Atlantic Islander
03-14-2014, 04:14 PM
When my wife and I (40's, no kids) say to friends "We're going to the Azores on holiday", the almost universal reaction is "Where? ...".
They're an archipelago of 9 Portuguese islands in the Atlantic about 1,000 miles due west of Lisbon - so further north and further out into the ocean than Madeira and the Canaries. Total population is about 240,000 (just less than Madeira) and the biggest island (Sao Miguel) is just a bit smaller than Madeira in terms of area.
The archipelago is spread over about 350 miles of ocean from east to west and falls into 3 groups each approx. 100 miles apart: the eastern group (Sao Miguel & Santa Maria), the central group (Terceira, Graciosa, Sao Jorge, Pico and Faial) and the western group (Flores and Corvo).
There are no direct flights from the UK but there are very regular flights from Lisbon to Sao Miguel (Ponta Delgada), Terceira and Faial (Horta). Roughly a two hour flight. Internally, the islands are linked by regular flights, each having an airport. The central group are also linked by regular ferries (fast catamarans in summer) and the three groups are linked by a larger car ferry sailing a couple of times a week.
We used the UK holiday company Archipelago Azores who can plan an itinerary. Ian Coates and Sarah Bennett's personal attention to detail and service is outstanding and 5* highly recommended.
The islands are volcanic and so mountainous (the highest mountain in Portugal is on Pico, an extinct volcano, 7,700' a bit like El Teide on Tenerife) with magnificent mountain (craters) and coastal (cliffs) scenery. Also very lush - a mix of forests and lush agricultural land - dairy farming is big in the Azores. The wild flowers are superb (like Madeira) and a particular feature is the fields separated by massive hydrangea hedges. The scenery generally is breathtaking.
Another feature of the islands is dolphin and whale watching.
Weather - we have been twice, once in January 2004 and again in late August. In Jan. the weather was mild (60's F) but unfortunately it was pretty overcast and wet. However, we saw enough to see that these were islands worth going back to and in Aug. we got much better weather (70's F). It seems to be an inevitable fact of islands in the ocean at this relatively northern latitude that there will be some cloud over the mountains which may cause some rain to fall over the coast from time to time. So it's not a destination for guaranteed sunshine all day and (without being off putting) you need a bit of luck to get the mountain views without cloud.
Maybe it's the no guarantee of constant sun which means the Azores are not the developed tourist destination like Madeira, Canaries, Balearics etc. but apart from that, I don't understand why they're so little visited. There are no "resorts" or high rise hotels in the Azores (apart from one or two in the main town Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel). Nor are there any beaches. So if your idea of a holiday is spending the whole daylight hours on a sun longer, then the Azores are not for you but if you want unspoilt and breathtaking scenery, then they're not to be missed. Probably not too suitable for children due to lack of “theme park” etc. attractions to keep the kids amused.
Hoping this may be of interest, here is some more detail of our trip in August 04.
We flew Edinburgh-London Heathrow-Lisbon-to Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel all in one day. Incidentally, we paid an extra £250 each to fly business class from LHR to LIS (TAP Air Portugal) and LIS to PDL (SATA Air Acores). In two minds still as to whether this was worth it - on balance, I think probably yes.
Stayed at Hotel Collegio in PD. A recently restored old building in the centre of the old town renovated to a very high and tasteful standard and under the personal supervision of the resident proprietor. 5* highly recommended. There is a small swimming pool in the courtyard and the hotel restaurant was good.
Another good restaurant (and cocktail bar) is the one next door to the hotel called "No 27". We also had a good meal in the dining room of the Hotel Talisman in the town centre. More unpretentious (and obviously very popular with the locals) was the restaurant "O Churusco" also a few minutes walk from the hotel.
Note that apart from in the "posh" restaurants (which are relatively few and far between in the Azores), the food is pretty ordinary. Also the portions are HUGE - off-puttingly so in fact. For e.g. if you order a T-Bone steak, you get TWO steaks (plus enough chips and salad etc. to sink a ship).
We hired a car (arranged by Archipelago Azores and delivered to and left at the hotel). The roads on the Azores are a bit rough in places but generally OK and the locals are polite drivers. Note that many roads marked on maps are in fact dirt tracks but that there are many tarmacked roads not marked on any maps at all.
