There are many reasons to visit the green Atlantic island of Madeira. Some come for the excellent walking trails,  others to enjoy the slow pace of life and the fresh food and wine for which the island is well known. Stay for a while and you’re bound to encounter one of the island’s many festivals. These offer a great opportunity to watch (and participate in) some of Madeira’s rich and diverse cultural heritage. Here are just a few to look out for:

Atlantic Festival

This celebration of sound and light takes place throughout the full month of June. Many visitors come for the rich selection of live music performances that can be enjoyed around the island at churches, civic buildings and a variety of outdoor venues. Be sure to include a Saturday night as part of your visit to the Atlantic Festival as it’s on these evenings that the sky is set ablaze by the famous international fireworks display competition, often choreographed to dance to the accompanying music.

Madeira Wine Rally

Alcohol and driving do not mix of course, but thankfully the wine rally does not involve the drivers sampling the local tipple before jumping speeding around the island. What is involved is a three day race around the twists and turns of Madeira in early August. Throw in the unpredictable Atlantic weather and you have a race that challenges some of Europe’s finest rally drivers. There are dedicated viewing areas from which spectators can marvel at the skills of the drivers from a safe distance.

Monte Festival

This celebration of devotion to the patron saint of Madeira, Our Lady of the Monte, takes place on August 15th each year. The main events begin a day earlier at the hillside Nossa Senhora do Monte Church, which is specially adorned with flowers for the occasion. As with all good celebrations, a full night follows of eating and drinking, singing and dancing before the islanders can rest during the public holiday that follows. It’s a great time to be on Madeira to observe the locals in full party mode, but don’t expect to see anything open on the 15th.

Madeira Wine Festival

Madeira has a long history of cultivating vineyards and the production of wine is an important element of the island’s economy. It is only fitting therefore that the islanders should celebrate the start of the grape harvest season in late August and early September. The festivities begin in the village of Camara de Lobos, where traditional techniques for grape harvesting are celebrated and shared with islanders and visitors. The party then moves into the centre of Funchal, with live musical performances, traditional dances and an abundance of food and drink on offer.

Columbus Festival

The island of Madeira boasts a strong historical connection with Columbus. It was here that he landed in 1478 and it was in Porto Santo that he stayed long enough to marry the daughter of Bartolomeu Perestrelo, the Governor of the island. All things Columbus are celebrated in mid-September in a manner of which any famous seafarer would be proud: drink, music, dancing and then plenty more drink. The highlight of the festival is a reenactment of the arrival of Columbus and his band of men in the harbour at Porto Santo.

Hamer bull jump

Anna Butcher is our expert walking guide based in Greece. Read about Anna’s  walking holidays in Greece .

Here she writes about her recent group walking trip to Ethiopia:

This trip to Ethiopia is rather different to what most people would expect.  Rather than visiting the historical sites of the north, we travelled south and spent a week in the tribal area of the Omo Valley, home to various tribes, each with their own very specific customs and rituals.  The highlight of this trip was the “bull-jumping” ceremony where a young man from the Hamer tribe is initiated into adulthood and can then leave the parental home and choose a wife.

Hamer women at bull jump

The build-up to this is quite breathtaking – his female relatives provoke previous initiates to whip them, thereby showing their devotion to the bull-jumper and securing their future support from him, should they remain unmarried or become widowed.  Amid a cacophony of jingling bells worn on their ankles and fuelled by local beer, they dance and taunt the men by beating them with their dreadlocks, until the sense of excitement reaches an intensity that is tangible.  Then the initiate strips naked and has to jump over the backs of up to 8 bulls lined up together, back and forth 4 or 5 times, without falling… We were concerned that we would be intruding, but on the contrary the welcome we received was genuine and relaxed, almost to the point of us feeing a part of their tribal festivity.

Mursi girl who gave me her lip plate

We also visited the Mursi tribe, who are famous for the huge clay lip plates worn by the women.  I had always been given to believe that they were hostile to visitors, but in fact we experienced quite the opposite – to the point that one girl removed her lip plate and gave it to me when we left – a simple but moving gesture.

