This is where the ocean is present
everywhere. A land of volcanoes, miradoures (belvederes, fantastic views)
hot springs and many flowers.
such as Amaryllis, Agapantos, Aloe and Hydrangea. 
The climate and soil is also
perfect for many tropical fruits 
and grapes 
Cows stroll around as they please.
Roads are in perfect condition; people take care of the roadsides like
gardeners.
Air is non polluted and the
climate is good for exotic trees and flowers.
In countryside villages people
live their lives without stress and burn outs.
Everybody is extremely friendly
and helpful also towards foreigners not speaking Portuguese.
The landscape reminded us of
a mixture of Caribbean and Switzerland!
Azores is a travel destination
for individual tourism! You are far from the big crowds and there is plenty
of space everywhere. In fact the local government does not support mass
tourism and charter operations from continental Europe.
This is very fortunate for the
islands - one can observe a big difference everywhere compared to Madeira
and the Canary Islands.
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| This was our first trip to Azores
and our expectations were high despite the off season. Weather in November
can be windy and rainy but we were lucky, mostly sunshine and a raincoat
was never needed! Situated almost in the middle of the Atlantic weather
changes rapidly but due to the warm currents of the Gulf, the maritime
climate is mild year around. Each island has also its own micro climate
and there is less rain in the southern and eastern group of islands than
in the middle group and the west. That was why we chose São Miguel
and Santa Maria.
Practical Information
Azores Islands are
situated 1,460 km from the European coast and 3,750 km from North America,
the archipelago of the Azores consist of nine islands, divided into three
groups: the eastern (São Miguel and Santa Maria), the central (Terceira,
Graciosa, São Jorge, Pico and Faial), and the western (Corvo and
Flores) .
There are flights to all the
islands by SATA
Air Açores
SATA is one of the few airlines
that offer smoking sections in their cabins. Also in other ways it is a
modern airline with friendly staff and good service. I applaud!
Our flights:
Helsinki-Copenhagen-Lisbon by
SAS.
Lisbon-Ponta Delegada(São
Miguel)-Lisbon by SATA, flight time approx. 2,5hrs one-way
detour Ponta Delegada-Santa
Maria by SATA, 20 min flight one-way
return Ponta Delegada-Lisbon
by SATA
Lisbon-Copenhagen-Helsinki by
SAS
Hotels
PONTA DELGADA
There are many hotels in the
center of Ponta Delgada but if you like us prefer to stay outside the city
we can recommend
Hotel
Barracuda at
Milícias Beach 10 min by taxi or 20 min by bus.
For a longer stay and top comfort
we warmly recommend Caloura
Hotel Resort
near the village of Áqua
de Pau less than 30 min by taxi and 45 min by bus from Ponta Delgada.
You should enjoy the nice restaurant
of Caloura with a wonderful panorama view over the Atlantic Ocean!
SANTA MARIA
There is only one hotel in Vila
do Porto, Hotel Praia de Lobos, right in the center. We stayed 5
days in this *** hotel but got the impression that it is primarily used
by business-travellers. Only 4 km from Vila do Porto, at Praia Formosa
there is a very nice place to stay, Apartamentos Turísticos MAR
E SOL but they provide no meals and there is only one restaurant in
the village so you are dependent on a car.
EATING OUT
The price level of restaurant
meals in Azores is moderate compared to prices in the nordic countries!
Good food is served everywhere. Ponta Delgada has many good choices
of restaurants and snack bars. We tried one of them, Restaurante O Roborto
at
Av. Infante D.Henrique,14.
In SANTA MARIA you should not
miss Restaurante O Fontes in Cruz Teixeira. Mr José Fontes
and his wife prepare typical Santa Maria food in his own house. You should
reserve one day in advance, tel. 88 23 72.
Other good eating places are
Central
Pub, Restaurante Atlantida and Pipaz Bar all at the main street. |