Sites to see are Sete Cidades, Furnas and Lagoa de Fogo. These are huge volcanic craters (but now lushly forested) with lakes in them, the first two big enough to have villages in them. There are hot springs at Furnas. If you’re lucky and there are no clouds there are superb views to be had of SC from the Vista do Rey viewpoint and of Furnas from the Pico do Ferro viewpoint. The coastal scenery at the east end of the island between Povoacao and Nordeste is also stunning.
Nice wee bar/restaurant called “O Jaime” with a terrace overlooking the old harbour and fishing boats at Vila Franca do Campo on the south coast.
After four days in Sao Miguel (a good enough period to see most of the island by car), we transited to Sao Jorge on the Acoreline car ferry Golfinho Azul. Left PD at 6.30am and got to SJ at 9.00pm via calls at Terceira and Graciosa. A long day and possibly not for the faint hearted. The ferry is a bit “grotty” by Northern European standards. Also the Atlantic swell is such that those prone to sea sickness might want to avoid this trip. However, we were lucky in that it was a beautiful day so we just sat on deck and soaked up the sun all day. Saw two whales and dozens of schools of dolphins leaping clear out the water – amazing!
Sao Jorge is much smaller and much less developed than Sao Miguel (but much better roads overall!) but a beautiful island almost totally surrounded by stunning cliffs. We stayed at the Hotel Sao Jorge in the main town of Velas. A modern (late 70’s?) type hotel (I think it’s the only one on the island), it looks a bit unprepossessing from the outside but fine inside (4 out of 5). All rooms with balconies with fine views over to Pico and Faial. A small outdoor (sea water) pool. No restaurant.
The brand new Café Acore restaurant on the main square of Velas – a pretty little town – was good as also was the restaurant Fournas de Lava (noteworthy for having pleasantly small and digestible portions!), a 10 minute taxi ride away in the neighbouring village of Santo Amaro.
It’s difficult to say there’s a highlight of SJ because it’s all so beautiful but don’t miss the harbour at Urzelina and Faja dos Cubres at the foot of the cliffs. Also, go down the cliffs from Norte Grande to Faja do Ouvidor (both perfectly driveable but hairpin bend roads) where the Restaurant Amilcar was good and obviously popular with the locals.
After 3 days on SJ we transferred to Horta on Faial on the catamaran, a two hour trip via two calls on Pico. Stayed at the Poussada da Santa Cruz Hotel in Horta which could be the finest hotel we have ever stayed in! Recently completely renovated, it’s built into the old early 19th cent. fortress which guards Horta harbour. Marvellous views over to Pico. Outdoor swimming pool in the gun battery. Ask for a room on the first floor as these rooms looked to have bigger, more open balconies than ours on the second floor.
As we were only to be there for one night, we had no car but got a taxi driver to take us up to the Faial crater (“caldeira”) for 20 Euros and we were lucky with the clouds and got stunning views over the crater. Another “must see” on Faial (where we stayed longer in January) is the Capelinhos volcano which erupted out the sea in 1957 and added a big lump to the island’s area. It is still a “lunar” volcanic landscape (not much vegetation yet).
Also famous in Horta is Peter Café Sport – a bar café restaurant of great character as popular with transatlantic yachtsmen. Also pleasingly small(ish) portions with a more imaginative than usual menu for the Azores (try the whale soup!).
Next day, flew to Flores, the furthest west of the Azores. Very much less developed than the other islands so far mentioned, it’s peaky and craggy and packs some truly stunning mountain and coastal cliff scenery into its small area.
The main town (really just a big village), Santa Cruz where the airport (presently being totally rebuilt) is, is one of the less nice of comparable Azorean towns and is not the best introduction to the island. However, it may improve as there seemed to be a lot of work going on.
Hiring a car (from the airport), we stayed in Faja Grande, a village on the west side of the island – it bears the distinction of being the west most village in Europe! Our accommodation was the Argonauta. This is a guest house in a traditional Azores three storey house on the main street of the village retaining old period features, presided over by a very charming and knowledgeable Italian called Pierluigi who has written books on the island – and, of course speaks impeccable English. Ask for the “suite” on the top floor at the top of a steep wooden staircase. At first we were a bit taken aback with the contrast with the air conditioning, white towelly bathrobes and liveried flunkies etc. etc. at the Poussada da Santa Cruz the previous night in Faial. But after not too long, we were in love with the pig in the garden next door, the cows wandering down the streets and being woken by a dozen cocks crowing at 6am!
