São Miguel, Azores, Portugal

The Azores are such a special place — they are about 2 hours via plane away from mainland Portugal, smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There are so many incredible ecosystems here which makes it very fun for exploring.

We took the Delta Direct flight from NYC to São Miguel (the largest Azores island). We’ve heard this flight may no longer be available, but you can still fly direct from Boston. We ended up staying at three different hotels while we were here, partly because we booked it last minute and none of the hotels we wanted to stay at had availability the entire time. We loved all three hotels, but hands down would recommend the Santa Barbara as your home base. A rental car is a must on this trip as you’ll be driving all over the island. We rented from ANC, which was recommended by one of our hotels. All of the major rental car places are here - so you could really do any of them.

Alright, now that we’ve got the logistics out of the way, here we go…

DAY ONE

On our first day, we checked into Furnas Lake Villas and decided to do a bunch of local things nearby. The hotel offers a great breakfast every morning (I was obsessed with their raw honey!) so we quickly ate and went on our way. Lagoa das Furnas was across the street so we went on a quick walk (not a necessary stop in my opinion - so many prettier lakes on the island), and then went to the botanical garden, Parque Terra Nostra. This was one of the most beautiful botanical gardens we’ve ever been to. If you're not staying in Furnas proper (like us), then you can also use this time to explore the village, which is very cute. After the botanical garden we drove about an hour to Salto de Prego, while stopping at a gorgeous overlook on the way. Salto de Prego is an absolutely stunning and woodsy hike which ends with an 80 ft waterfall. A lot of people swam at the waterfall, but the water temperature was absolutely freezing, so we opted out. After our hike, we were rather exhausted (as we took an overnight flight and only slept about an hour!) so we went back to the hotel to nap, and ate dinner there. During the Summer months, sunset isn’t until almost 9:30pm which was awesome!

Things we wish we would have done: Poça da Dona Beija (hot springs in the town of Furnas) & the east coastal town of Nordeste. We heard Miradouro da Ponta do Sossego has dramatic cliff views, similar to Big Sur.

DAY TWO

We had originally planned to do the Sete Cidades on day 2, but as we woke up with beautiful weather, we decided to go to Lagoa do Fogo instead. Many people recommend doing this on the first day you have nice weather as it’s often foggy. But before that, we hiked to this super pretty lake, Lagoa do Congo. This hike probably only took an hour total and was extremely peaceful. We were the only people there. Worth a stop. We then went to Miradouro do Pico da Barrosa (gorgeous views of Lagoa do Fogo from up above) & Miradouro da Lagoa do Fogo (we hiked to the bottom and walked around the beach - THIS WAS MAJOR HIGHLIGHT!) I would suggest bringing a blanket, lunch, and maybe even a book as you could spend hours on the beach just relaxing. After a steep climb up, we went to the nearby hot springs, Caldeira Velha. It was only 8 Euro pp and had 3 different thermal baths to relax in. I’d recommend wearing a black swimsuit (or a swimsuit you don’t mind getting ruined) as the thermal baths have a lot of sulfur in them which can stain. We went to Furnas town for dinner and ended up at a small casual pizza place, 3 Bicas. Food wasn’t our top priority on this trip, but we did hear rave reviews about Quinta dos Sabores. Make a res here if you can!

DAY THREE

We woke up and couldn’t wait to check out Lagoa das Sete Cidades. The best viewpoints to see all of the lakes is the Miradouro da Lagoa do Canario (& the Miradouro da Boca do Inferno). The lakes are stunning and we walked around and took in the scenery for quite some time. Afterwards, we drove through the town of Sete Cidades, which takes you right between the green and blue lakes - very cool. Almost stopped here for lunch but kept on our way to Termas da Ferraria instead. This was a major major highlight! It’s essentially a hot spring and mineral pool within the Atlantic Ocean. At the time we went, this was a free activity and a completely authentic experience. There were quite a few people here who brought beers and were hanging out. One thing to note, it was quite a challenge getting to this spot. The road was extremely steep and took at least 15 minutes both ways.

