Sao Miguel, nicknamed “the Green Island”, definitely lived up to its name. Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me back up to how the heck I even found myself in a place very few people know even exists! As usual, I had my ear to the ground and found that Delta would start flying direct from JFK to the Azores starting in the spring of 2018. In my experience, when airlines start flying a new route, it tends to be cheaper the first few months as they try to drum up business for that flight route. Well, it was no different for this trip. Flights were going for sub $500 for the end of July which is excellent for a European destination in the summer peak season. So I decided to make this my birthday trip and brought along my bestie Lesley and my son Avery.
So first you may ask, what the hell is the Azores and where exactly is it located? Good question and one that I had to look up myself 🙂 The Azores (officially known as the Autonomous Region of the Azores) is comprised of 9 volcanic islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, the biggest of which is Sao Miguel (the one we visited). Similar to Iceland in that the weather can change at the drop of a dime and is somewhat unpredictable, we didn’t let that deter us from our ticket to lush, unspoilt greenery, gorgeous countryside views, unique lakes, and black sandy beaches.
Despite a two hour flight delay (courtesy of the turbulent weather we’d been experiencing), luck was on our side in the form of a complimentary Delta Comfort (sweet!) and a relatively smooth flight.
Side note: I’m always nervous travelling with Avery by myself on red eye flights because he is a TERRIBLE sleeper and I never know how the person next to him is going react when he ends up kicking them in the butt about a million and one times (no exaggeration) throughout the flight. Thankfully, we were sitting next to a really chill guy who didn’t mind Avery’s feet all over him 🙂
Although we arrived about an hour late because of the departure delay, we breezed through passport control once we arrived, grabbed our suitcases (I was lazy and checked a bag so I didn’t have to deal with it on the plane), got some Euros from the ATM, and caught a taxi right outside in no time. Our hotel, the Marina Atlantico, was located in the city center and about 10 minute ride away. There was a standard flat rate of 10 euros for the ride and they don’t take credit card (good things I got those Euros at the airport ATM!). Miraculously, our room was ready (which is AMAZING because we landed a little after 7am) so we dropped our bags, grabbed breakfast at the hotel restaurant (definitely nothing to write home about), and then promptly…took a nap. Actually, I took a nap, Avery not so much (where do kids get all this energy from?!?!). After waking up (and seeing that Avery was NOT in the least bit tired), we took a taxi to Ilheu Vila Franco do Campo, an islet surrounding an almost perfectly circular natural lake. Since they only sell 400 tickets each day to the islet and it was already late in the day (blame it on my nap lasting way longer than expected), I wasn’t hopeful that any tickets would be left but we chanced it anyway. Tip: you can also purchase ferry tickets online BUT you need a Portuguese debit card to do so. Located at the end of Tagarete pier, there was a small white hut selling the tickets at 8 euros for adults and kids under 10 were free (yay!) and there were still some available so our trip wasn’t in vain (sweet!).
In addition to ferry tickets, we also rented snorkeling gear for 10 euros at the pier since I read there are some fish that you could see in the water in the islet. Since it was peak season, the ferry ride was scheduled to leave every hour on the hour and we perfectly timed our arrival (by accident) to coincide with the next ferry so we didn’t have to wait long.
And, after a short, five minute ride, we were there! As you can see from my attempted panorama shots, the islet isn’t big.
With our snacks, towels, and snorkeling gear in hand, we found a nice spot to rest our stuff and then dove right in the crystal clear water…only to find out that the water is FREEZING!
Still, the views were gorgeous!
We only spent about an hour there (there was no food available on the islet and we ate our snacks pretty quickly), and then headed back on the next ferry for a late lunch at the restaurant on the pier. Though the food was nothing fancy (cheeseburger for me and a hotdog for Avery), I did get to try one of their cocktails cleverly named “Sex on the Azores” that was made with local passion fruit. Delicious! Since we had some time before our taxi came back for us, we walked a couple of minute to the nearby beach which was gorgeous…but freezing!
Next up was dinner! Pro tip: make reservations for dinner early! We tried to walk into the Azores Grill that was right behind our hotel but was immediately turned away because they were booked with reservations for the evening 😦 Thankfully, our hotel recommended a great restaurant called Tixiko located only a few blocks from the hotel and luckily, there was a reservation available (though the restaurant quickly filled up after we arrived). Between the chicken skewered with bacon, shrimp, and yams, (and lots of bread and Azorean cheese) and yummy Caipi Black drink (think frozen Caipirinha with a twist), it was a great first dinner in the Azores!
Between our full bellies and four hour time difference, it is no surprise that Avery and I woke up super late the next morning. However, that did not stop us from making our way to the market. There was fresh produce in every corner that tantalized our taste buds but we had a goal in mind. Tucked in a tiny corner of the market was what we were looking for (and quite tricky to find): Sabores, a little stand with a chalkboard in the front with the sandwiches offered that day along with the juices. We ordered the sweet bread with cheese, honey, and walnuts along with a fresh orange juice, banana and pineapple drink. Although the wait was ridiculously long (about 40 minutes since everything is made fresh and there was already quite a line before we arrived), it was well worth the wait!
