Portugal, Off The Beaten Track – Part 2, Azores Adventure

In Part 1 of this series, Mark Lowey recounts a tour of mainland Portugal in September 2023. Part 2 describes a side trip to São Miguel Island in the Azores, the remote nine-island, Portuguese archipelago 900 miles west of Lisbon in the North Atlantic Ocean.

Read Part 1

Then We Were Six

American expats Cathy and Shahid, friends of our hosts, Gayle and Baron, joined us for a five-day trip to the Azores. We departed Lourinha at 6 a.m., drove one hour in two cars to Lisbon airport’s domestic terminal and boarded a two-hour, Ryan Air flight to Punta Delgada airport. When São Miguel Island came into view, we glimpsed lush green mountains and tiny villages in narrow valleys that sloped down to the dark blue sea.

A shuttle bus took us to the rental car office to collect our seven-seater van. Our prearranged tour guide, Bruno, had been added to the rental agreement as a driver. We would meet Bruno the following day. It was 11 a.m. and we had a few hours to kill before checking in to our AirBnB. By WhatsApp text, Bruno told us there was one place for us to eat lunch. His only question, “Do you like octopus?”

São Roque

Shahid, at the wheel of the rental van, set the GPS coordinates, and we made our way to Cais 20 restaurant in the picturesque neighborhood of São Roque. The restaurant was packed with locals, and after a quick look at what others were eating, we settled in for a delicious two-hour lunch featuring a house specialty, polvo frito – fried octopus, cooked with eggs, peppers, onions and parsley and served with olives and fat home fries. It was divine. This was our first taste of the fabulous seafood of the Azores. Alongside the main dish was a basket of bolos lêvedos, the wonderful flatbread that is a sweeter, larger version of an English muffin.

After lunch, on the way to the AirBnB, we stopped at a large grocery store, the Modelo Continente Supermercado. Once inside, the six of us fanned out, covered every aisle, and finally reconvened our shopping carts near the cashiers to assess our findings. Coffee, wine, water, cheese, bread, and fruit. What about bolos lêvedos?

Our AirBnB

Now laden with groceries, Shahid navigated the short distance to the Faja de Baixo neighborhood. We found what we thought was our vacation rental. Unable to find the key code lock, we knocked. A somewhat surprised but friendly resident answered the door and pointed next door to the correct address. Our place was a two-level row house with three bedrooms, three baths, a large kitchen, and a comfortable seating area out back. Beyond the back garden was a grassy hillside where cows grazed.

Conveniently located on the corner directly across the street from us was a small grocery store ambitiously named Supermercado Pôr do Sol. Though perhaps not quite a supermercado, it had an adequate selection, and we purchased several items that we had missed at the Continente.

At the back of the shop was a café bar with an outdoor seating area. Every morning at sunrise a group of workers assembled for their daily ritual, quietly sipping strong espresso coffees before perhaps carpooling to their workplace. These same men returned at the end of each day for glasses of beer, snacks, and animated conversation.

Bruno Couto, Tour Guide Extraordinaire

Early the next morning we waited for our guide, Bruno, to be dropped off by his fiancé. Bruno called to say he was running late because he had to fill his cooler with drinking water, juices, and snacks for us. He arrived, introduced himself, jumped in the driver’s seat, and we were off to see São Miguel Island.

Miradouro de Santa Iria

It took just 30 minutes to traverse the width of the island to the north coast and arrive at an elevated vista point with magnificent views up and down the island. While we admired the view and took photos, Bruno pointed out dormant volcanoes to the east and west and explained the itinerary for the day.

Views from the Miradouro de Santa Iria viewpoint.

Porto Formoso Tea Plantation

Just down the road was Porto Formosa, originating in the late 1800s. One of only two remaining industrial tea plantations in Europe, we informally toured the grounds, stopping on a terrace to admire impressive views over the plantation and to the sea in the distance. We also sampled their organic tea in a beautiful room made to look like a typical Portuguese kitchen.

Porto Formosa Tea Plantation.

Furnas Valley

Our next destination was the Furnas valley, known as the thermal hot spot of the Azores. The valley is actually the huge crater of a dormant volcano with a village on one side and a lake on the other. Although the Furnas volcano last erupted in 1630, you can feel, see, and smell the geothermal activity all around you in the form of steaming vents, thermal pools, and natural mineral springs.

