Sao Miguel (Part 2) then home

From Faial we flew to Sao Miguel for the final part of our holiday. This was designed as a bit of a relax, albeit with plenty of activities if we chose to! For this part of our time in Sao Miguel we stayed in Furnas. This was a totally different area to where we had visited when on the same island previously.

day 12 – landing on Sao Miguel (05/07/24)

The plane landed at Ponta Delgada (as before) and we were picked up for the journey to the Terra Nostra Garden Hotel in Furnas. The drive was stunning, along hydrangea lined roads like what we’d seen before but still felt new and amazing. There were winding roads with massive drops into the valley below just behind the barrier, volcanic craters & peaks and lakes. As we got closer to Furnas there were steaming vents to spot.

After checking in we headed to ‘The Gardener’ bar for a late lunch and some cocktails before setting out into the botanical gardens. As hotel guests we were able to enter the gardens outside the usual opening hours. We made sure to try to time it so that members of the public were out before we entered!

Walking from the hotel, the first thing you see is the orange-brown thermal pool. After this the gardens start – they were so impressive! The paths wind around trees, plants and flowers from around the world. There is water everywhere and you’re surrounded by the noise of birds. While in the Azores we thought a couple of times that it wouldn’t have seemed out of place for a dinosaur to come stomping past. This was another place where that was true – it was almost other worldly! We took so many photos of flowers. Even on a relatively grey day everything was so vibrant and bright.

The thermal pool was great – as guests of the hotel we were able to access this at any time too. The ‘thermal pool, filled with volcanic water from the hot springs at a steady 40°C (104°F), rich in iron and other minerals highly beneficial for the skin and creating complete and unparalleled relaxation’. We found it so relaxing to be surrounded by nature, with very few other people and in this amazing place.

This evening we ate in the hotel’s main restaurant then went back to thermal pool for a night swim.

day 13 – back to Ponta Delgada, Sao Miguel

I set off early for a fishing trip from Ponta Delgada marina. Four hours of trolling didn’t result in any fish but it was nice to be out on the ocean. We were targeting tuna or marlin and saw loads of signs of life. Unfortunately despite all this life there was nothing that wanted to jump onto our hooks!

I got back to Furnas in time for lunch with Gill at Queijaria Furnense. This is a working cheese factory that serves food. We ordered a sharing cheese board (amongst other items) and it was all delicious!

We walked around Furnas after lunch and spent some time taking in the views. Furnas is such a pretty town!

After taking loads of picture and stopping for a coffee we visited Caldeiras das Furnas. This free attraction is made up of a number of hot springs.

While here one is surrounded by bubbling mud, escaping steam and different flavoured (and temperature) waters. The waters all rise to the surface through different materials so therefore taste different – one is even naturally carbonated! There are said to be various health benefits from the different waters including one that is believed to cure hangovers. Amazingly neither of us needed to put this one to the test!

After sampling different tasting waters we walked back to the hotel, drank some cocktails and had dinner at the restaurant – followed by another dip in the thermal pool.

day 14 – very rainy in Furnas

Todays was a very wet day. After breakfast we went out and explored the gardens before the public were allowed in. Gill had found some different places yesterday while I was fishing and wanted to show me. It’s seemingly difficult to describe anywhere in the Azores without saying ‘otherworldly’ and the gardens at Terra Nostra just prove that point! There were streams of hot water filling the sky with steam, bubbling ponds with stepping stones, huge fish and more. It really was an amazing place – even in the pouring rain.

After some time in the gardens we set off for a very wet walk to Lagoa das Furnas (Furnas Lake). We walked along the roads and I’d suggest this isn’t the best of ideas, certainly in the rain. The roads are quite narrow and there are hardly any paths once out of Furnas itself. Getting a taxi is definitely a safer idea. Walking around some of the lake was a bit of an experience in itself. There were multiple points where there were bubbles of gas rising though the water, along with steaming vents in rocks. The smell of sulphur filled the air.

We stopped to take pictures of the hot springs at Fumarolas Lagoa das Furnas (which is where they cook cozido in the volcanic mud – more about this later) and saw another steaming vent.

Next up was a walk through the forest, up 630 steps to Cascata do Grená. We were actually able to walk behind this waterfall which was pretty special.

After this we walked down and ate at the Railway Bar, on the lakeside. Here we tried Cozido das Furnas – this traditional stew is usually made of beef, pork, vegetable and sweet potatoes. It is cooked underground using geothermal energy from the hot springs.

It was still raining and we didn’t fancy walking the road-way back so we got a taxi to Furnas. After grabbing our swimwear from the hotel we walked through town to Poça da Dona Beija. These thermal pools were a lot more modern and touristy than the pool at Terra Nostra. They are a series of infinity pools of different temperatures with waterfalls and a stream running through the middle. We had to queue for a while to get in but once we entered it didn’t feel that busy.
Luckily we’d been told to pack dark coloured swimwear. Some of the thermal pools left quite a lot of orange residue on surfaces so I was glad we’d been given that advice!

For dinner this evening we had the taster menu (and wine pairing) at the hotel restaurant. The food was great and beautifully presented.

day 15 – our penultimate day

This morning we started early to make the mot of a chance to get in the thermal pool. It was well worth it – the sun was out and it looked stunning!

We were picked up after breakfast to head to the south coast for the day. On route we stopped for a photo at Capela de Nossa Senhora das Vitórias. We had seen from a distance yesterday while at Lagoa das Furnas and were intrigued. This striking chapel was commissioned by a rich farmer while his wife was suffering from a terminal illness. He was eventually buried beside her on the site.

