I had a few destinations that involved hot desert sand for my escape from yucky Northern European winter. However, after researching the ways to get there, I finally booked my ticket to one of the Azores islands – São Miguel. I loved it! I actually landed in a desert (just water instead of sand) I also landed in a natural thermal baths hot spot. Sounds great to me!
Arrival, accommodation, food
São Miguel is the biggest island of Azores island archipelago and so it is one of the easiest to get to. We flew there from Germany and used TAP Air Portugal airlines to get there with a layover in Lisbon. This island has also direct flights from the USA cities, such as New York and Boston operated by Azores Airlines, TAP, and United. The airport is situated in Ponta Delgada city. We rented a car and were in our Airbnb in ten minutes.
The breeze of the fresh Atlantic air was such a delight after 5 hours on the plane. It was windy but warm and a light sweater was enough to get by for most of the days. Raincoat was a useful thing to have though for those come-and-go rain showers that usually bring on rainbows over the green rolling hills.
We stayed in Ponta Delgada for 5 nights and had a well-equipped Airbnb apartment to have a bit of a taste of local life. We had some lunches and dinners out to taste the traditional food but the rest of the time we cooked at home. There are many supermarkets around Ponta Delgada that sell locally grown fruits and veggies, fresh fish, and meat (like “Solmar” or “Continente”). I loved the Azores sweet bread and a wide variety of local cheeses. My favourite restaurants on the island for local food were “Restaurante Alcides” and cafe “Plantacao de Ananas dos Acores” (Ponta Delgada), “O Forno” (Nordeste), and “Restaurante Cantinho Do Cais” (Ribeira Grande). Also, “Jewel of India” in Ponta Delgada was great for Indian food. Keep in mind that most restaurants open for lunch 12-3 pm and then close until 5 or 6 pm.
The whole island was easily drivable. The roads were in good condition and the driving style was pretty relaxed. Most of the places of interest were around 30 mins drive away. The locals were very friendly and didn’t mind tourists. Most of them spoke English or put an effort to speak just a few words they knew.
After Ponta Delgada, we headed to Furnas for two nights. Furnas is that thermal hot spot I mentioned before and to enjoy it fully we stayed in the “Terra Nostra Garden Hotel”. It was a bit pricey for what’s included but two of its features made it worth it – the garden and thermal pool. All guests of the hotel have an unlimited access to the Terra Nostra Garden that features a wide collection of plants from all over the world and the thermal pool. The thermal pool was the first thing we did in the morning and the last thing in the evening – that way we skipped the daytime were it is open to the public and could enjoy it more peacefully. Two days in Furnas was just enough as there was not much choice of restaurants and local stores were quite minimal.
My favourite sightseeing places in São Miguel
“Miradouro da Vista do Rei”: an overlook of two lakes in a crater – Lagoa Verde and Lagoa Azul. On a clear and sunny day they shine their different colors – one is green and the other is blue. Another interesting spot to see (at your own risk) is an abandoned hotel “Monte Pace” that is just on the other side of the road from the overlook point (really hard to miss). There is an open door to enter the hotel from the side of its main entrance. It was a pretty luxury hotel and now it is swallowed by water, plants, trash and graffiti. An interesting feeling of how things decay if not taken care properly. It was a bit of Tarkovsky’s “Stalker” feeling as well.
Gruta do Carvão – a lava tunnel that apparently was in our Airbnb neighborhood. We reserved our spot by calling them and paid the student price of 5 EUR (full ticket 8 EUR) and spent around 30 minutes in the cave. You can only go there on a tour. For adventurous souls – they also have a 2-3 hour tour where you crawl deep into the tunnel.
“Plantação de Ananás dos Açores” pineapple plantation (one of many) was a great place to see how the pineapples grow. Pineapples are one of the signature ingredients in many of the island’s dishes. The visit was free and we got a taster of pineapple liquor at the cafe after the self-guided tour. We also tried their sandwiches on sweet bread and fresh smoothies – yummy.
Gorreana Tea Factory (Fábrica de Chá Gorreana): I didn’t know that we grow tea in Europe before visiting this place! They have a tea shop there and you can try their tea for free. Though, try out some of their bakery goods. After a cup of tea, we crossed the road and followed a marked path across the tea plantation. It is an uphill walk that gives wonderful views of the ocean in the background.
Termas das Caldeiras was our first encounter with the thermal baths. The first thing we saw there was a bunch of thermal pools with boiling water of different colors. The one that you actually bathe in was in a house nearby. The entrance costs 3 EUR and you can only stay 1 hour. It is a pretty small place, with no showers or lockers but still a nice experience.
Largo das Caldeiras in Furnas town was a great place to observe thermal waters that were boiling and steaming from a close.
Fumarolas Lagoa das Furnas was another place to witness some volcanic water boiling and also how the water is used to boil a local stew. This place is just by Furnas Lake and it was a nice place to just walk around and watch some birds. It is possible to hike around the lake in around hours. In the oposite side of the lake there is a picturescue gothic church Capela de Nossa Senhora das Vitorias (it looked very closed). There is also a botanical garden nearby but we came too late to visit it.
Driving a circle to the island’s east side gave us a nice glimpse into some small towns and some breathtaking panoramas in the lookout stops that are very well marked on the way. A huge plus was cats that lived in almost each of the lookouts and some even let them pet.
Parque de Lazer Poço Largo gave a nice overlook of Islote de Vila Franca (Ilhéu de Vila Franca)– a famous small island with a lake inside. Also, you can see it from Ermida de Nossa Senhora de Paz church up the hill. The church has impressive stairs to it. Though the greatest photos of the island are made from above with a drone (so I’ve read).
These are just a few of the many sightseeing spots all through the island. Let me know in the comments which are your favorite places in São Miguel island. I am definitely coming back to the Azores!
Windrose Travels 
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