Month: September 2017

Pestana growth

The reality is beginning to emerge from the ambitious plans announced by Pestana earlier this year when they revealed that they were planning 22 new hotels over the next four years in eight different countries. 4,000 rooms to the existing ones, combining to a impressive total ............  ...read more

Cabo Girão entry remains free until 2018

Charging for entry at Cabo Girão will only takes come into force from January next year, the Regional Secretariat of Finance and Public Administration confirmed yesterday. The Cabo Girão turnstiles were functioning during the day, prompting some confusion over charges. A SRFAP ............  ...read more

The Journal reports today that the Parish Council of Faial has announced improvements to the wharf at Fajã do Mar in Faial, which serves around forty boats from the region, which covers Faial, Santana and Porto da Cruz.
According to the mayor ............  ...read more

WalkMe Guide (link on the sidebar) published a YouTube video of sunrise on Pico Ruivo recently. The torchlight ascent which starts the Pico Ruivo video coincides with the announcement of a project to provide water-powered charging points for mobile phones and torches on the levadas ............  ...read more

easyJet have released their flights up to 24th June 2018 – their new schedule includes the usual flights to Funchal.

Community Forum

Please do not forget to use the new Community Forum section of the blog for general ............  ...read more

Most visitors to Funchal will not have missed the extensive work that has been undertaken over the past months on what could arguably be described as one of Funchal’s ugliest hotels in the centre of the Lido district.
Now refurbished as a “modern four star hotel” ............  ...read more

Perhaps it is not a coincidence with elections approaching, but the Diario today carries the story that public funding of three million euros per year has increased the number of parties interested in operating the ferry link between Funchal and the mainland. Residents will have ............  ...read more

Another fire in Ponta do Sol

FN report late this afternoon that fires again are worrying the population of Ponta do Sol – initially reported here.
They report that a fire has begun in the river valley inland from ............  ...read more

Firefighters struggling with large fire in Jardim da Serra

The Diario reports this morning that the fire which broke out at 9.00pm yesterday evening at Boca da Corrida in Jardim da Serra, continues  to present a challenge to Câmara de Lobos Volunteer Firefighters. The fire is in a zone of heavy undergrowth and a column of smoke is highly ............  ...read more

Not a great deal of significant news around at the moment so thanks for Ellen who sent me a link to an article in the Portugal News a little while ago. With the local elections “hotting up” in Madeira as 1st October approaches, many expats are not aware that they may be entitled ............  ...read more

Bird strike at Madeira airport

The Diario reports on a “bird strike” that affected an incoming TUI flight from Frankfurt yesterday morning. The fuselage of the plane was discovered to be damaged when it arrived. 160 passengers due to return to Frankfurt were sent to hotels whilst the aircraft underwent ............  ...read more

Both local newspapers report that the fire in Serra d’Água is still not extinguished. The Journal reports six firefighters and three vehicles still attending the blaze at Eira de Moura which re-ignited yesterday afternoon. The same paper features another story on Miguel Albuquerque, ............  ...read more

General discussion in the Community Forum

Please do not forget to use the new Community Forum section of the blog for general discussion on any subject. The project has been running for 10 days now and is attracting a lot of interest. Anybody can post a ............  ...read more

Fire overnight in Serra d`Água The Journal reports that a fresh fire threatened houses in Serra d`Água overnight. The commander of the Firemen of Ribeira Brava had initially stated it was not threatening residences, and that any fresh outbreaks had been quickly identified, addressed, and by the end of yesterday were dying out. However photos from a JM reader show that the fires descended from the uninhabited zone during the night and approached some houses on the edge of Serra d`Água. “There are frightened people” is the quote that accompanies the photo. 19.00: The Diario reports tonight (Sunday) that Ribeira Brava Volunteer Firefighters are keeping the fire in the Serra D’Água under control , using 3 vehicles and 9 firefighters

Trees badly pruned without reason?

FN online draws attention to recent pruning work undertaken on the tress lining a section of the Avenida do Mar on the seafront in central Funchal – near the taxi rank and a couple of well-known fast-food outlets – “before” and “after” shots above. They quote the former ............  ...read more

Rather confusingly the Journal is reporting this morning that the fires above Ponta do Sol have been completely extinguished, whilst just an hour earlier the Diario reported that firefighters were still continuing to battle the outbreak. FN concur ............  ...read more

More photos of the fires above Ponta do Sol are becoming available – the first one courtesy of FN, the second from the Journal website overnight. The fires, in common with recent outbreaks around Machico and other parts of the island, are located in inaccessible areas.
Press ............  ...read more

18.00:  According to the Diario, some urban areas of Ponta do Sol are currently threatened by a fire that started this morning at Ribeira da Tabua, in Ribeira Brava. The fire advanced during this morning and, by 13.00, had already reached higher areas above Ponta do Sol. The ............  ...read more

Prince Albert II of Monaco arrived in Madeira yesterday. He is pictured below in the Journal visiting the exhibition: “An exploratory prince – Alberto I of Monaco in Madeira”, which takes place in the Museum ............  ...read more

The Diario today leads with the story that more and more stray animals are to be found on the island. The president of the Regional Council of Madeira Veterinary Medical Association has issued a warning and is calling for the creation of groups of volunteers to locate the packs ............  ...read more

The Diario online this afternoon is reporting that a fire is being tackled in the Trompica area above Ribeira Brava. The fire is described as being “under control” despite the dramatic photo opposite showing a significant plume of smoke, as members of the Ribeira Brava Volunteer ............  ...read more

It has been announced that the popular Vicentes museum of photography will reopen to the public in the summer of 2018. Eduardo Jesus, the minister for economy, tourism and culture, visited ............  ...read more

Following on from a suggestion a couple of posts ago, I have implemented a “blank” post which will allow readers to add general questions that are not specifically associated with a particular  post or news item. I will endeavour to do this every couple of week or so ............  ...read more