The scenery in Faja Granda is stunning. It’s down at sea level but surrounded by an amphitheatre of cliffs with waterfalls tumbling down them 100’s of feet. The village is surrounded by a patch-work of lush green fields separated by a network of colossal drystone walls – the farmers walk out to them each evening with a milk churn over their shoulders to milk the cows by hand – this a remote unspoilt and truly beautiful place.
So Ian and Sarah at Archipelago Azores knew exactly what they were doing booking us into the Argonauta rather than the Hotel Occidental in Sta. Cruz. Apparently the only “hotel” on Flores, we only called there to see about a trip to the neighbouring island of Corvo (the smallest Azore – only 17 sq. km., pop. 300). Although no doubt very clean etc, it did look a little bit “pedestrian” and characterless. (The lady behind the counter was exceptionally helpful about the trip to Corvo but unfortunately in the end it couldn’t be done due to a combination of lack of uptake and the weather – it seems you have to get a group to fill a RIB which also calls for relatively calm seas to get to Corvo, neither of which we got. This could be different in peak season. obviously)
As for eating on Flores, you could have dinner at the Argonauta but we walked up the road to the lovely little Casa Vigida restaurant (nice small portions!) in a converted traditional Azorean cottage run by another (unrelated) charming Italian. Another night, Pierluigi drove us to the Por do Sol (“sunset”) restaurant in the neighbouring village of Fajazinha – new build tastefully got up to look like a traditional Azorean cottage but dauntingly large portions again! Otherwise, we lunched in the unpretentious cafes “Lita” by the old harbour in Sta. Cruz (by ordering one portion between two of us, we got a reasonably sized lunch) and “Beira” in Lajes das Flores (a huge but freshly grilled fish!)
Again, difficult to give a highlight of Flores because it’s all so beautiful but do drive out to the Albarnaz Lighthouse at the north point of the island and then walk along the cliff tops. The clue’s in the name, but the wild flowers on Flores are particularly exceptional.
I should also mention Aldeia da Cuada. This is a village of little stone built cottages between Faja Grande and Fajazinha which has been abandoned by its original local inhabitants by emigration but rebuilt and restored to form a village of upmarket self catering units. Even if not staying there, it’s worth it just to have a walk round, it’s so attractive. We will definitely be thinking about staying there on next visit to Flores.
NB, there are lots of perfectly driveable tarmacked roads in the “hinterland” of Flores giving access to lakes in volcanic craters etc. (he says rather dismissing these beauties with “etc.”) which are not marked on the maps - some (but not all) of these roads are signposted.
Lastly, a word about the island of Pico in the central group. We went there for a day trip from Faial (on the ferry – ½ hour crossing) when we there in January on one of the few days of gorgeous sunny weather we had in Jan. Were lucky enough to encounter Joao, a very nice young taxi driver who had been brought up in Canada so spoke perfect English with a Canadian accent. (NB this is common – many Azoreans emigrated to North America about 30-40 years ago. Some have returned and a lot of the “tourists” are actually emigres visiting “home”. So Azoreans with speaking English with North American accents are a common feature – like the South African accents on Madeira!) Anyway, Joao (or John as he called himself to us) gave us a day tour round the north/west half of Pico for a price that was pretty dirt cheap by our UK standards – I can’t remember exactly – I think he asked for 50 Euros and I happily gave him 70. Pico looked to be every bit as nice as the other islands I have described.
Well, I’m sorry if this is the longest post on record at Trip Advisor!
I hope it gives a flavour for the Azores as a place of just the most beautiful maritime and mountain scenery imaginable and which I would highly recommend as an “off the beaten track” unspoilt holiday destination.
