With beautiful beaches, fabulous mountain scenery and delicious cuisine, isn’t it time you discovered the Azores?
An announcement of a holiday has never caused such discussion. I mentioned to friends that I was taking a trip to the Azores and everyone was suitably impressed, until they realised none of them really knew exactly where the Azores are.
Well, they are located in the North Atlantic in the autonomous region of Portugal. They are approximately two hours by air from mainland Portugal and are made up of nine volcanic islands divided into three groups, Eastern, Central and Western.
Nicknamed “The Green Island”, the Azores are a magnet for whale watching, birdwatching, walking and diving.
We flew into Sao Miguel Island, the main island of the Azores, direct from London Gatwick in under four hours. SATA International operates this flight every Saturday from April to October.
We checked into the 4-star Royal Garden Hotel in Ponta Delgada for four nights. Located in the centre of Sao Miguel Island, and only 4km from the airport, it provided the perfect base to explore the island.
With around 135,000 inhabitants, and 56km long and 16km wide, Sao Miguel is the largest of the islands. No one could fail to be impressed with all the different shades of green exhibited by its extensive prairies, forests, tobacco fields and tea plantations.
Our first trip out was to do a spot of whale watching. Our wonderful guide Eduardo explained that the species most frequently seen are sperm and pilot whales, beaked whales and false killer whales together with bottlenose and common dolphins.
These elusive mammals are spotted by the “vigia”, a lookout on the coast. Using binoculars, he guides the boats from the shore. It took us about half an hour before we actually saw anything, but sadly no whales. We did marvel at the wonderful families of dolphins that swam beside us.
On the way back, we passed the Islet of Villa Franca do Campo (where the Red Bull Cliff Diving championships are held). The island is classified as a nature reserve, the walls of its crater are lined by endemic vegetation, while inside there is an almost perfectly circular natural lake, which is linked to the sea by a narrow channel. Its crystal-clear waters and the small but lovely beach are excellent for swimming and diving.
After all that fresh air, we were in need of some lunch and we dined at a fabulous authentic Azorian restaurant packed full of families. Food is mainly buffet style and the large platters of seafood, chorizo sausage, steaks and vegetables washed down with local wines satisfied our appetites.
In the afternoon, we visited Lagoa das Sete Ciades, one of the biggest crater lakes of the island. It stands out for the different colours of its waters, divided into the so-called blue and green lakes. You can walk around in six hours and it is one of the most popular walks with tourists.
We then headed to Furnes lake, the second-largest freshwater lake on San Miguel. We hired mountain bikes and cycled around the lake taking in the rolling hillsbeyond.
PORTAS DO MAR
That evening, we dined at O’Conves restaurant at Portas do Mar in Ponta Delgada. This is the ferry terminal for cruisers and inter-island ferries and also has a recreational marina with a large amphitheatre, a pavilion for exhibitions and cultural events, restaurants, bars, shops and an outdoor swimming pool. As you expect of a marina, the menu was packed with fresh seafood and we devoured giant prawns, octopus, mussels and even limpits, described by our waiter as an aquatic snail!
The following day, we visited Terra Nostra Park, one of the most beautiful botanical gardens in Europe featuring more than 2,000 different trees. You can wander around the Camellia collection, the azalea woods, flower gardens, endemic plants, fern garden and many more plants and vegetation. Or like us, for only 5euros, you may go for a swim in the outdoor thermal natural swimming pool.
While enjoying our swim, the luxurious Terra Nostra Hotel had arranged a meal called a cozida. A cozida is a stew made up of meats and vegetables cooked in one pot and boiled underground for between five and seven hours. The meal was delicious and we dined on yams, sweet potato, sausage, chicken, pork and beef, all slow-cooked to perfection.
Later, we visited Caldeira Veha, a magical waterfall of warm, iron water where you can also take a dip. The water is warm and just waist-high with rocks that have turned rusty due to the mineral water that pours over them.
At night, we dined at Alcides Restaurant in Sau Miguel. Rumour has it that John Wayne frequented this restaurant and travelled to the Azores especially to eat there.
John Wayne was a hero of my dad’s, so if it was good enough for John then I was certainly up for the challenge. And I was certainly not disappointed. The steaks smothered in garlic butter were melt in the mouth perfection.
Their signature sweet is chocolate mousse which was the perfect sweet treat to end the meal.
On our final day, we decided to island hop and we took the 30-minute plane journey to Terciara which is the third-largest island (about 58,000 people) after Sao Miguel and Pico. The island is known as the lilac or violet island. A lot of the flat interior of the island is divided by walls of volcanic stone known as “patchwork”. There are lots of cosy villages and fabulous beaches.
We drove to the top – you can also walk – and gasped at the wonderful views of the town Angra do Heroismo, the ocean and the surrounding countryside.
WORLD HERITAGE SITE
Angra do Heroismo, the largest town on the island, was classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1983. On New Year’s Day 1980, the town was struck by a large earthquake with many of the city centre buildings destroyed. The damage was then repaired and rebuilt in four years. It is a lovely town to wander around.
Sadly it was time to return home to Scotland. I now know exactly where the Azores are and what they have to offer. It is a beautiful country with friendly people and wonderful cuisine.
From the beautiful beaches to the bustling marinas and fabulous mountain scenery, these islands offer an unusual adventure to discover.
Travel facts
SATA International (0844 482 1678 or www.sata.pt) has weekly direct flights from Gatwick to the Azores, with prices starting from £338pp return (including taxes and charges).
SATA International flights will be operating every Saturday from May to October, 2015, with early afternoon departures from London Gatwick to Ponta Delgada in Sao Miguel, the largest of the Azorean Islands.
Weekday flights are also available, flying from London Heathrow via Lisbon. SATA International also offers the most comprehensive inter-island connections throughout the Azores archipelago, with prices starting from £68pp one-way (including taxes and charges) for inter-island flights.
A return flight from Ponta Delgada to Terceira starts from £112pp (including taxes and charges). For more information or to book, visit www.sata.pt
Royal Garden Hotel, Rua de Lisboa, 9500-216 Ponta Delgada, Azores, Portugal, +351 296 307 300.
Double room from 94euros (approx £74) based on two people per room and per night with breakfast included.
For further information about the Azores, visit www.visitazores.com