LATEST NEWS | TRAVEL & TOURISM
FESTIVALS CALENDAR
27th to 29th July- Madeira Wine Rally This competition is integrated in the European Rally Championship and has great importance because of its long history and the adrenaline rush it generates.
27th July to 5th August – 28th Gastronomic Fair | Machico The city of Machico hosts this event with the purpose of promoting the rich and varied regional gastronomy. Plenty of entertainment, live music, all in a lovely seaside setting.
26th August to 2nd September- The Madeira Wine Festival A celebration of the year when grapes are being collected all over the island taking place in Estreito de Câmara de Lobos. However, there are also activities and entertainments in Funchal
13th to 15th September- Columbus Festival | Porto Santo Island A three-day festival dedicated to Christopher Columbus. It’ s celebrated with music, shows, exhibitions and a parade based on his life in Madeira and the‘ Portuguese Discoveries’.
30th September to 7th October- Madeira Nature Festival For a week, Madeira promotes the 2nd edition of Nature Festival. On land, on air or on sea, everybody can experience many activities, designed for all age groups.
1st November- The Chestnut Festival | Curral das Freiras Every year hundreds of visitors go to Curral das Freiras to take part in this unique festivity; an opportunity to taste local delicacies made with chestnuts, such as chestnut soup and liqueur.
10th to 17th November- Funchal International Film Festival The main objective of the FICF is the dissemination of quality cinematography unknown to the public of Madeira.
November, 7th – 14th- 14th International Bridge Open in Madeira The Bridge Open this year is at Hotel CS Madeira Atlantic Resort & Sea SPA, Funchal, with a total prize money of € 19.000 and 120 pairs from 18 countries playing over a seven day period.
From the 8th of December to the 6th of January of 2013- Christmas and New Year Celebrations The arrival of the decorative lights in the streets of the city centre of Funchal, during the month of December, marks the beginning of the Christmas and New Year festivities culminating with the famous fireworks display, officially recognized by the Guinness World Records in 2006, as the greatest display of fireworks in the world.
CASA VELHA DO PALHEIRO EARNS 2012 TRIP ADVISOR AWARD
Casa Velha do Palheiro set within the Palheiro Estate is delighted to announce that their 5 star country house hotel and a member of Relais & Chateaux, has received a Trip Advisor ® Certificate of Excellence award. The accolade, which honours hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide.
TRANSAVIA PROMOTES NEW FLIGHT CONNECTIONS TO MADEIRA
The French low cost airline Transavia, a group member of Air France KLM, will launch a new operation to this region, aiming to reinforce flight connections to and from Madeira throughout this summer season. The company is making available 40 additional flights between the cities of Funchal, Porto and Paris, from June to early September. This campaign intends to respond to the growing demand for Madeira, making available more scheduled and charter flights, with competitive fares.
UNTIL SEPTEMBER 7th, VOTE ON THE‘ 7 WONDERS’
The Autonomous Region of Madeira is part of the list of twenty one finalists for the 7 Wonders for Portuguese beaches, in the“ dune beaches” category, with Porto Santo golden sand beach. 21 guests- representatives of various scientific areas and notable public figures- carried out this first selection, choosing the most representative beaches of each region. The choice of the seven winners of this award will be made by public vote through this project’ s internet site, through phone and SMS, and will run until September 7th.
For more information, see the link: www. 7maravilhas. sapo. pt /#/ votar
46 | Summer 2012 | www. madeira-life. net |