São Miguel Island – The Azores – Day 2
Since we had a full day to discover more of São Miguel Island, we decided to take it easy and not rush. While having breakfast, we did a quick load of laundry and hung it out to dry. Today our plan was to visit the northern and eastern shores; the island is not that large, so it should be doable.
Miradouro de Santa Iria
Miradouro de Santa Iria is on the northern coast of São Miguel Island and has some of the most breathtaking views of the coastline. There are steep cliffs between the farmland above and the beautiful blue ocean below. The skies were overcast when we arrived, but that did not ruin the experience.
Lunch
We took a longer than expected detour to Furnas for lunch. Even though Furnas can be a bit of a tourist trap due to the thermal baths, the old town is quiet and we found a small restaurant to have a quick bite to eat. The restaurant had fewer tourists and more locals, which is a good thing,
Back to the Northern Coast
Even though the island is not very large, there are so many places where you have to stop and take in the beauty. However, this will turn a 1-hour drive into 2 or more (not that I am complaining). The northern coast of São Miguel Island is no exception, with beautiful views of the farms in the countryside on one side and the steep cliffs leading down to the ocean on the other.
As we made our way to Nordeste, we took a slight detour to visit an overlook but shortly after leaving the main road, we realized that this might not be the correct direction, Unfortunately, Google Maps was sending us through someone’s farm and down a path that was a single lane dirt road barely wide enough for our car. However, I finally found a place large enough to make a 15-point turn so we could turn around and get out. We passed the farmer as we drove out and he waved; I know he was thinking stupid tourists! In our defense, we were using GPS and it was showing a short 1 or 2-mile drive. Unfortunately, we had missed the 1+ hour drive time part.
Nordeste
Finally, we were back on the road toward Nordeste, This section of the road we were on was a 4-lane highway and not a coastal road like we had been on most of the day. Nordeste is a small charming village of about 5000 residents and is practically untouched by modern development. We stopped for about 45 minutes to stretch our legs, and to grab some drinks. As we were checking out at the store, the lady working switched immediately from Portuguese to English for us, without missing a step. I later realized that she probably knows everyone in town and it was obvious we were not from around there.
Eastern Coast
After Nordeste, we continued along the east coast heading south. Luckily, this area contains more picturesque views of the coastline and mountains. The road winds near the coast via Água Retorta and Povoacao. Povoacao is a small coastal town with picturesque views of the countryside and coastline. Please view the slideshow below, it is absolutely one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.
Due to not seeing much of Furnas during our lunch, we decided to stop as we were passing through to see the calderas before heading back towards Ponta Delgada. As we passed by Furnas Lake, there was a car having problems starting, so we helped (along with a few others) push them so they could do a rolling start.
Vila Franca do Campo
On the way back to Ponta Delgada, we stopped briefly at Vila Franca do Campo as the kids were interested in renting paddleboards to explore the coastline. Unfortunately, due to weather conditions (winds and waves), we were not able to rent. The rental company said to try back again in a couple of hours or in the morning.
At this point, it was already about 5:30 PM and we needed a short break before going out for dinner. We arrived back at the apartment and did another load of laundry while we relaxed for a couple of hours.
Dinner
We found a restaurant called Taberna Açor that was highly rated and you really should have reservations for a weekend dinner. Luckily, when we arrived we could sit outside instead of waiting for a table inside at the main dining area. That was perfect, as it was a nice night to sit outside and enjoy the fresh air while having tapas.
All four of us ordered tapas for our meals. I believe my wife had the most expensive at about 6 euros; my tapas were 3-4 euros each. All but my son had an adult beverage or two with dinner. When we received our bill it was only 32 euros for everything. We double-checked to make sure something wasn’t missing. The bill was correct and only 32 euros for 4 people to eat and have drinks. This was an excellent choice for dinner; you need to add this place to your list of locations to eat on São Miguel Island,
After dinner, we walked around as this was our first time walking in the downtown area. Since it was almost midnight, the streets were fairly empty and a lot of places were closed. Therefore, we decided to call it a day as we had something planned at 9:30 AM the next morning.
Day 2 Thoughts
As with our first afternoon in the Azores, WOW!!! sums up what we had seen so far. Unfortunately, due to writing this post 2 years after the trip, some details may have been lost or the info is not complete. I will update as more details come back to me.
Unfortunately, I had a hard time deciding which picture to use as the featured picture for this post. Below are a few of the finalists.
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