Santa
Maria (discovered 1427-1432) is only a short hop
by air from Ponta Delgada. Already when you arrive at Vila do Porto airport
you feel the quietness and away from stress and pollution. After a short
while, only a few kilometres, you arrive in the quiet city centre. There
is a long main street with the church and a few shops, bars and restaurants.
You should at least once reserve table at RestauranteO
Fontes
to eat traditional island specialities.
Do expect any shopping arcades or big supermercados.
Even a regular postcard is hard to find! We were looking for the harbour
and a beach promenade. There isn´t any. The harbour is far below
the cliff where the town is situated and it is not build to be a tourist
attraction. There is only one hotel in Vila do Porto, Hotel Praia de Lobos***
right in the centre, good standard but with a businessman atmosphere.
34 rooms and plenty of space during off-season. More appealing to tourists
could be Apartementos Turtisticos Mar e Sol some 8 km away at Praia Formosa
(see pics # 1 and 5) but there is only
one restaurant in the village and no shops.
The beauty of Santa Maria can be found at the countryside
and so are the beaches. Santa Maria enjoys the most annual hours of sunshine.
To move around you either have to rent a car or use taxi for trips around
the island. Regular bus tours operate to other villages but not too frequently.
| The main roads are in very good
condition and it is easy to drive along despite the many serpentine curves
and steep decends or climbs. Good resting sites with excellent views from
the miradoures. Be aware that cows can suddenly cross the road behind a
curve! (see pic #0 and 4).
Carhire:
With one tank of gasoline
you drive to all intersting places around the whole island - twice!
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The white chimneys of some
of the houses is typical for Santa Maria (pic
#3) and most of the houses are bright white
with blue edges and door- and window frames (pics
# 2 and 9).
One can get fresh local fish
at any restaurant made from the daily catch of local fishermen (pics
10 and 11).
The best beaches are at Praia
Formosa and São Lourenço Bay (pics
# 5, 7, 8 and 13) and also natural pools
at Anjos in the north and in the south coast villages (pics
# 1 and 2).
Santa Maria is probably most
wellknown by visits of Christoher Columbus and his crew who stayed here
on their voyage back from America. The chapel they praid in is thought
to be the oldest place of worship in the Azores, the Chapel of Anjos. We
joined their spirits (pic #12).
The highest mountain is Pico Alto, 590 m and can be reached by car a few kilometres by steep dirt road as a detour from the mainroad west from Almagreira. From there you have a good view over the whole island - in clear weather! Too much haze and humidity in the air sometimes makes good photos of the panoramas impossible.
click on the thumbs for higher resolution
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More information about Santa Maria
see
Azores
Tourist Guide
