Trip report Azores - Portugal May 2013
Jun 6th, 2013, 10:36 PM
#1
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Trip report Azores - Portugal May 2013
Hi all,
we have spent 17 wonderful days on the islands Sao Miguel, Sao Jorge and Pico in the Azores (Portugal) and I would like to share my trip report with lots of photos with you.
Hope you enjoy:
http://www.sandra-schaenzer.de/galle...y/azores-2013/
Best regards
Sandra
we have spent 17 wonderful days on the islands Sao Miguel, Sao Jorge and Pico in the Azores (Portugal) and I would like to share my trip report with lots of photos with you.
Hope you enjoy:
http://www.sandra-schaenzer.de/galle...y/azores-2013/
Best regards
Sandra
Jun 7th, 2013, 02:58 AM
#2
Thanks for your link and TR. The Azores have been a favorite place - I have been there some 14 times but not recently. I am sorry you did not have good weather but the terrain is unspoiled and one of a kind. Did you have a favorite island - mine is Pico.
Jun 7th, 2013, 07:29 AM
#4
Did you know that Prince Charles and Diana chose the Azores for their honeymoon?
One thing that I always liked about the Azores is that the people treat you like a guest, not a tourist. We have had many wonderful experiences there including one Christmas eve we went to a restaurant in a fishing village on Terceira having been told it would be open. As it turned out it was closed for a private party for the village fishermen but we were invited to join and had a memorable time.
It is a coincidence that you posted when you did since I just finished transferring old Azores photos to a new album. Too bad they are not digital and most are somewhat faded or I could post them.
You are so right about Sao Jorge. Sao Jorge is known for its weaving and last there we stocked up on tablecloths to use as gifts - they are all gone now and people loved them.
Did you know that Anthony Bourdain did a show from there a few years ago?
One thing that I always liked about the Azores is that the people treat you like a guest, not a tourist. We have had many wonderful experiences there including one Christmas eve we went to a restaurant in a fishing village on Terceira having been told it would be open. As it turned out it was closed for a private party for the village fishermen but we were invited to join and had a memorable time.
It is a coincidence that you posted when you did since I just finished transferring old Azores photos to a new album. Too bad they are not digital and most are somewhat faded or I could post them.
You are so right about Sao Jorge. Sao Jorge is known for its weaving and last there we stocked up on tablecloths to use as gifts - they are all gone now and people loved them.
Did you know that Anthony Bourdain did a show from there a few years ago?
Sep 6th, 2013, 07:35 AM
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It is great to hear you had a nice experience. I am sure the island and the Azores is a beautiful place. Whatever you do do not stay at Aldeia da Fonte. From the planning phase this has been nothing but a nightmare experience for me. The customer service has been horrible from day one and they do not seem to care about giving someone an incredible experience. Companies like this need to learn what customer service truly means.
Oct 13th, 2013, 10:44 AM
#7
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We have done 8 of the 9 islands this year and each island is spectacular in it's own right. I also noticed the Azores was voted 2014's Vacation Destination for Europe a few weeks ago on facebook. We found spectacular places to stay, great prices BUT, unlike what the books say, you should book in advance to get the best places with the best prices. Airbnb's service is one of the best for getting great places to stay. You can find rooms in private houses and houses at cheaper rates than staying in hotels. What do i like about each island most?
