Your best holiday moments

By Maureen McAllister

‘Let’s have a package holiday’ he said ‘somewhere with fun stuff for kids’.

It seemed like the right idea, the 10 year old (who was then eight) deserved a kids focused holiday – plenty of action and things to do.  So, we three were agreed and off we went to get some brochures.

We’d never booked a holiday all packaged up before. We’d always just taken ourselves off, or planned our own itineraries, or enjoyed a spot of VFR (visiting friends and relatives – in the UK and overseas). So this was a bit of an adventure to begin with.

The brochures came home and we poured over them. Family friendly this, kids club that, activity here, play there – fun, fun, fun. And possibly frightful too, who knew? It was all a bit much.

We then spotted a beautiful resort and hotel in Madeira.  The Hotel Porto Mare.  Not particularly kid clubbish or family friendly, but it looked lovely. Really lovely. We three were agreed and we booked it. Grownups worrying that it would not be lively enough for the then eight year old, whilst he happily focused on the five pools, tennis and mini golf.

We shouldn’t have worried at all. It was perfect.

The rest of this article can be read on Condé Nast Traveller

— Nature Meetings. In Madeira, Walk with us.