The Island of Porto Santo, Madeira

Golf.

Porto Santo has an 18 hole course along with a 9 hole pitch and putt ,driving range and practice grounds.  Recently constructed (2005) it is an open , almost treeless course but is rated quite difficult by visitors. Green fees are about 65 euros for 18 holes and trolleys and buggys are available for hire. There is an impressive club house complete with shop , bar on the ground floor open from 8am until 11am and a restaurant  which is open from 11am till 11pm.  At the moment (2007) the course is only busy at times and it is not unusual to play without seeing another player !!

Fishing

There is an 11km beach on the south of the island all of which can be fished.     The beach gets crowded in places in Summer but there are always quiet spots available.

The jetty near the main town provides easy fishing,and float fishing is the norm there.

There is access in the harbour along one side, and this provides good float and bottom fishing all year round.

The west ,east and north of the island has steep rocky cliffs, but access is available in many places such as the small pebble beach at Serra de Fora.  Vantage points on the rocks provide good float and bottom fishing .

Boat fishing to hire is virtually non existent.  There is one boat which operates at some times of the year.  There are a lot of private small boats in the harbour and it may be possible to arrange to be a "guest" on one of these.

Ther are no Big Game boats at present operating out of Porto Santo .

Best baits seem to be bread, prawns and squid, but the local small land snail is a favorite bait amongst the locals.

A vast range of fish can be caught, the most common being parrot fish, bream, moray eels, boga,  grouper,mackerel amongst many.

There are three shops selling tackle, but far the best is situated in the small road opposite the top of Rua Zarco.

Tennis

There is a newly built tennis complex to international standards.

Horse Riding

The riding stables are  situated at the westerly end of the island. Horses and some equipment can can be hired by the hour.

Beach Volley Ball

Just east of the harbour is an international standard beach volley ball stadium.  This does not seem to be open for public use,but competitions during the summer months make popular viewing.

Go-Karting

Close to the harbour is a track which is open during the summer months where karts can be hired.

Walking

There are some well signposted walks in the hills and around the north coast.  There is a lot of open land and there does not seem to be any restriction on using this.

Football

The stadium is situated to the east of the island and matches are held throughout the season on one of two well cared for grass pitches.

Roller Hockey

Roller hockey is a very popular spectator sport on the island. At present (2007) the matches are being played in the Five Aside Football Stadium near to the airport, but a new indoor sport stadium is being built just north of the main town.

Jeep Safari

Two of the local travel agents operate Jeep Safaris and these are a good way to see the rugged parts of the island.

Diving

Qualified diving instructers are available at the harbour all year round .   There is old container boat sunk a few years ago just near the harbour,which makes an interesting and relatively safe dive.

The Beach

The biggest attraction is the beach.    The sand stretches along nearly all the south coast as one complete beach.  The local Camara do a god job of keeping it  clean through the year.  The fine yellow sand is said to have curative properties. At times, strong breezes blow along the beach, which although pleasantly cooling on hot days can whip up the fine sand and a cheap wind break which can be bought locally can be useful.  Between the town jetty and the new Columbo Resort hotel there are a few  beach bars,but some of these are only open during the spring and summer months.  The sand shelves gently into the sea so swimming is pleasant , although in places there are strong cross currents so care needs to be taken.  During the summer there are life guard stations dotted at intervals along the most frequented parts.  There is so much beach that if you are prepared to walk there is always an area away from other people even in high summer. Access paths and roads across the dunes from the main road  are about 1km apart.

Eating out

There are many places to eat, the majority serving traditional Portuguese dishes.  Some out of the way restuarants to try are Porto de Frades near the beach at Serra Da Forra,  Adega das Levadas on the road to Morenos,  Gazela at Campo de Cima.

The latest restuarant to open is China Town situated nearly opposite the Luamar Apartments at Ponte.   This is the only Chinese restuarant on the island.