Graham's blog posts

Famed for its aromatic botanical gardens, volcanic landscape and plentiful marine life, it’s no surprise that Madeira has been voted Best European Island Destination for 6 years in a row by the World Travel Awards. What’s more, when you take a closer look at Madeira’s cultural scene, you’ll soon see why they are reigning champions. 

The two stunning Atlantic archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores are favourites amongst our Artisan Travel Experts, but with so much in common it can be difficult to tell them apart! That’s why we’ve decided to pit these two fantastic archipelagos against each other, to help you discover the best place for your next getaway.

Summer might be steadily drawing to a close but that doesn’t have to be the end of your adventures until the snow rolls in during the months of November and December. In fact, here at Artisan Travel we believe that October can be an excellent chance to get away and avoid some fantastic destinations whilst avoiding the busier summer crowds.

So, whether you are looking to soak up the last of the summer’s sun or head north for an Arctic adventure, let us inspire you to get away this October with five of our favourite trips for this often-overlooked time of the year!

Here at Artisan Travel, we have a vast range of bucket list summer holidays, skilfully designed by our trusted Travel Experts with you in mind. We'll take you from the sun-drenched islands of Croatia’s Dalmatian Coast to Northern Norway to watch the Midnight Sun over the sublime fjords, to the Azores to snorkel alongside dolphins, to Madeira to explore exotic botanical gardens and to Gozo to indulge your passion for photography. Here are our top destinations for you:

Whale watching in Madeira is one of the most popular activities during any visit to the island, and for good reason. With over 20 different cetacean species swimming in the surrounding waters, you’ll have a high chance of seeing a splash of a whale’s tail, a spurt from a blowhole or even a full breach!

Due to the depth of the water around the island, whales can be spotted as close as 5km away from shore where the ocean floor reaches more than 3000 metres deep. However, our whale watching excursions during your holiday in Madeira include a boat trip to give you an even better chance of seeing the wonderful marine life in their natural environment.

View our holidays in Madeira complete with whale watching here.

Christmas might be over and the days might be getting colder but don’t worry there is plenty to get excited for in 2019! In fact, if the colder days have got you dreaming of sunnier climbs then here at Artisan Travel, we have some good news as some of our favourite sunny escapes are just around the corner!

Now, although we love all of the destinations in our Mediterranean collection and we would highly recommend a trip to Croatia, Gozo or The Azores, there is one destination that we are especially excited about this year – Madeira! With its winding levadas, luscious green mountains, exceptional coastline and amazing marine life, there is plenty to love about this sub-tropical island. However, rather than giving you a big long list of reasons to start booking your flights we have decided to let the photos do the talking! After all, ‘a picture paints a thousand words’!

2019 is almost upon us and we think there’s no better way to help beat the post-Christmas blues than to start planning your next holiday abroad. You could even make a New Year’s resolution to start ticking off some travel experiences from your bucket list!

If you're anything like us, you’ll have been cancelling your Sunday night plans to spend it in the comfort of your own sofa watching David Attenborough’s latest masterpiece, Blue Planet II. Whether it is marvelling at the scenery, or wondering how anything can live in the depths of the ocean, we're sure you’ll have been on the edge of your seat and wanting to head out and explore the wonders of the ocean for yourself.

With that in mind, here are three holidays to help you experience the depths of the underwater world.

I caught up with Laura from our Marketing Team to chat about her experience of Madeira. Here is what she had to say:

So, what I imagine when I think of visiting ‘gardens’ is long afternoons spent wandering round protected stately homes, battered flowers and mowed lawns, but you can think again when it comes to the gardens of Madeira;  they’re something entirely different!

Travelling to Madeira in late September, I was unsure how much I would be able to see and do. Little did I know that this archipelago is blessed with a moderate climate, kept warm by the Gulf Stream, making it perfect for almost year-round enjoyment.