Porto Moniz Natural Swimming Pools

Lava flows built these basins and the Atlantic keeps filling them. The floor underfoot is moss rather than tile, small fish share the water, and a snorkel mask earns its place in the bag. There are jumping spots along the walls, high enough to be worth the climb, plus a shallow swim area for children and a playground beside it. The changing rooms are large. A cafe sits on site, though the cooking is ordinary — the swimming is the reason to come. When the swell is up, the sea breaks white against the black rock just outside the pool walls, and the walk along the shore is worth doing even if you never get in.

• It gets very crowded. Early morning and the last stretch before closing are the calm windows; the middle of the day is not one of them.
• Few toilets. The changing rooms are large, but there are only a handful of toilets for the whole site.
• The water is cold. Cold enough that getting in takes some resolve, whatever the air is doing above.
• Snorkel gear is worth packing. Fish come into the pools and the floor is mossy rock rather than concrete.
• Cafe on site. Drinks and food are there when you want them; the cooking is unremarkable.

Everything sits at the bottom of the town, where the road meets the sea. You can drive to within 70 m of the entrance — two car parks are that close — and the nearest bus stop is a little over 100 m away. Public toilets and a drinking-water tap stand within 60 m of the pools, and the Madeira Information office is about 120 m off.

Better: early morning, right after opening, or the last part of the day before closing.

Avoid: the middle of the day.

The site gets very crowded, and the pools are a different place depending on how many people are in them. Staying late has a second payoff: the sunset goes down over the water from here.