Cruises to Porto Santo Island (Azores)

Madeira is a sub-tropical archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean made up of two populated islands, Madeira and Porto Santo, and two groups of unpopulated islands called the Desertas and Selvagens Islands. Porto Santo is the northernmost and easternmost island in Portugal's Madeira archipelago. The only significant settlement on the island is the town of "Vila Baleira". The island is about 9km long, and the main industry is tourism. The New World explorer Christopher Columbus married the Portuguese noblewoman Filipa Moniz Perestrelo, the daughter of Bartolomeu Perestrelo. For a while they lived on Porto Santo. The home is now a museum worth visiting. With far less rainfall than its leafy neighbour of Madeira, life on Porto Santo centres around its glorious beach, which stretches invitingly along the length of its southern coast. With 9 km of beach, these are the best beaches in the archipelago. They are also known for their alleged healing properties, relieving the pain of rheumatism and helping to accelerate the recovery of bone fractures. There are some impressive rocks sculpted by the wind and the waves at the western end of the beach. You can see the sun rise and set from the beach.