Our first stop was Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Paz. This iconic shrine overlooks the islet Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo which is where my long-standing obsession with the Azores began. Style-wise it was very similar to what we saw when we were in Goa, although there were less steps up in Goa!

The story that led to the building of the original shrine here involves shepherds who were trying to find shelter from bad weather (possibly in a cave) finding a picture of the Virgin Mary in a location and taking it to the local priest. The next day the same shepherds found the same picture in the same place so again took it to the local priest. This kept on occurring so the locals decided to build a shrine for the picture in a more protected, more accessible spot. When the builders arrived to do this they found the building materials they needed stacked up in the same place as the image had been found. Due to this ‘divine intervention’ they built Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Paz in this spot (it was subsequently rebuilt in the same place in the 18th Century).

After some pictures of the shrine and the views of Vila Franca do Campo and the islet we headed down to the marina. We spent the remainder of the morning strolling around town and taking pictures.

We had a very nice lunch at Atlântico Azorean Restaurant with great views of the islet. The food was really good and the view was too. We could have stayed for hours but there was more to see.

We went on a post lunch stroll and then onto the harbour wall to watch fishermen fishing from the rocks.

A while later we crossed the marina to get to the boat for our swimming with dolphins excursion. This was awesome. We set off out into the deep sea and spotted dolphins, whales and maybe even a couple of feeding tuna.

When the time was right we were given the signal to jump in (in pairs), right in the middle of a school of dolphins. They were everywhere – all around us and their sound was all you could hear. It didn’t take long for them to pass us, as they did we got back into the boat to get ahead of them for another try. We were lucky and saw them each time. Others on the boat weren’t so lucky… and one person even decided that they were scared of the sea so they didn’t get in.

On the way back to the marina we were fortunate and saw a Sei Whale. These are one of the fastest whales in the ocean and are able to reach speeds of up to 50 km/h. Sei whales are endangered so are relatively unusual to see, but this one let us watch for ages before deciding it wanted to be elsewhere.

Before arriving at the marina we had a quick stop just off the islet for a nice warm tea. This gave us a chance to see where the Red Bull cliff diving took place as well as some of the crabs that call the islet home.

We managed to catch a very distant glimpse of Santa Maria island while on journey back to Furnas. Once dropped back at hotel we had dinner and a final dip in the thermal pool.

day 16 – Sao Miguel to Lisbon to Manchester

Today was a really early start from hotel for our transfer to the airport. The flight back to Manchester via Lisbon was easy enough.

summary

Gill and I both agree that we have never been anywhere like the Azores. It felt like everywhere was alive.

The wildlife was incredible. We particularly enjoyed spotting birds – even though our photography skills weren’t the best for recording these!

The sound of the Terra Nostra Gardens at night were something that will long live in the memory. It was like being in a massive rainforest with the cicadas, frogs, birds and more.

The water was something else that was alive. The lakes were teeming with fish breaking the surface, and massive dragonflies that weren’t bothered by us being there. You’ve seen the pictures and videos of sea life that we spotted too but it was more than just that. Almost everywhere we went there was some sort of geothermal effect on the water. The heated water running into the pools at Ponta Ferraria, the bubbles in the lakes, the hot spring fed waterfalls. So many things on the planet are linked but this was really noticeable across the whole of the Azores.

Even the land felt like it was alive. There were places that felt like we were on a set of a film or in a long lost world. The ferns were the biggest I’ve ever seen, there were lily pads that looked like they could support the weight of a small child, there were trees clinging on to impossible looking angles. It was truly remarkable. When you couple all of that with the erupting pools of burning mud and the ‘breathing’ mountain of Pico, it does remind you how amazing our world is.

Despite wanting to visit for so long, the Azores didn’t disappoint. I feel that sometimes you build things up to be even better than they are but this trip exceeded my high expectations. We did so much research but never felt that we’d done too much, or seen too much. Actually being there and experiencing the place in person was (obviously) far more impressive than any pictures online could ever show.

It still feels like an achievement that we managed to spot all of the Azorean islands, especially with the weather at times. Faial was great for spotting other islands from, and the flights were too. Santa Maria was so faint in the distance from Sao Miguel – understandable given it is 80km away. I would definitely like to go back and discover the remaining islands that we didn’t set foot on.

The weather was as changeable as you would expect for somewhere so green. We were aware that there was a chance of rain and packed accordingly. It was really hot at other times so I’m glad we brought such a variety of clothes (even if it meant no space for fishing kit). Taking ‘proper’ walking boots was definitely a good idea for all of the walking we did in changeable conditions.

The people we met and interacted with were amazing. All of the locals we spoke to were great and seemed genuinely happy that we were exploring the place they call home. Our various guides had so much passion for what they did as well as being really knowledgeable. Our hosts/the staff at all the places that we stayed welcomed us as if we were members of their family (that they liked!). The same could be said about the staff when we ate out – the service was friendly, relaxed and welcoming everywhere we went.

There seemed to be a deep sense of pride with the people we met. Proud of their surroundings to the extent that they’d collect other people’s litter in order to keep it looking good. So proud of their property that they’d have rules about respecting the place (Stefano!) that you could follow or chose to leave the guest house. Proud to be from their particular island and happy to reason with you why it was the best.

Finishing the trip in the luxury of the Terra Nostra Garden Hotel worked well. We had a pretty full on holiday so to be able to relax in the luxurious surrounding of a 4 star hotel at the end was great. The last part of the trip while at Furnas was pretty non stop too – just in different surroundings I suppose. We were able to pop down to a bar for cocktails, or to the restaurant for dinner – it was all onsite. The thermal pool was great to relax in, and the gardens were so tranquil…it worked very well!