We shall be returning for a third time next year – in July to get the hydrangea hedges in full bloom. We’ve still got Santa Maria, Terceira, Graciosa, Corvo and the rest of Pico to see and could spend a lot more time soaking up the islands we have seen.
source - trip advisor (http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g189123-r2585032-Azores.html)
They're an archipelago of 9 Portuguese islands in the Atlantic about 1,000 miles due west of Lisbon - so further north and further out into the ocean than Madeira and the Canaries. Total population is about 240,000 (just less than Madeira) and the biggest island (Sao Miguel) is just a bit smaller than Madeira in terms of area.
The archipelago is spread over about 350 miles of ocean from east to west and falls into 3 groups each approx. 100 miles apart: the eastern group (Sao Miguel & Santa Maria), the central group (Terceira, Graciosa, Sao Jorge, Pico and Faial) and the western group (Flores and Corvo).
There are no direct flights from the UK but there are very regular flights from Lisbon to Sao Miguel (Ponta Delgada), Terceira and Faial (Horta). Roughly a two hour flight. Internally, the islands are linked by regular flights, each having an airport. The central group are also linked by regular ferries (fast catamarans in summer) and the three groups are linked by a larger car ferry sailing a couple of times a week.
We used the UK holiday company Archipelago Azores who can plan an itinerary. Ian Coates and Sarah Bennett's personal attention to detail and service is outstanding and 5* highly recommended.
The islands are volcanic and so mountainous (the highest mountain in Portugal is on Pico, an extinct volcano, 7,700' a bit like El Teide on Tenerife) with magnificent mountain (craters) and coastal (cliffs) scenery. Also very lush - a mix of forests and lush agricultural land - dairy farming is big in the Azores. The wild flowers are superb (like Madeira) and a particular feature is the fields separated by massive hydrangea hedges. The scenery generally is breathtaking.
Another feature of the islands is dolphin and whale watching.
Weather - we have been twice, once in January 2004 and again in late August. In Jan. the weather was mild (60's F) but unfortunately it was pretty overcast and wet. However, we saw enough to see that these were islands worth going back to and in Aug. we got much better weather (70's F). It seems to be an inevitable fact of islands in the ocean at this relatively northern latitude that there will be some cloud over the mountains which may cause some rain to fall over the coast from time to time. So it's not a destination for guaranteed sunshine all day and (without being off putting) you need a bit of luck to get the mountain views without cloud.
Maybe it's the no guarantee of constant sun which means the Azores are not the developed tourist destination like Madeira, Canaries, Balearics etc. but apart from that, I don't understand why they're so little visited. There are no "resorts" or high rise hotels in the Azores (apart from one or two in the main town Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel). Nor are there any beaches. So if your idea of a holiday is spending the whole daylight hours on a sun longer, then the Azores are not for you but if you want unspoilt and breathtaking scenery, then they're not to be missed. Probably not too suitable for children due to lack of “theme park” etc. attractions to keep the kids amused.
Hoping this may be of interest, here is some more detail of our trip in August 04.
We flew Edinburgh-London Heathrow-Lisbon-to Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel all in one day. Incidentally, we paid an extra £250 each to fly business class from LHR to LIS (TAP Air Portugal) and LIS to PDL (SATA Air Acores). In two minds still as to whether this was worth it - on balance, I think probably yes.
Stayed at Hotel Collegio in PD. A recently restored old building in the centre of the old town renovated to a very high and tasteful standard and under the personal supervision of the resident proprietor. 5* highly recommended. There is a small swimming pool in the courtyard and the hotel restaurant was good.
Another good restaurant (and cocktail bar) is the one next door to the hotel called "No 27". We also had a good meal in the dining room of the Hotel Talisman in the town centre. More unpretentious (and obviously very popular with the locals) was the restaurant "O Churusco" also a few minutes walk from the hotel.
Note that apart from in the "posh" restaurants (which are relatively few and far between in the Azores), the food is pretty ordinary. Also the portions are HUGE - off-puttingly so in fact. For e.g. if you order a T-Bone steak, you get TWO steaks (plus enough chips and salad etc. to sink a ship).
We hired a car (arranged by Archipelago Azores and delivered to and left at the hotel). The roads on the Azores are a bit rough in places but generally OK and the locals are polite drivers. Note that many roads marked on maps are in fact dirt tracks but that there are many tarmacked roads not marked on any maps at all.
