailed off to discover America, having married the daughter of the island’s governor in 1479.
Opening of Glossy New Resort Hotel Heralds Change for Porto Santo
But be warned! Traditionally visitors have mainly been Portuguese families on summer holidays who stay in its handful of guesthouses. Now this is beginning to change. In 2008 a glossy new 5-star resort-hotel, the Pestana, opened beside the beach, a 20-minute stroll from Vila Baleira. Other hotel developments are under way too. So to enjoy the island’s quiet get-away-from-it-all qualities, you need to go soon
Hotel Porto Santo
The 4-star Hotel Porto Santo was the island’s first when it opened in 1962. Close to the beach and Vila Baleira, it has been smartly refurbished and now has 97 bright air-conditioned rooms with balconies and a large pool surrounded by palm trees. Its spa offers treatments using the island’s sand, a combination of coral, shells and sea urchins, which has unique healing qualities, particularly for rheumatism and orthopaedic problems. ww.hotelportosanto.com
Pestana Porto Santo Resort-Hotel
The new 5-star Pestana resort-hotel has 275 air-conditioned rooms in low-rise terracotta villa buildings whose archways, balconies and red-tiled roofs are set off by the backdrop of bare hillsides. The rooms include suites, apartments and villas, all with wi-fi, cable tv and mini-bars. They are surrounded by gardens which feature two lagoon-style pools - one fresh water, the other seawater.
From the hotel a short board-walk leads across the dunes directly to the beach so, for an early morning dip, bed-to-sea takes little more than a minute. The hotel's spa has an indoor pool, sauna, steam rooms and gym. In addition to a tennis court, there is a sandy court for football and volleyball. Children have their own play area. An 18-hole beach-side golf course designed by Seve Ballesteros is nearby.
Getting to Porto Santo
There are few international flights to the island so most people fly from Madeira (a 20-minute flight) or take the ferry from Funchal which takes 2 hours 30 minutes.
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