100 under-the-radar islands everyone should visit in their lifetime

“The magical archipelago of Madeira has been a well-kept secret until recently, a tropical getaway just a 90-minute flight from Lisbon,” Leggat said. “Hard not to fall for Madeira‘s charm while you take a dip in black lava pools, browse colorful markets, or sip wine from a local vineyard. Go before the secret’s out!”

Stay at Hotel Baía Azul, The Vine, or Belmond Reid’s Palace.

Also a fan of Madeira, Eljas added: “It’s got a bit of everything here — you can go hiking, sailing or spend a lazier time at the beach or at one of the many vineyards. Go to Cabo Giro for spectacular views — this is one of the highest sea cliffs in the world.

“For sheer silliness, you’ve got to try the Monte Toboggan run in Funchal. You’re basically taken back down a hill in a wicker toboggan by chaps in straw hats (it dates from the 1850s). It sounds like a tourist trap, well it is a bit, but where else in the world are you going to do it.”

“When people first land in Madeira, they often comment that they don’t feel like they are in Europe,” Silvia Dias, Strategy and Marketing Manager for Discover Madeira, added.

“The subtropical archipelago is on the same latitude as Morocco, with all year round warmth and some of the most fertile growing conditions in the world — this makes the landscape incredibly lush.”