Porto Santo holidays are snail-slow. They pair up wine-tasting and rounds of golf with a load of sand for sunbathing.
Secret escape
Porto Santo may be small, but it’s got Casanova-level charm. Part of the Portuguese Madeira archipelago, this place is probably the closest you’ll get to a desert island in Europe. It’s all volcanic peaks, lunar-like landscapes and sandy beaches.
Cute capital
Even the island’s capital, Vila Baleira, is sleepy. It’s not a city by any stretch – just imagine a huddle of terracotta-topped houses, a white church and a teeny town hall, and you’re not far off. It’s handily pulled up to the biggest beach around, but that’s not the only bait for tourists. One of the island’s first admirers was none other than Christopher Columbus, and there’s a museum dedicated to the explorer.
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