Things to do in Ponta do Sol

Ponta do Sol sits on Madeira's west coast about 35 minutes from Funchal by the VR1, and its name is not marketing: this stretch of coastline logs some of the island's warmest, sunniest readings year-round, often a couple of degrees above Funchal even in January.

The village is banked in terraced banana plantations that drop steeply to the sea, with a small black-pebble waterfront rather than any beach for swimming — that is at Calheta, a short drive further west. The old centre has a handful of quiet cafes and a restored 16th-century church, Nossa Senhora da Luz.

It is a place to slow down for an hour or two, not a half-day itinerary: a coffee, a walk through the terraces, a look at the coast, then on to the levadas inland or the sand at Calheta.