Sites to see are Sete Cidades, Furnas and Lagoa de Fogo. These are huge volcanic craters (but now lushly forested) with lakes in them, the first two big enough to have villages in them. There are hot springs at Furnas. If you’re lucky and there are no clouds there are superb views to be had of SC from the Vista do Rey viewpoint and of Furnas from the Pico do Ferro viewpoint. The coastal scenery at the east end of the island between Povoacao and Nordeste is also stunning.
Nice wee bar/restaurant called “O Jaime” with a terrace overlooking the old harbour and fishing boats at Vila Franca do Campo on the south coast.
After four days in Sao Miguel (a good enough period to see most of the island by car), we transited to Sao Jorge on the Acoreline car ferry Golfinho Azul. Left PD at 6.30am and got to SJ at 9.00pm via calls at Terceira and Graciosa. A long day and possibly not for the faint hearted. The ferry is a bit “grotty” by Northern European standards. Also the Atlantic swell is such that those prone to sea sickness might want to avoid this trip. However, we were lucky in that it was a beautiful day so we just sat on deck and soaked up the sun all day. Saw two whales and dozens of schools of dolphins leaping clear out the water – amazing!
Sao Jorge is much smaller and much less developed than Sao Miguel (but much better roads overall!) but a beautiful island almost totally surrounded by stunning cliffs. We stayed at the Hotel Sao Jorge in the main town of Velas. A modern (late 70’s?) type hotel (I think it’s the only one on the island), it looks a bit unprepossessing from the outside but fine inside (4 out of 5). All rooms with balconies with fine views over to Pico and Faial. A small outdoor (sea water) pool. No restaurant.
The brand new Café Acore restaurant on the main square of Velas – a pretty little town – was good as also was the restaurant Fournas de Lava (noteworthy for having pleasantly small and digestible portions!), a 10 minute taxi ride away in the neighbouring village of Santo Amaro.
It’s difficult to say there’s a highlight of SJ because it’s all so beautiful but don’t miss the harbour at Urzelina and Faja dos Cubres at the foot of the cliffs. Also, go down the cliffs from Norte Grande to Faja do Ouvidor (both perfectly driveable but hairpin bend roads) where the Restaurant Amilcar was good and obviously popular with the locals.
After 3 days on SJ we transferred to Horta on Faial on the catamaran, a two hour trip via two calls on Pico. Stayed at the Poussada da Santa Cruz Hotel in Horta which could be the finest hotel we have ever stayed in! Recently completely renovated, it’s built into the old early 19th cent. fortress which guards Horta harbour. Marvellous views over to Pico. Outdoor swimming pool in the gun battery. Ask for a room on the first floor as these rooms looked to have bigger, more open balconies than ours on the second floor.
As we were only to be there for one night, we had no car but got a taxi driver to take us up to the Faial crater (“caldeira”) for 20 Euros and we were lucky with the clouds and got stunning views over the crater. Another “must see” on Faial (where we stayed longer in January) is the Capelinhos volcano which erupted out the sea in 1957 and added a big lump to the island’s area. It is still a “lunar” volcanic landscape (not much vegetation yet).
Also famous in Horta is Peter Café Sport – a bar café restaurant of great character as popular with transatlantic yachtsmen. Also pleasingly small(ish) portions with a more imaginative than usual menu for the Azores (try the whale soup!).
Next day, flew to Flores, the furthest west of the Azores. Very much less developed than the other islands so far mentioned, it’s peaky and craggy and packs some truly stunning mountain and coastal cliff scenery into its small area.
The main town (really just a big village), Santa Cruz where the airport (presently being totally rebuilt) is, is one of the less nice of comparable Azorean towns and is not the best introduction to the island. However, it may improve as there seemed to be a lot of work going on.
Hiring a car (from the airport), we stayed in Faja Grande, a village on the west side of the island – it bears the distinction of being the west most village in Europe! Our accommodation was the Argonauta. This is a guest house in a traditional Azores three storey house on the main street of the village retaining old period features, presided over by a very charming and knowledgeable Italian called Pierluigi who has written books on the island – and, of course speaks impeccable English. Ask for the “suite” on the top floor at the top of a steep wooden staircase. At first we were a bit taken aback with the contrast with the air conditioning, white towelly bathrobes and liveried flunkies etc. etc. at the Poussada da Santa Cruz the previous night in Faial. But after not too long, we were in love with the pig in the garden next door, the cows wandering down the streets and being woken by a dozen cocks crowing at 6am!