Sao Jorge - The hiking and vegetation is spectacular, probably the best hiking on all the islands. DiscoverExperience is a fantastic tour operator featuring a wide variety of experiences from Day Hiking Trips, Canyoning, not to mention a nice rapelling waterfall adventure hike. The guides are professional and knowledgeable and, have a lot of different language skills ie Portuguese, English, Spanish, French i believe. My husband and i did the Caldeira Hike and the waterfall rappel LOVED it! We also did others with them as well and have never been sorry. Pico, For me was more of a driving touring island as the island has fewer really nice hiking trails. It does feature some nice activities out of Lajes like Dolphin and Whale watching and, climbing Mount Pico is fabulous if you can do it on a clear day. Faial, is more of a touristy beach town, a lot of shops and some good restaurants. The island is pretty but it too is more of a driving tour island in my opinion. Caldeira on top of the island is pretty along with gorgeous views of the island and Pico on a clear day from there. Flores in my mind is undoubtedly the most beautiful island but, it is small and you could really see the most of it in 2 days time by car, unless you are committed to backpacking and carrying your food with you. I have great information on where to stay on Flores and an English speaking taxi driver for the Portuguese impaired visitor. Corvo, should be visited if you are going to Flores anyway but that depends on the Ferry running in between the islands there so you have to plan in advance. Graciosa, has some interesting caves and caldeira areas but, you can easily tour it by car and see everything really in one day. Terceira, our favorite place to stay is Praia da Vitoria.. wonderful little beach town with shops, restaurants etc. without it feeling like you are in a tourist trap. You can get a bus from Praia to Angra for a few euro and see some of the countryside along the way. Sao Miguel, Furnas is our favorite area but there's a lot to see. There's a beautiful park right in Ponta Delgada that we loved - Jose Garcia. Like some of the other islands, it is best to do this island via moped or via car. In the more hilly areas, mopeds go really super slow (you can walk faster) so I would advise you to enjoy your day and just do it by car. It allows you so much more time to stay longer in places you want to see. You can do taxi tours but they can be costly. I'm happy to share information on where to stay and what to see if anyone is interested... HAPPY TRAVELS!
Sao Jorge - The hiking and vegetation is spectacular, probably the best hiking on all the islands. DiscoverExperience is a fantastic tour operator featuring a wide variety of experiences from Day Hiking Trips, Canyoning, not to mention a nice rapelling waterfall adventure hike. The guides are professional and knowledgeable and, have a lot of different language skills ie Portuguese, English, Spanish, French i believe. My husband and i did the Caldeira Hike and the waterfall rappel LOVED it! We also did others with them as well and have never been sorry. Pico, For me was more of a driving touring island as the island has fewer really nice hiking trails. It does feature some nice activities out of Lajes like Dolphin and Whale watching and, climbing Mount Pico is fabulous if you can do it on a clear day. Faial, is more of a touristy beach town, a lot of shops and some good restaurants. The island is pretty but it too is more of a driving tour island in my opinion. Caldeira on top of the island is pretty along with gorgeous views of the island and Pico on a clear day from there. Flores in my mind is undoubtedly the most beautiful island but, it is small and you could really see the most of it in 2 days time by car, unless you are committed to backpacking and carrying your food with you. I have great information on where to stay on Flores and an English speaking taxi driver for the Portuguese impaired visitor. Corvo, should be visited if you are going to Flores anyway but that depends on the Ferry running in between the islands there so you have to plan in advance. Graciosa, has some interesting caves and caldeira areas but, you can easily tour it by car and see everything really in one day. Terceira, our favorite place to stay is Praia da Vitoria.. wonderful little beach town with shops, restaurants etc. without it feeling like you are in a tourist trap. You can get a bus from Praia to Angra for a few euro and see some of the countryside along the way. Sao Miguel, Furnas is our favorite area but there's a lot to see. There's a beautiful park right in Ponta Delgada that we loved - Jose Garcia. Like some of the other islands, it is best to do this island via moped or via car. In the more hilly areas, mopeds go really super slow (you can walk faster) so I would advise you to enjoy your day and just do it by car. It allows you so much more time to stay longer in places you want to see. You can do taxi tours but they can be costly. I'm happy to share information on where to stay and what to see if anyone is interested... HAPPY TRAVELS!
Oct 13th, 2013, 01:10 PM
#8
Terceira is also our favorite for a home base. The small city of Angra is a world heritage site and the island has a lot of history while at the same time the interior is beautiful. We have had some of our very best travel experiences on Terceira. On Terceira we usually stay at the US which is very near Pria. If anyone reading this is active or retired US military, you can stay there too and even get there on a military space A flight. The best way to see any of the islands is by car rental...rent as small a car as practical. During the summer, Terceira ha street "bullfights." Townspeople as well as visitors participate and it is a lot of fun....the bulls are not harmed and seem to rather enjoy running around after people.
Darn, it's time to go back...I miss the place.
Darn, it's time to go back...I miss the place.
