On the northeastern side of the Portuguese island of Madeira, you will find Porto da Cruz. It's a small village in the municipality of Machico. Its name came from a cross (Cruz), that the explorers placed on a loch, that once used as a port (Porto). The mountains of Paul da Serra, Pico do Larano at 765 m/2509 ft, Pico da Suna at 1040 m/3412 ft and Pico da Maiata at 766 m/2513 ft are the guards of Porto da Cruz.
The simple life of this village makes you forget the stress of a big town. Taste ‘vinho seco americano’, a local dry red wine made of ‘americana’, which is a type of grape. Try to explore the old factory of sugar cane, which is a 26 m/85 ft height tower. Get on Penha d’ Aguia, an imperial rock that separates Porto da Cruz from Faial, a civil parish in the municipality of Santana, in Madeira.
From up there, the view is fascinating and the melody of the birds can charm you and make you feel like a bird, but be careful, don’t jump. Porto da Cruz beach offers the right conditions for kite-surf. The waves are normal and with a reef-rocky type. The north and south is the best wind direction, and for swell the north direction. In winter, most of the time the waves are from 2 to 3 m (6.5-10 ft) and the wind blows onshore at 47%. In autumn, the waves swell size is from 1.3 to 3 m (4-10 ft) and the wind blows onshore at 60%. In spring, we have the same swell size as in autumn and the wind blows onshore at 62%. In summer the waves swell size is from 1.3 to 2 m (4-6.5 ft) and the wind blows onshore at 80%.
The swell size starts working at less than 1 m (3 ft) and holds up to 2.5 m+ (8 ft+). Kite-surf schools can assist you in giving you the necessary training and acquire the experience you need to practice the sport. Last, but not least, there are lots of accommodation options and other activities that you can do on your spare time.