Leaving the hot Omo Valley for the cool Bale Mountains further east, we discovered a wilderness quite untouched by tourism.  With our little party of horses laden with food for 6 days, we walked steadily higher up to the Senatti Plateau, home to the indigenous Ethiopian Wolf and Mountain Nyala, which is dotted with the triffid-like Giant Lobelia and carpets of Red Hot Pokers.  As an escape from everyday life, this is the place to come and commune with the gods!  It was cold and hard, but we all came down with a feeling of exhilaration and achievement that would be hard to match.

However, the enduring impression of Ethiopia remains in the everyday interaction we had with the people themselves.  Rather than the poverty and hardship that we expected to be confronted with, we met generosity, warmth and humour at every turn.  Some of my group had been before, and the new visitors have already expressed a desire to come back next year to see more!  As one client, who has travelled with me on many occasions said, this trip was “off the scale”.

Our team!

Anna Butcher

Imagine an island filled with the most colourful flowers in bloom where even the hedges that frame the quiet lanes are made of up of miles of vibrant hydrangea bushes. If we add in a sprinkling of  banana and pineapple trees you’ll probably have placed your imaginary island somewhere in the Caribbean. Yet the Azores, a group of nine small volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, are still a part of Europe, albeit sitting at its westernmost extremity.

Much of the flora for which the Azores are renowned was introduced by settlers, keen to add a bit of colour to what was originally thickly wooded land. The hydrangea was introduced mainly due to the fact that it is not grazed by cattle, meaning that it provided a reliable boundary between farmers’ fields. Despite its status as an imposter and in some circles even a pest, many Azoreans have adopted the hydrangea as a symbol of the islands.

A good place to enjoy some of the finest Azorean flowers is at the Hotel Terra Nostra Park at Furnas.  Here on the island of Sao Miguel, a set of beautiful gardens have pretty much been integrated into the hotel. The hotel itself was opened in the 1930s but the gardens have been developed here for almost 250 years. Originally begun by the ambitious American consul Thomas Hickling, they have gradually grown as successive owners have enthusiastically added their own twist to the resident shrubs and flowers.

Now stretching over 12.5 hectares the gardens at Furnas include lakes, streams, water-mills and winding paths along which you can discover centuries-old trees. There is even a pool of thermally heated water that is used for swimming.

If the flowers of the Azores seem a little too far away to visit this year, there is a  chance to enjoy them in London. The Azorean Tourist Board will be present at the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show (July 3-8) and will present an Azorean Table, featuring the best of the islands’ flora. And should you be inspired by the sight of the colourful displays and wish to drop everything and travel to the Azores, Sunvil Discovery will also be on hand to help you arrange your trip!

Perhaps the best way to truly grasp the size of Argentina is to consider that it would take 5 hours to fly from top to bottom. Put another way, the distance between the city of Salta in the north and Ushuaia in the south is further than that between London and Cyprus. Yet in most cases visitors arrive in Argentina with little more than two weeks to explore this vast land. What then are the main things to do on a short holiday in Argentina? Here are a few suggestions that you should certainly include in your itinerary.

Tango in Buenos Aires

Ask any first-time visitor to the capital of Argentina and they’ll probably tell you how much the city resembles Paris or Madrid. But this sentiment perhaps does Buenos Aires no favours as there is so much here that is distinctively Argentinian.

Nothing captures the spirit of the Buenos Aires better than the tango. For most visitors it is enough to be a spectator and enjoy dinner and fine wine whilst being wowed during a tango evening. The show tells the story covering many generations of this evolving national passion while providing a rich visual spectacle. For the more adventurous there is a chance to take to the floor and book a lesson or go along to a milonga, a local dance hall where beginners, visitors and experts alike have the opportunity to glide across the dance floor.

Stay on an Estancia

Get a taste of the gaucho spirit by heading out of the city and staying on a estancia. The desire of visitors to sample the rural Argentinian life has prompted many estancias to open up to tourism and welcome guests on the working ranch.

