Dispatches from Atlantis - Part 3

By Wanderlust Magazine Destinations April 12, 2024

Dispatches from Atlantis Part 3: Escape to Porto Santo.

Madeira is actually part of an archipelago of three island groups, all visible from one another. Despite the significant 43-kilometer distance of ocean separating Madeira from the semi-arid island of Porto Santo, the latter is clearly visible from the lookouts on top of the wild northern coastal cliffs east of Porto da Cruz. Although in sight of Madeira, Porto Santo Island is little visited by tourists in comparison to Madeira itself.

There is no obvious reason as to why this should be the case as the island has all the facilities desired for a holiday and is easily reachable by the Porto Santo Ferry. This departs daily from Funchal Harbour with a round trip ticket for the two and a half hour journey costing around €50 during the off peak winter season. Because Porto Santo does not accommodate cruise ships, and is not an international destination for air travel, this limits the number of visitors to the island. Also, many tourists who are already on holiday in Madeira may not feel the need for an additional holiday trip to Porto Santo Island.

Madeira’s geologically older sister island of Porto Santo is not visible from the main city of Funchal. Because this city is situated on the south coast of the island of Madeira it means that Porto Santo Island is not visibly within the daily consciousness of most visitors. While the sinuous Desertas Isles to the southeast of Madeira are visible from Funchal, these islands are uninhabited and strictly for the seabirds and seals that make their home on this restricted nature reserve 25 kilometres from Madeira.

Back on Porto Santo Island you will find a calm and relaxed refuge from the frazzled rage of 21 st century de-civilisation. The island has everything required for you to interact and function, from internet, ATMs, shops, restaurants, a golf course, and even an airport, but it also has something else rare and precious. This is the space, calm, and comfort for your soul to breath. Porto Santo provides a perspective from which to review your life, and all life, from the edge of the World. It is an outlier within the Anthropocene Age, free of pollution, crime, scams, and the noise and distraction of too many people all trying to be in the same place at the same time.

Porto Santo Island reminds me of the kind of destination only sometimes encountered in Europe and North Africa … usually by accident. It has a similar feel to towns and resorts like Sidi Ifni in Morocco or Bizerte and Tabarka in Tunisia. Once these locations were more prominent destinations in the mid-20th century. Now the vagaries of fashion and history have pushed such places away into the backwaters of popular attention.

…Here they are left to fade away, free from commercial development, and free from the tourism that crushes the unique and promotes the homogenous.



To me, Porto Santo’s inhabitants seem to be calmly cheerful, and mostly leave visitors to their own devices, but they will stop and chat to you if you are inclined to talk with them. Once it is established that you are not a tourist exercising a pathological need to demand or complain about something then they will listen and advise you accordingly. On my return to Madeira upon the Santo Porto Ferry I fell into conversation with the bar man who had been born on Porto Santo Island. He stated that having a job that allows him to live in Porto Santo was the most fortunate thing that had happened in his life.

The other main attraction of Porto Santo Island is of course its 9 kilometre long yellow coraline sandy beach. This stretches along the southeast coast of the island from the Porto Santo Marina in the northeast, all the way along the coast past the main settlement of Villa Baleira, and then on to the southwest tip of the island at Ponta da Calheta. An enjoyable seaside walk on your own in the winter, or an ample endless expanse of sand to explore on warm summer days and find your own patch of unoccupied beach facing southward out over the Atlantic Ocean.

When you combine the calm perspective of this remote island with an endless beach all to yourself on a quiet December day, there is something sublime about watching Atlantic rain fronts moving in from the southwest. Combined with a bottle of Madeiran Atlantis Rose Wine, and some of the best seafood I have ever encountered at Pé na Água Restaurante & Beach Bar, the primary consideration for the future was not so much planning my departure but instead how can departure be avoided!

While walking back along the beach to Vila Baleira yet another rain shower moved in from the southwest delivering tendrils of fresh Atlantic rain on a mild sub-tropical December day. Just a few hours earlier I had been swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. The ups and downs of the waves were stomach lurching and they towered above me like falling buildings before somehow passing away beneath me. Now the rain was warm and so was the wind. A free shower followed by a natural blow dry after having swum against a heavy Atlantic swell.

Wanderlust Magazine wishes you an enchanting escape to Porto Santo, discovering a paradise where golden sands meet azure waters and time seems to stand still. Let “Dispatches from Atlantis” articles guide your adventure where ancient mysteries blend seamlessly with modern exploration. Allow the captivating charm of the islands of Madeira and Porto Santo envelop your spirit, leaving behind all worries as you embrace the tranquillity of this hidden gem.

Writing: Robert Moss, YouTube Channel, Vimeo Channel, Photo Blog

Think your friends would be interested? Like, share and subscribe.

Post Views: 2,137

Dispatches from Atlantis – Part 3