Surf and Sunsets: the Madeira trip I was putting together

In August 2023, after a lot of back-and-forth with hotels and surf schools, I finally had six rooms held for our Madeira group. My notes called the trip Surf and Sunsets. That was the mood I wanted.

Adapted from my travel notes dated 11 August 2023.

The plan I put together

The previous year, two groups had gone on the trip, and each had its own experience. For the new plan, I wanted to adjust the format around what had felt missing before.

Getting the rooms and lessons coordinated had taken some work. This was the point where the programme could start to feel real.

Surf and Discover

The programme in my notes combined time by the ocean with time seeing the island:

• Seven nights in a small hotel by the ocean, with breakfast.
• Five surf lessons, with different instructors for complete beginners and more experienced surfers.
• Jeep tours around Madeira.
• Walking up into the mountains.
• A mountain sunrise.
• A catamaran outing to look for dolphins.

I was enthusiastic about the instructors. I had other surf experiences to compare them with, and that mattered to the plan.

Jeep tours were also a favourite way of getting to know Madeira in my own experience. Surfing was the centre of the week, but I wanted room for the rest of the island.

A note from the archive

This is the programme I was preparing in 2023. I remember it here as part of my travel story. The rooms, instructors and activities need fresh arrangements for any new trip.

For planning Madeira now, start with my five-day island guide and check the current trail-status and booking workflow before choosing mountain walks.