A highly recommended option is the Estancia Puema Hue, near Bariloche. It is difficult to find the right words to describe how beautiful this estancia and grounds truly are. To visit is the only way to experience it; you’ll probably come home with the same ‘problem’ of trying to adequately describing it! The estancia staff are so welcoming, you instinctively kick off your shoes and relax in the open lounge as you would in your own home.

All guests have keys to their room though don’t often use them. The food is wholesome and presented beautifully, while the wine list could be equal to that of a Buenos Aires hotel. The grounds are extensive and are part of a National Park. Activities available at the estancia include horse riding, hiking and kayaking.

Go whale watching from the Peninsula Valdes

Punta Norte on the coast of Peninsula Valdes is one of the two places in the world for viewing the magnificent Orca whale (March offers the best opportunities). This is a remote peninsula and few visitors make it out to this part of Argentina. Imagine vast open plains, driving along a deserted highway spotting rhea and Patagonian hare along the route and seeing the iconic Patagonian windmills.

Walking on Ice – Hike the Perito Moreno Glacier

The usual way to experience the natural wonder of the Perito Moreno Glacier is to take a boat ride close to the edge of the ice or to view it from a panoramic platform. If you’re feeling adventurous and want to see the ice from a really close-up perspective, you can now add ‘mini ice-trekking’ to your visit. Equipped with very warm clothing and crampons laced to your walking boots, you can tread on ice that is over a kilometre in thickness as an expert guide takes you on a memorable hike across a small section of this glacier that is the size of Israel.

Those are just a handful of the many incredible experiences you can enjoy on a holiday to Argentina. Have a look at our site for more great ideas.

I haven’t flown on either Ryanair or easyJet for quite some time. I always avoid Ryanair because I object to the way its passengers are treated. As far as I am concerned, this airline makes a sport of demeaning its clients and of using every trick in the book to extract every last penny by every possible underhand means. Ryanair has single handedly destroyed any pleasure or joyful anticipation in flying.

At Sunvil we never book Ryanair for our clients. We do use easyJet – it is the lesser of the two evils and the fact is that, on some routes, one has very little choice because these two airlines have between them destroyed so much of the airline industry.

Last week, however, I flew out to Athens from Gatwick on easyJet and then back into Heathrow on Aegean. The experience could not have been more different.

First of all we paid extra on easyJet in order to be able to carry 20 kilos of luggage in the hold. When the flight was called, there was an almighty rush to get to the gate; we had to queue for about 20 minutes simply to get into the departure lounge. Before we reached the lounge there was an announcement that the overhead locker space was full and that anyone with wheeled hand luggage would not now be able to take it on board. We were told (as if it were a very big favour) that there would be no extra charge for such luggage to be carried in the hold. There was then a further delay as about 30 passengers, including me, had to take any valuables out of their hand luggage, now destined for the hold; still more chaos ensued as we all scrabbled around on our hands and knees with open cases revealed to all and sundry.

Meantime, those who had paid for speedy boarding were forcing their way through the queue in order to get into the departure lounge first. Ladies with handbags were told to put their handbags into any other piece of hand luggage they were carrying as only one piece of hand luggage could be taken on board. For many this was impossible.

There was then a further almighty rush to get from the departure lounge to the aircraft as many tried to get on board first in order to secure what they considered to be the best seats. It took another 20 minutes to get on board the aircraft. The flight did not leave on time because it was delayed coming in from somewhere in Italy; the crew was Italian. The seat pitch was the same as any charter flight, the aircraft none too clean and, of course, any drinks or snacks on board were payable. All in all, it was an unpleasant experience and certainly not either cheap or good value for money.

Aegean on the way back was no more expensive but oh so very civilised. There was no queuing, seats were allocated, there was plenty of room for hand luggage because passengers could check in up to 20 kilos of hold luggage at no extra charge, the meal on board was excellent and the seat pitch was generous.