On the way to our second hotel, we stopped at the Gorreana Tea Planatation, the oldest, and currently only, tea plantation in Europe. It was very pretty, but probably not a must-do in our opinion. We then headed to our second hotel, The Santa Barbara, and grabbed chicken sandwiches and beers at the beach bar. We spent the rest of the afternoon laying on the beach and relaxing at the pool. That night, we ate dinner at the hotel restaurant, which was delicious — fantastic sushi and seafood. Although, Agricola is a nearby restaurant that came highly recommended by many. Even if you don’t stay at the Santa Barbara, it’s worth an afternoon stop or a pre dinner drink. We loved it here. It totally exceeded our expectations and looks way nicer than the website online.

Things we wish we would have done: A hike or ATV tour through Lagoa das Sete Cidades. It’s very large and was a little difficult to navigate on our own.

DAY FOUR
We left our last day in the Azores completely open to do anything we didn't get to do the previous days. Unfortunately, we woke up to some cloudy weather, so we ended up going for a walk on the Santa Barbara beach, and drove to Our Lady of Peace Chapel, which was the most unique church I’ve ever seen and has been named, “the stairway to Heaven”.

We then checked into our last hotel, the White, which was recently featured on the cover of Conde Nast Traveler. This hotel has a very Mykonos beachy vibe with an infinity pool over looking the Atlantic Ocean. After days of hiking, it was really nice to have a glass of champagne and relax. If you’re looking for a hotel close to Ponta Delgada, this is a great option. We almost didn't even go into Ponta Delgada, but decided to check it our for dinner on our last night and found it to be so so charming. Very cute European town! For dinner recommendations, Casa Velha came highly recommended by many. If the weather was better on Day four, we would have definitely gone to Bar Caloura/Caloura Beach.

DAY FIVE
We left very early in the morning and flew back to NYC. We made it to the office by 10AM. Now that’s efficient!

Azores 5-Day Itinerary

Day 1

Arrive in São Miguel very early in the morning

Check into Furnas Lake Villa

Beat the jet lag by hitting up the nearby Hot Springs, Poça da Dona Beija

Spend 1-2 hours at the Botanical Garden, Parque Terra Nostra

Hike to a stunning waterfall at Salto de Prego

Lowkey night at the hotel (or in Furnas Town) as you will be exhausted from traveling

If you have time: Parque Natural das Ribeiras das Calderoes (beautiful waterfall) and/or Miradouro da Ponta do Sossego (cliff views, similar to Big Sur)

Day 2

Breakfast @ Hotel

Hike Lagoa do Congo

Explore Lagoa do Fogo

Different Viewpoints: Miradouro do Pico da Barrosa, Miradouro da Lagoa do Fogo (here, you can hike down to the water and enjoy the small beach area!)

Relax at the Hot Springs nearby, Caldeira Velha

Dinner in Furnas Town

Day 3

Breakfast @ Hotel

Drive, ATV or Hike Lagoa das Sete Cidades

The best viewpoint to see all these lakes is the Miradouro da Lagoa do Canario, Grota do Inferno Viewpoint, & Miradouro da Boca do Inferno

Explore the beautiful Hot Springs & Mineral Waters at Termas da Ferraria

Check out Gorreana Tea Factory (only tea factory in Europe!)

Check into Santa Barbara

Picnic Lunch at the Beach

Relax at the Santa Barbara property (get an afternoon massage)

Dinner/Drinks at Santa Barbara

Day 4

Breakfast @ Hotel

Our Lady of Peace Chapel

Explore the small fishing village, Vila Franco do Campo/Vila Franca Marina

Check into the White

Boat ride or Layout & Relax

Dinner + Exploring in Ponta Delgada

If you have time: Bar Caloura/Caloura Beach

Day 5

Check out of Hotel

Early flight back