We had a tuk tuk tour planned for the morning but Lesley’s flight was delayed FIVE HOURS from the night before, so instead we headed back to the hotel to meet her before our dolphin and whale watching tour. The marina was actually right across the street from our hotel (not surprising since the name of the hotel was ahem ahem “Marina” Atlantico) so we were there in no time. After a brief lesson on the different dolphins and whales that we might encounter, we geared up in our life vests and rain jackets and headed out on the water. We spent about 3 or so hours out there and honestly it was BORING! We saw tons of common dolphins and bottle nose dolphins (no whales) but there was literally nothing to do but watch and wait FOR THREE HOURS. We were supposed to swim with them but they weren’t “friendly” that day and kept swimming away from us whenever our boat got close to them 😦 Needless to say, I was more than ready to get off the boat when we finally docked.
After a quick lunch of personal pizzas and chicken wings with barbecue sauce (that didn’t quite taste like barbecue sauce), we headed back to the hotel but not before stopping to “people watch” some sunbathers getting tans on the concrete by the marina (gotta make the best of what you have!).
For dinner, we went to Big 21 (and yes, we learned our lesson from the night before and made dinner reservations ahead of time for all the restaurants we would frequent for the rest of the trip!). Although it was a small place (like most, if not all, restaurants in that area), it was big on delicious food and friendly staff. Between the sangria, rib eye steak, risotto, and gallyjack fish, we didn’t think we had room for dessert but made some space for the ice cream with hot chocolate, pineapples with sorbet, and chocolate mousse. Tip: When ordering steak in the Azores, always order it to be cooked one temperature higher than you typically do because they tend to cook it one temperature lower 😉 Fun fact: You can pretty much stay as long as you want in the restaurants and they won’t kick you out…we (as well as a couple of other guests) were there until 11:30pm, well past their closing time of 10pm and they just patiently waited until everyone was finished (love that!).
For our third day on the island, we went on the Sao Miguel West tour. First stop: the pineapple plantation! Sao Miguel is known for its pineapples and we got a firsthand glimpse into how they are grown. We also had an opportunity to sample some pineapple liquor which was actually a lot stronger than I expected!
Along the way to our next stop, we took advantage of the amazing views and snapped some pics of the hydrangeas in all of their glory.
There were several stops along the way, including Pico do Carvao, Lagoa do Canario (Canary Lake), and King’s View for another view of the Sete Cidades which is composed of two lakes in the center of a large volcanic crater (one green, the other blue), all of which was just breathtaking. Legend has it that the colors of the two lakes were created by the tears of a princess and her lover when the king forbade their romance. At one last meeting between the princess and her young lover, tears were shed that formed the two lakes, each with a color matching their eyes.
Random story: During one bathroom break, the line for the women was LONG but the men’s line was non-existent (as usual). Since these were individual bathrooms, I pretended Avery had to use the bathroom and I had to accompany him (but it was actually me that had to use it!). Funny thing is once I went, all the women in the women’s line started doing it 😉 And after we were done, Avery made a new friend (gotta love how video games bring kids together!).
And then we took some more time to take in the views.
After a buffet lunch in Sete Cidades, we made a brief stop at the beach. Totally bummed we didn’t bring our bathing suits or towels though that didn’t one older gentleman in our group who quickly shed his clothes and dived right in!
We then headed up the mountain to our last stop, Lagoa do Fogo (Fire Lake), a crater lake whose caldera was formed during an eruption in 1563. Such an incredible view! Avery and I decided to walk down to the lake, not realizing it was farther than we thought…so we gave up about half way there (ok, maybe we made it a little less than halfway) 🙂
Side note: Tour guides definitely can make or break your experience. While this one (who we booked through Pure Azores) wasn’t terrible, he was SO dry and stale, and just had NO personality whatsoever.
Anywho, back to the program…after a quick dip in the hotel pool (per Avery’s request), we headed to the Azores Grill for dinner. With only about 10-15 tables in the restaurant and one waiter for the entire place, we were grateful that our reservations were on the earlier side before it filled up. We all decided on the mixed plate which included a variety of meats that we cooked ourselves over an open grill. Though we all thought the meat tasted pretty bland, the novelty of cooking our own food made the dining experience worth it!
The next day was the reason for the entire trip… my birthday! And, no better way to celebrate than by doing something adventurous so we went canyoning! After breakfast (and a wonderful rendition of Stevie Wonder’s Happy Birthday song from Avery and Lesley), we made our way to the water stream of Caldeirões located on the northeast side of the island. After squeezing into our wetsuit, jacket, helmet, socks and waterproof hiking shoes, we were ready to begin!
On the 10-15 minute trek to get to the waterfalls, we passed lots of exotic plants and flowers, we passed some edible plant thingy which I believe was honeysuckle…all I know is that it tasted really sweet and we couldn’t stop eating it!