The scenery in Faja Granda is stunning. It’s down at sea level but surrounded by an amphitheatre of cliffs with waterfalls tumbling down them 100’s of feet. The village is surrounded by a patch-work of lush green fields separated by a network of colossal drystone walls – the farmers walk out to them each evening with a milk churn over their shoulders to milk the cows by hand – this a remote unspoilt and truly beautiful place.
So Ian and Sarah at Archipelago Azores knew exactly what they were doing booking us into the Argonauta rather than the Hotel Occidental in Sta. Cruz. Apparently the only “hotel” on Flores, we only called there to see about a trip to the neighbouring island of Corvo (the smallest Azore – only 17 sq. km., pop. 300). Although no doubt very clean etc, it did look a little bit “pedestrian” and characterless. (The lady behind the counter was exceptionally helpful about the trip to Corvo but unfortunately in the end it couldn’t be done due to a combination of lack of uptake and the weather – it seems you have to get a group to fill a RIB which also calls for relatively calm seas to get to Corvo, neither of which we got. This could be different in peak season. obviously)
As for eating on Flores, you could have dinner at the Argonauta but we walked up the road to the lovely little Casa Vigida restaurant (nice small portions!) in a converted traditional Azorean cottage run by another (unrelated) charming Italian. Another night, Pierluigi drove us to the Por do Sol (“sunset”) restaurant in the neighbouring village of Fajazinha – new build tastefully got up to look like a traditional Azorean cottage but dauntingly large portions again! Otherwise, we lunched in the unpretentious cafes “Lita” by the old harbour in Sta. Cruz (by ordering one portion between two of us, we got a reasonably sized lunch) and “Beira” in Lajes das Flores (a huge but freshly grilled fish!)
Again, difficult to give a highlight of Flores because it’s all so beautiful but do drive out to the Albarnaz Lighthouse at the north point of the island and then walk along the cliff tops. The clue’s in the name, but the wild flowers on Flores are particularly exceptional.
I should also mention Aldeia da Cuada. This is a village of little stone built cottages between Faja Grande and Fajazinha which has been abandoned by its original local inhabitants by emigration but rebuilt and restored to form a village of upmarket self catering units. Even if not staying there, it’s worth it just to have a walk round, it’s so attractive. We will definitely be thinking about staying there on next visit to Flores.
NB, there are lots of perfectly driveable tarmacked roads in the “hinterland” of Flores giving access to lakes in volcanic craters etc. (he says rather dismissing these beauties with “etc.”) which are not marked on the maps - some (but not all) of these roads are signposted.
Lastly, a word about the island of Pico in the central group. We went there for a day trip from Faial (on the ferry – ½ hour crossing) when we there in January on one of the few days of gorgeous sunny weather we had in Jan. Were lucky enough to encounter Joao, a very nice young taxi driver who had been brought up in Canada so spoke perfect English with a Canadian accent. (NB this is common – many Azoreans emigrated to North America about 30-40 years ago. Some have returned and a lot of the “tourists” are actually emigres visiting “home”. So Azoreans with speaking English with North American accents are a common feature – like the South African accents on Madeira!) Anyway, Joao (or John as he called himself to us) gave us a day tour round the north/west half of Pico for a price that was pretty dirt cheap by our UK standards – I can’t remember exactly – I think he asked for 50 Euros and I happily gave him 70. Pico looked to be every bit as nice as the other islands I have described.
Well, I’m sorry if this is the longest post on record at Trip Advisor!
I hope it gives a flavour for the Azores as a place of just the most beautiful maritime and mountain scenery imaginable and which I would highly recommend as an “off the beaten track” unspoilt holiday destination.
We shall be returning for a third time next year – in July to get the hydrangea hedges in full bloom. We’ve still got Santa Maria, Terceira, Graciosa, Corvo and the rest of Pico to see and could spend a lot more time soaking up the islands we have seen.
source - trip advisor (http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g189123-r2585032-Azores.html)