São Miguel Island
São Miguel Island is part of the Portuguese archipelago called the Azores in the mid-Atlantic. The Azores are located just 2 hours west of mainland Portugal and 4 hours east of the US coast by air. It is known as the Hawaii of the Atlantic. Flights from the US are from Boston and NY, with Boston being the primary location.
Our short 2-hour flight from Porto arrived in Ponta Delgada at about 2 PM. We grabbed our backpacks and headed to the rental car counter. Since the Azores do not have trains, we could not use our Eurail Passes and a car is recommended. Since this is a small airport, several rental car companies share a counter, so there was a line. Not a big deal, we should be on our way in 20 or 30 minutes max.
Some People
Unfortunately, there was a lady at the front of the line who was being difficult. She was arguing with the people behind the counter and they were handling it well. Her husband was being cooperative with the staff, but she kept going off about not wanting to show her license or something. Due to the sharing of counters, several other lines were impacted as well with additional assistance being provided by other staff. It was a mess and people were getting frustrated in line. It was not due to the staff; they did what they could.
Over an hour later we make it to the front of the line. The poor girl who had been helping the lady still had steam coming out of her ears, but she never lost control. She quickly processed our paperwork and asked if we wanted to upgrade to a diesel SUV at a couple of dollars a day increase. Since the diesel will get better gas mileage, we went with that option. Within 10-15 minutes of reaching the counter, we were out the door heading to our car.
Apartment
I had notified our contact for the apartment that we had arrived, and then that we had been delayed. Due to the extended delay, we were over 2 hours later than expected at almost 5 PM. Luckily, the apartment was only about 20 minutes from the airport and there was no traffic. It was nice to be somewhere on a Friday at 5 PM and not be sitting in traffic.
We made it to the apartment and met the lady to get the keys, etc. It was a nice 2 bedroom apartment with a small view of the ocean over rooftops. They provided some local cheese and bread for us in the apartment. After we had everything organized, we jumped into the car to start seeing the island.
Afternoon Drive to Ocean
Since we were on São Miguel Island, we wanted to see the ocean. We started our drive off by heading to the ocean near downtown Ponta Delgada. The drive to downtown was less than 5 minutes and we were on the coastline looking at the beautiful blue water of the Atlantic Ocean. There is nothing between where we were and Antarctica but the wide-open Atlantic Ocean. Since the ocean was so close, we opted to go inland before it started getting dark.
Inland Adventure
There is a town called Sete Cidades not too far from Ponta Delgada and we could easily make it there and beyond before dark. We started in that direction and within a few minutes, we were greeted by hydrangea-lined streets. These were not small hydrangeas; they are the size of large hedges and were all in bloom with blue, purple, and white flowers. It is hard to describe, and we were not even in the peak blooming season.
As we climbed in altitude, we entered a small forest with lots of trees with a tempting view of the ocean in the gaps. Your jaw is wide open as you look around.
Hotel Monte Palace
As we approached a clearing there was an old run-down building on the right. I remembered seeing something about a failed hotel (Hotel Monte Palace) that was in ruins during my research on the island. There are No Trespassing signs all over the property, but I believe that was just a suggestion and for liability reasons.
Due to the No Trespassing signs being a suggestion, I decided to park the car and check it out. This is a large building that originally was a luxury hotel and spa with a huge atrium and balconies overlooking the countryside. I had to see inside, even if for only a few minutes. As you walk through you can see that this was a luxury hotel at some point. I saw some light coming from a patio or balcony at the far end. I was drawn to the light; that is my story and I am sticking to it. You have to step over debris as you walk through the old atrium and into the hallway that ends at the light source.
As you approach the balcony/patio area you start to get a glimpse of the volcanic crater covered in lush green trees and vegetation. Once you enter the balcony area, there is a blue lake visible at the bottom of the crater. Just a few feet more and you see the second lake, but it is green. This might be one of the most jaw-dropping views I have ever seen.