In my view, it is simply a myth that the no-frills carriers are always cheaper. Those legacy scheduled carriers that remain offer far better service and value, very often at cheaper fares. Many charter carriers are superior, though sometimes their aircraft are older.

What the no-frills carriers have done is to universally lower standards for the travelling public. Currently, there is gross overcapacity in the market. Many flights should be cancelled rather than flown at rock-bottom prices, which is hardly environmentally responsible. Do not forget that, in order to sell cheaply some of the time, no-frills seat prices at other times are outrageously expensive – but the public seems simply not to notice this fact. Young people may only have flown using no-frills carriers and so know no different – but, for those of us who’ve enjoyed much better flying experiences over the years, no-frills airlines remain something to avoid if at all possible.

Alentejo Coast

The Alentejo region of Portugal is known for its flat plains dotted with distinctive cork trees and its pretty hilltop villages made up of white-washed houses. Yet many visitors come to the Alentejo to experience the region’s stunning coast.

Stretching out from the south of Lisbon toward the popular beaches of the Algarve, the Atlantic facing Alentejo coast may not attract hard-core sun-worshippers in the same numbers as the Mediterranean resorts. There are however plenty of good reasons to head away from the crowds and explore  this quiet corner of Portugal that has, until now, been a well-kept secret among Portuguese visitors.

Portuguese seafood

Every region of Portugal is proud of its local produce and the Alentejo coast is no exception. With fresh pickings on offer from the local fishing ports a holiday here is a delight for fans of good quality seafood. Peixe (fish) comes in many varieties and what we’ve provided here is just a brief taste of some of the most common types as well as a few words that are worth knowing when you inspect a local menu.

Peixe grelhado, or grilled fish, is perhaps the most popular way to prepare  fresh fish in Portugal. Often prepared on an outdoor grill, it is generously salted and cooked whole.

It’s impossible to talk about fish in Portugal and not mention bacalhau (cod fish). The irony here is that despite this being one of the nation’s most loved dishes, the fish is certainly not fresh and not even from the local waters. Caught in the cold northern seas around Norway and Iceland, the cod fish is soaked, poached and poached again until it barely resembles its original form. The resulting strong tasting bacalhau is then used in a wide range of favourite dishes.

Sardinhas (sardines) are another favourite and often brought out as part of the couvert (a set of dishes offered before ordering). Most frequently offered in the summer months and always served whole, the bones of the sardine are very small and if you want to eat like a local you’ll need to avoid the temptation to pick through the bones.

Dourada (sea bream) is a popular fish with a light and pleasant flavour that is often served as a summer lunch dish. It goes down particularly well with a glass of white wine.

If these small mentions have whetted your appetite for learning more about Portuguese seafood I would highly recommend a look at the excellent Peixe in Portugal article by Andrea Smith. Similarly the highly informative Dining Well in the Algarve by Gwen McCauley offers useful insights of Portuguese cuisine that apply beyond the Algarve.

Bom apetite!

‘Washing and cooking facilities are primitive’.

You would expect to see such a comment on a negative Tripadvisor review, but it might surprise you to find these words on promotional material written by the owners of a property. Yet this unorthodox approach is exactly how the Kolarbyn Eco-Lodge in Sweden is attempting to entice guests.

But then Kolarbyn, around 100 miles from Stockholm,  is no ordinary place to stay. A group of 12 wilderness huts in the forest, the accommodation would look very much at home in an ethnographic museum.  There is no electricity or running water, although guests are provided with a bucket with which to fetch their water from the nearby stream. There is a wood fire in each hut and you will be expected to chop your own wood during the day.

Fresh food is plentiful at Kolarbyn. Blueberries can be picked from the roof of the hut and mushrooms can be gathered from the surrounding (in season). Thankfully there is no requirement to hunt if you want meat for your barbecue, with a shop nearby and even cooked meals available on site. The owner of Korarbyn Andreas is on hand as the resident wilderness expert. He will take guests foraging and teach them woodland survival skills while sharing his knowledge of the history of this old mining district.