Over thirty geysers and hot springs are dotted around the village. Their temperatures vary, as does their mineral content – from the cool, crystal-clear waters of the drinking fountains to iron-rich hot springs and swimming pools. There are dozens of spouts and spigots of fresh spring water flowing into beautiful little fountains. The locals call it água azeda which means sour water. Each one tastes different and is believed to have its own unique healing properties to treat colds, allergies, cholesterol, liver and kidney disease and flatulence. There is no charge for filling one’s bottles with these waters, and we sampled several of them. Nearby, a car pulled up to a spigot, and a local man filled up a large water dispenser-sized bottle.

At the eastern end of the village bubbling geysers and steaming sulfurous vents are the active remains of the original Furnas volcano. Superheated water from an aquifer deep underground rises to the surface and brings with it various minerals.

Furnas village.

Lagoa das Furnas

Driving further, we visited the lake where along the shore is a roped-off area of boiling pools and steaming vents, home to the famous Cozido cooking holes. Cozido is a traditional meat and vegetable stew that is buried and slow-cooked in natural thermal oven pits for around six hours. It is served in most of the restaurants in the village, including at Tony’s, a local restaurant where we had it for lunch. On the opposite side of the lake, we visited the Capela de Nossa Senhora das Vitórias, dedicated to the beloved wife of 19th-century landowner and botanist, Jose Do Canto.

Parque Terra Nostra

Located in the center of Furnas, Terra Nostra Park is the largest and oldest botanical garden in the Azores, covering an area of about 30 acres. First established over 200 years ago, this park has contributed to the transformation of Furnas into a world-renowned health and tourist retreat. Our main purpose was to soak in the huge, mineral-rich swimming pool. Most of the pool was comfortably warm and as you approached the hot spring’s source, the water grew hotter and hotter. Bruno cautioned us to wear a dark-colored swimsuit as the high iron-oxide content of the water will discolor light material.

Thermal swimming pool.

Sete Cidades

The next day we set out early for the western side of the island, Bruno at the wheel. Soon we reached a stunning vista point high above the Sete Cidades volcano and the lovely Lagoa Azul. After jostling with dozens of tourists pouring out of their coaches, we found a spot at the railing and were able to enjoy the view and take a selfie.

Whale Watch

We continued westward to the dramatic coastline and stopped at the Miradouro da Ponta do Escalvado viewpoint high on a cliff where an employee of a whale-watching tour company sat behind his telescope scanning the ocean below for signs of whales. There is a network of lookouts, known as vigias, along these cliffs in constant communication with the whale-watching boats offshore. Vigias were once used by whalers to spot prey and are now used by whale watchers to direct boats to different areas, so they don’t congregate near the same animals.

Miradouro da Ponta do Escalvado

Mosteiros

Ten minutes north of the miradouro is the small village of Mosteiros. At the Restaurante Gazcidla, we had a fine lunch overlooking the village and the unique rock formations offshore. This time we tried polvo assado (roasted octopus) cooked in red wine and served with potatoes. Personally, I preferred the polvo frito we had in São Roque. After our meal, we walked down to the praia for a bracing ocean swim.

A swim at Praia dos Mosteiros and at a rocky cove nearby.

Sensi Hotel

After relaxing on the beach, it was time for an afternoon cocktail and Bruno knew just the place, the Sensi, a fifteen-minute drive away. The hotel’s gracious owner and her friendly dog welcomed us, and she explained that the property had been an abandoned stone farmhouse, which they had meticulously updated and made into a quietly upscale boutique hotel. We relaxed near the pool, ordered drinks, and enjoyed the tranquil setting.

Drinks at the Sensi Azores Nature & Spa.

Ponta da Ferraria

The final stop of the day was a special treat, probably number one on my list of things to do on São Miguel Island. We descended a steep road to a unique volcanic formation where an underwater geothermal spring merges with the ocean. The result is a natural sea pool, a narrow inlet that opens into the sea, where the water is quite hot near the shore and gradually cools the closer you get to the open ocean.