My pictures are good but don’t do it any justice. As I started back into the building, I recorded the video below. We only spent a few minutes here as it was already 7:30 PM.
Sete Cidades
Sete Cidades is located in a volcanic crater next to the 2 lakes we saw from the abandoned hotel. It is a short and winding drive into the crater to reach Sete Cidades.
As you reach the bottom of the crater, you cross over a bridge between the 2 lakes that will provide you with a beautiful view of the crater walls, lakes, and what appears to be paradise in the middle of São Miguel Island.
The town is small and has quite a few farms on the walls of the crater. There were not many tourists here, even though it can be quite busy in the summer months. It was peaceful and very quiet, not a lot of noise other than the nature around you. After visiting a church at the far end of town, we decided to go up the other side of the crater and toward Ponta da Ferraria to see the sunset as it was mentioned as a great location online.
Tight Spaces
When you reach the top of the crater, you have a great view of the ocean below and the lakes behind you. You have to think, it doesn’t get any better than this. We found a parking area to take some pictures of the ocean and of some hydrangeas that were probably 10 feet tall or more. Your view in every direction is breathtaking.
Next to the parking area was a road that according to Google Maps was the best way back. So, with our complete blind trust in Google Maps, we started driving. This was a small road barely wide enough for 1 car except in a few spots where there were entrances to farms.
At some points, there were 200+ foot high cliffs into the crater and similar the other direction. These cliffs were only 4 or 5 feet from where I was sitting in the car. Unfortunately, we passed a couple of farmers and we both had to pull up on the edge of the road/cliff; it was a very tight fit and you held your breath as you passed them. Luckily, these were in areas where we had a little more room on the side.
Landscape
A lot of the farms here are for cattle and you will see cows everywhere. They just look at you and then continue on with whatever they were doing. If you can imagine, you are on the edge of a volcanic crater looking at the farms and lakes on one side, you have cows standing in fields eating with the ocean in the background. However, you need to throw in some monster hydrangeas to fill in view. It is not something you see every day. If I see cows, hydrangeas, and the ocean, I think of the Azores.
Ponta da Ferraria
Ponta da Ferraria is on the west coast of São Miguel Island and is known for its sunsets and thermal pools. We stopped at an overlook just before we reached Ponta da Ferraria to take some pictures. Since the sun was getting low on the horizon, we continued down to the parking area at the end of the road.
The scenery is amazing here; you have green fields with a lighthouse on one side, and steep cliffs on the other with a beautiful ocean view in front of you. The ground is primarily volcanic rock, so you will need shoes to walk on it. Next to the parking area is a thermal swimming pool, so we stopped there and picked up some drinks while the kids took a dip in the water.
Unfortunately, we had not realized it was after 10 PM already. We had not had anything to eat since Porto and a little bread and cheese in the apartment. It was time to find something before it was too late and we would have to eat something from the gas station. Unfortunately, we did not find anything that was close and had to go to the other side of Ponta Delgada to find something at a bar and grill in Lagoa.
Dinner
Luckily, we found Beach Bar and Grill in Logoa quite easily and they were still open and serving food, Unfortunately, they did not have any fresh fish left, just some from the day before. I could probably force myself to eat fish that was caught the day before, but it would be difficult. Jokes aside, it was actually from the day before and they apologized for not having any fish from that day. I said it was fine and we ordered fish and chips. Honestly, it was some of the best fish I have had, and it was not considered fresh for a bar and grill on the beach. I would eat day-old fish every day if it tasted like that. The food was also quite cheap at about $10-12 for a ton of fish and chips that I could hardly finish.
After dinner, we walked across the street to the beach area before heading back to the apartment. It was almost midnight by now, so we needed to get a good night of sleep. If our first day was any indication of what the rest of the weekend was going to be, we would be busy. If you consider we only started looking around the island at about 5:45 PM, a full day would offer a lot to see.
Thoughts After Day 1
WOW, bring on the weekend; I need to see more. I hope we haven’t seen the best of the Azores in just a few short hours.
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