A lakeside ‘floating’ sauna is perfect for those wishing to relax during their woodland escape, while for the more active guests there are canoes and rowing boats available. Depending on the season guests can also enjoy horse riding and snow-shoe trekking in the quiet of the surrounding woodland.

The emphasis at Kolarbyn is very much on minimising the environmental impact of tourism while providing a positive benefit to the local community. The huts are built from natural, locally sourced materials, avoiding the use of toxins and chemicals. The area was once famous for its charcoal kilns that were used to extract iron ore and part of the proceeds from Kolarbyn goes to the restoration of charcoal kilns for use within the local area.

But for those interested in a visit to Kolarbyn there are probably two main questions that need answering. Firstly the toilets: there are dry composting toilets. While this might present a culture shock to some, they are kept clean and are very much part of the wilderness experience. And don’t ask about mobile phone coverage; yes, you can get a signal but chatting on your phone might well be frowned upon during your get-away-from-it-all break.

Most guests stay at Kolarbyn for one or two nights and combine it with a stay in  more traditional  accommodation. Visit our Sweden pages for more information about Kolarbyn and other options.

One of the traveller’s great delights is to come across the unexpected in the midst of the familiar – to be taken by surprise by somewhere that is “just around the corner”.

Mavri Spilia, Karpenissi

Karpenisi is just such a place. In the heart of Central Greece in the prefecture of Evrytania, it is mountainous, tree-covered, chequered with waterfalls and numberless streams – more evocative of the Swiss Alps than mainland Greece. In the winter months, carpeted with snow, it has long been the private playground of Athenian ski enthusiasts, eager for spectacular routes. Once the season is over, however, it reverts to a more bucolic existence, enjoying the benefits of a temperate climate and air that is claimed to be the cleanest in the whole of Europe, as evidenced everywhere by the abundance of lichen.

Certainly the air is extraordinarily pure; it means that everything you do is enhanced by its invigorating clarity. Whether you opt for energetic pursuits like winter skiing, or spring and summer activities like rafting through the gorges or horse-riding across the foothills, or perhaps prefer to walk along the remains of the old salt path to ‘Mavri Spilia’ (The Black Cave) or one of the many trails that take you past waterfall upon waterfall, it feels as if the very act of breathing is transformed into something unusual and fresh.

Yet at the same time Karpenisi remains profoundly Greek, not just in its hospitality and style of life, but in its mix of ancient and contemporary. Hercules himself is said to have fought here, and if you venture to the 9th century monastery at Prousous – built improbably into the mountainside – you will be following the path of a once lost icon that had been smuggled out of Turkey. Years later, legend has it (and when doesn’t legend have it in Greece?) a miraculous footprint appeared in a rock face and led to the spot where the icon was recovered, and where the monastery now stands. More recently, Karpenisi was one of the centres of resistance against Mussolini’s invasion in the Second World War, and a National Resistance Museum can now be visited at Korischades.

Prousos Monastery, Karpenissi

Undoubtedly the best way to explore the area is by car. Karpenisi is about a 4-hours drive from Athens (perhaps visiting Delphi en route) or 2 hours from Volos. One of the benefits of its standing as an exclusive winter resort is that Karpenisi’s accommodation and cuisine is of an exceptional quality all year round. Our suggestion would be to stay at one of the many renovated houses in the various small villages to get a real sense of the place. The area is famed throughout Greece for the pork specialities prepared by the Stremmenos company in Prousos, with its organic air-cured sausages and varieties of prosciutto, cured and soaked in red wine, and perhaps topped with a glass or two of tsipouro.

As Greece rises to the challenge of its economic situation, it has given opportunities to more innovative regional authorities, and the Karpenisi municipality is at the forefront of adapting to the interests of the more independent and inquisitive traveller who wants to discover one of the hidden treasures of Greece.

Our overseas representatives are the vital front-of-line, client-facing staff for Sunvil and its sister company GIC The Villa Collection.  Many have been with us for years.  Linda on Crete has worked in Chania for Sunvil for over 25 years – Monty Don was filmed doing her job with her commenting on how well or badly he was faring!

