Self-catering holidays with villas and apartments to rent in Madeira

Sub-tropical Madeira, a volcanic island belonging to Portugal, west of the African coast in the Atlantic Ocean, known as the 'Island of Flowers' because of its lush vegetation and exotic blooms.

There is plenty of holiday accommodation in Madeira - it's a tourist hot spot offering villas, apartments and holiday accommodation with swimming pools  to rent in holiday resorts.

Madeira is extremely popular with the British and Irish who descend in droves each year. It offers plenty of sunshine, coastal resorts and beaches, numerous restaurants and cafes, a flower market, tourist attractions and shops in the busy capital city of Funchal, plus lots of parks and places of interest for tourists.

One of the main features of Madeira is the series of tunnels built for cars throughout the island, avoiding the steep mountain roads. Another common feature are the levadas, or irrigations channels, used by walkers to cross the island and enjoy the beautiful flowers. You will see bird of paradise and other exotic species growing wild by the roadside. It's worth hiring a car on your trip to explore this beautiful island, or if you have time to spare, use the local buses and get to meet the local people.

Places to visit in Madeira are:

• Volcanic centre showing lava tunnels
• National parks

Any self-catering apartments to rent in Madeira, villas or similar accommodation can be viewed by clicking on the pages below:

• self catering apartments in Madeira