Banana appeal

The lush Portuguese island of Madeira is a hit for PAUL MCAULEY, with its dramatic walks, go-to dish and drink and surprisingly fruity museum...

- PAUL MCAULEY

When I heard Madeira being hailed as “Europe's answer to Hawaii”, I was sceptical. But just hours into my stay, it was clear this Portuguese island lives up to its nickname.

Rising out of the Atlantic about 350 miles off the northwest coast of Africa, it wouldn't look out of place as a backdrop for Disney's Moana or Mario Kart’s Donkey Kong Island.

It has those lush landscapes as well as a fascinating culture. I don't know many other places that could make a banana museum interesting (more on that later).

The island is rugged, volcanic, intensely green and yellow with bananas, and aggressively steep. So vertical in fact, that at one point our tour guide casually mentioned it was “almost 45 degrees”.

He wasn't exaggerating. Walking anywhere feels like a workout, especially when the sun is beating down. So if glutes are your goal, skip Pilates and book a flight.

Luckily the food more than helps when it comes to replenishing your energy stores. From the first dinner it became clear that Madeira is a fish lover's dream.

Every menu offered black scabbard fish, usually paired with a banana. It sounds wrong but it works, and with hindsight you can see why it's the island’s go-to dish.