We have 30 overseas representatives in Greece and, without them, Sunvil and GIC The Villa Collection would lose much of their customer appeal.  They are there to help, to advise and to sort out those little problems which always occur during any holiday.  Time is precious when you are on holiday and it helps to have recommendations as to where to go and what to see so that you do not spend time researching on a hit-and-miss basis.  Sunvil and GIC reps are not there simply to sell as many excursions as possible – our clientele is very different from the mass-market norm.

Our representatives are encouraged to contribute to the local community and many of them are very active in supporting local animal charities and local arts and crafts.  This year several of them will be running in the Nemean Games 100m race or the alternative 7.5 km option, the Games being one of the highlights of this year’s June calendar and a sister event to the original Olympian Games.  It’s great fun and if you, the reader, are interested in taking part then do visit www.nemeangames.org and then ask us about the special trips we are offering for those wishing either to participate or to watch.  Apart from the experience of stepping back in time – the race is a replica of what would have happened in the stadium at Nemea over 2,000 years ago – there’s a village feast for participants, and the opportunity to sample some of the best wines in Greece from local wineries.  The Nemean Games were a precursor to today’s Olympic Games and the United Nations – they encouraged local tribes to compete on a friendly basis rather than warring with one another.  It’s an aim that’s as relevant today as it ever was.

Our representatives really come into their own when there is an emergency.  More often than not it is medical emergencies that they have to cope with and, over the years, many of our clients have had good cause to thank them.  Our reps do not interfere with your holiday, but they are there if and when you need help.  A good representative is an enormous asset to a tour operator and we are very aware that many of our clients return to the same resort year after year because they know that Jackie, or Wendy, or Peter, and so on, will be there.

Every few years we gather all our representatives together before the season starts and we spend the weekend updating them and listening to them, reminding each other that we are working together to create the perfect holiday and acknowledging the fact that they are a very important part of the Sunvil team.  This year we all gathered in Tolon on the Peloponnese, the first resort that Sunvil featured in its Greek programme in 1974, for a weekend of work, eating, drinking and gossiping, along with many of our local suppliers.

We all love Greece and we are all determined to help the country and our many friends there to survive and prosper, and to dispel the incorrect notion that the country is an unsafe place to visit or that somehow, this year, it should be given a miss.  There is great determination to prove the financial pundits and news reporters wrong.  Greece and its people have been through much worse and they know that it’s through tourism that they will embark on the road to recovery – and we are here to help.  We hope that you will join us in Greece this year for the warmest of welcomes – and perhaps some fun and Games in Nemea, too!

San Jose, Costa Rica

After a late night arrival in San Jose I was ready the following day for the first part of my trip. I was fortunate enough to be staying at the Pacuare Jungle Lodge right on the banks of the Pacuare River – one of the world’s premier white water rafting rivers. It is an absolutely stunning area. I have never seen anywhere like it! It is so quiet and peaceful and the only light provided after sunset is by candles and starlight which creates a magical environment along with the sounds of the jungle!

Pacuare Jungle Lodge, San Jose

The excitement starts even before you arrive as access to the lodge is by white water rafting down the river. Alternatively you can opt for a bumpy 4×4 ride by a scenic road trip. The raft in is quite calm 3 miles of rafting with the occasional grade II-III rapid and stopping off to swim in idyllic waterfalls. The raft out is when it gets really exhilarating ; 17 miles of grade III-IV rapids, so be prepared to get very wet or even go overboard (as I did)!

Vista Suite, Pacuare Jungle Lodge

The Pacuare Lodgeoffers comfortable accommodation and gourmet food; it would be a perfect place for a honeymoon or celebrate a special occasion. If you really fancy treating yourself some of the suites have private plunge pools and the honeymoon suite has its own suspension platform overlooking the river. It is an ideal place to spend a few days simply relaxing in the gorgeous grounds or taking part in other activities such as zip-lining, hiking to nearby waterfalls or an indigenous village as well as horse riding.

Sarah Loseby

Sunvil Traveller