BANANA APPEAL

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

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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.