Saturday 13th December 2025

We were down for breakfast quite early, hoping the weather would improve…erm no! We saw Rob in the restaurant. He should have been at the airport to return to Wales but no, he was queueing to see the Tui rep. Poor Rob (and everyone else who should be flying home today). He sat with us and waited to be given whatever news. Not too bad in the end, his flight will go on Wednesday (!!!) and meanwhile he was to be checked in at a very posh hotel in Funchal from lunchtime and just a few extra days holiday. Good for him , apart from the fact his car is at Bristol airport, due to return today. Hoping the insurance will pay out.

“BAD WEATHER IN MADEIRA – FLIGHTS CANCELLED

According to information from ANA – Madeira Airport, on Friday, December 12th, of the 80 flights scheduled to arrive and depart from Madeira International Airport, 76 were cancelled. Only four operations took place: three departures and one arrival.

Of the 136 flights, including arrivals and departures, scheduled for this Saturday, December 13th, 105 are already considered cancelled: 53 arrivals and 52 departures.

Among the remaining flights, 29 – 17 arrivals and 12 departures – remain open, mainly those scheduled for the end of the day. There is also a diverted flight on the Lisbon–Funchal route, operated by Ryanair, as well as a flight on standby, corresponding to the possible departure of the Irish company to Dublin.

In total, between Friday and Saturday, 185 flights have already been cancelled at Madeira Airport due to the effects of Storm Emilia, characterized by very strong winds, with gusts exceeding 100 km/h.”

It was far too wet and windy to do anything outside and so we sat and played cards and eventually at lunchtime Gilly and Paula joined us. I think the holiday reps are having a massive job moving tourists around the island and finding them places to stay. This was the queue this afternoon at reception, stretching a long way outside.

I think it may be sensible to have an early dinner tonight! How gloomy is this?……..

We went to dinner at 6.30, just as well we did, as expected the place filled up very quickly with loads of new arrivals, mainly eastern Europeans.

After dinner the four of us went to find a seat . The only ones vacant in the lounge were a sofa and 2 chairs with cases piled beside it and a jacket on one and a top on another. We watched for a while but no one came, so we moved the 2 garments on to the cases and sat down. Paula and Gilly left their handbags on their 2 seats and went for a cigarette. Then a huge Russian man came and started shouting at us, grabbed Paula’s handbag and threw it elsewhere. Mal told him to put it back, they were outside smoking. He then started yelling at us at the top of his voice, with the whole lounge turning to look! Eventually a “friend” of his got him to calm down and they left! Then a very drunk man, drinking from his bottle of red wine, was sitting next to Paula, so drunk he dropped the bottle on the floor!!

THEN the people watching the football realised they were getting wet….a leak from the ceiling! One of the staff came to look and then went away again!!

You can’t say our holidays are boring!