After arriving at the first waterfall, there was a brief demonstration and then full steam “ahead” (well actually down since we had to rappel down the side). Avery loved every minute of it! In addition to the rappelling, there was lots of sliding down hills and jumping off waterfalls which was AWESOME! Downside: the water was super cold (why don’t I ever remember that?!?!). All in all, it was a really fun experience and worth every second of freezing my butt off in the water 🙂
What we thought was a 3 hour tour was actually a 5 hour tour with the drive included so we missed our tuk tuk tour (yet again) and decided to just get some rest instead before dinner. Well actually I got some rest…Lesley and Avery went back to the pool (yet again). Soon enough, it was time for my birthday dinner at Restaurante Gastronomo, one of the top rated restaurants on the island.
Hands down, it was the best meal we experienced on the island! We had the shrimp, clams, grilled octopus, and fresh Azorean bread and cheese to start; all of which were AMAZING. Lesley and I are both suckers for a white sangria so we got a pitcher (as well as a couple of extra glasses as it went quickly) and it was SOOO good. For the main course, Lesley had the fresh fish (so fresh she was able to select the one she wanted before they cooked it!) and I had the meat skewer which was WAY better than the one Avery and I had the first night. Everything we had there was flavorful, well seasoned, and overall delicious…and they even brought a birthday cake with trick candles out for me and sung happy birthday!
After such a delicious meal, I didn’t think my birthday could get any better but it did. When we arrived back at the hotel, we found a bottle of champagne from the hotel with a birthday note. So thoughtful as I had only mentioned it was my birthday in passing when we were leaving for the tour. Truly a birthday that I won’t forget!
For our last full day on the island, we did the East Tour! I was praying we wouldn’t get the same tour guide as before and I was happy to see that it was Mario who picked us up as we heard he was fantastic. Right from the start, he was delightful. Warm, welcoming, patient, and full of knowledge. Fun fact: The island has more stoplights in the suburbs than in the city (which seemed odd to me but then made sense after he explained there is much more traffic in the suburbs.
Our first stop was Nossa Senhora da Paz, a beautiful chapel on the mountains with a spectacular view over the entire town of Vila Franca do Campo as well as the islet and the island of Santa Maria.
Our next stop was the town of Furnas, a town built inside a volcano and has a ton of geothermal energy. It is famous for the Portuguese stew that is cooked in pots dipped into the naturally boiling water of the caldeiras (hot springs) and then buried and left for several hours. It was pretty cool to see Mother Nature used as an oven!
After snacking on fresh corn on the cob from a nearby vendor, we headed to our next stop: the thermal pools! Note: there are actually two different locations of thermal pools. One big pool in the gardens that had orange water from all of the sulfur. Then there was another location that had five different pools…and of course we opted for the one with more pools 😉 At a cost of 6 euros for adults and 4 euros for kids under 5, we definitely got our money’s worth running between the 4 hot and 1 room temperature pools. The water was so clear but there were also specks of sulfur that gave the orange appearance in some areas. Such a cool experience! Note: there are showers where you can wash off when you are done but you have to pay (of course) 1 euro for six minutes…all three of us were able to get in and out using 1 euro (and still had time left over for some other folks to use the water before it shut off).
Good thing by this time it was lunchtime because we were starving! At the restaurant, we had the cozido (stew) that we saw being cooked in the ground earlier that day. There was pork, chicken, blood sausage, chorizo, rice, potatoes and veggies…plenty of food for everyone to try a little of everything.
Next stop was up the mountain to enjoy the scenic views over Furnas lake and town.
Next up was the waterfall of Ribeira dos Caldeirões (which was the same place we went to for the canyoning the day before). We spent this time napping since we had already explored the day before.
The last and final stop was the tea factory. We got to see all of the old time machinery that they still used to make tea today and then had the opportunity to try a cup of tea.
For our final night, we had an early dinner at Boca de Cena…though we actually almost didn’t even make it there because it was so hard to find. Once again, we were again the first ones there which was preferable because a) I like having an entire restaurant to myself and b) it seemed to be a one man shop with the waiter also doubling as the bartender and chef! Regardless, the service was fantastic and the food was DELICIOUS! I heard about the honey sesame tuna from someone on another tour and it more than lived up to the hype. It was cooked perfectly and was a HUGE portion. Avery loved his pork tenderloin and Lesley was a big fan of her grilled octopus. Definitely an unforgettable meal. And, I’m still trying to figure out how he was able to provide such outstanding service to a full restaurant while juggling so many roles!
And with that, our trip came to an end the next morning 😦 We had an 8am flight back to New York and with a flight time of 5 hours, we were back in no time but wishing we were still in the Azores!
Other excursions we didn’t get to try but would recommend:
- The Azores are made up of 9 islands, some of which are in close proximity to Sao Miguel. While a day trip or overnight outing to an island like Santa Maria (known for its beautiful beaches) is possible, we chose to spend all of our time on Sao Miguel this time. I would love to visit some of the other islands next time as It heard the other islands are just as beautiful and each has its own distinct “personality”.
- The day we planned to go to Ponta da Ferraria (a thermal pool in the ocean), we didn’t bother because it was going to be high tide and to get the full effect (and not be swept away!), we would’ve had to go when it was low tide 😦
Toya's Travels 