All around the pool is sharp, uneven volcanic rock, so water sandals are a must. Two steel ladders facilitate entry and exit as the seawater level is around ten feet down. Just below the surface are a series of parallel ropes strung across the inlet about twenty feet apart. Swimmers cling to these ropes when rolling waves pass through. Fortunately, we arrived at low tide and joined forty, or so, bathers gently rising and falling with the warm ocean waves.

Ponta da Ferraria naturally heated swimming pool.

Whale Watching

The next morning, we drove down to the port of Punta Delgada for a whale-watching tour. The Azores are one of the world’s largest whale sanctuaries, and whale watching is a major draw for visitors to the islands.

The large boat held around 100 passengers and, once onboard, we were briefed, in detail, by a team of marine biologists about safety protocols and what to expect. The marine environment around the Azores is on the migration route for many whale species while certain species live here year-round. Roughly one-third of the 94 known species of whales can be observed in these protected waters.

In the late 1700s and early 1800s American whalers would travel 2,300 miles, one-way, to the Azores to hunt whales. The Americans recruited Azorean men, enticing them with the offer of residence in the United States once they’d worked a certain number of years on the ships. Many emigrated to Massachusetts with the whalers. Later, some of those emigrants returned to the archipelago, bringing with them the knowledge of whale hunting, and founded the local whaling industry.

By the middle 1900s, the whaling industry was in decline and much of the world’s whale population had been decimated. To address this drastic decline in population, the International Whaling Commission (IWC) issued a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982, and Portugal supported the ban. The focus quickly shifted from whaling to eco-tourism, conservation, and education.

Today’s whale-watching trips support research, with the data collected from each of the trips used by local scientists to study behaviors and migration patterns.

Nearly 20 whale-watching companies currently operate across the Azores, following global best practices and guidelines. Boats must follow whales at a maximum speed of 10 knots, can only approach from 90 degrees behind, and must stay 50 meters (164 feet) away from them – or three times that distance if there’s a mother with calf.

Old Reliable

Our boat cruised westward, around ten miles offshore, for over an hour with no sign of whales. The temperature was pleasant, and we were seated facing the bow with the breeze in our faces. Large gentle swells rolled past, pitching us up and down. Suddenly, we heard shouts and saw passengers pointing at the water. A pod of dolphins had found us and were playfully swimming and jumping just off the bow, matching the boat’s speed. For around thirty minutes, we were delighted to watch dozens of adults and many juveniles racing through the water.

Eventually, the dolphins departed, the boat slowed, and we waited. A few other tour boats idled nearby. We thought that maybe one of the clifftop vigias had provided information to our captain. One of the biologists explained about research and conservation over the loudspeaker. Some of us grew drowsy. Still nothing. Then, out of nowhere came the announcement that a whale had been sighted. Our boat followed at an appropriately safe distance behind an adult sperm whale who had just come up to catch its breath. We saw a sliver of its back above the surface and several spouts of spray shot into the air as it paused for around five minutes. Then the biologists shouted that it was about to dive again. The whale took one last breath and dove, its wide tail rising around ten feet in the air. Once the tail fin was visible the team quickly identified him as a well-known male that lives here permanently and is frequently sighted. His nickname, Reliable.

Restaurante Tasca

Back on dry land in the heart of Ponta Delgada city, we strolled along narrow cobblestone streets near the Igreja (church) Matriz de São Sebastião and lunched at Restaurante Tasca. Tasca has the atmosphere of a traditional tavern with wooden tables and chairs, a large wine selection on shelves, and its walls are decorated with the works of local artists invited to exhibit in the dining room. The menu is Azorean cuisine, with a focus on fresh seafood and traditional meat and vegetarian dishes. The polvo panado (breaded octopus with onion chutney) and acorda de camarão (an Azorean dish made with bread, garlic, herbs, poached eggs and shrimp) were out of this world. And we couldn’t leave without sobremesa (desert) – baba de camelo (crème caramel) and bolo de ananas (pineapple cake).

Our tall and amiable waiter, Nelson Silva, chatted with us, and I stood up as if to compare our heights. He smiled and said, “You are richer than me, but I am taller than you.” Later, we met Nelson for a photo.

Streets of Punta Delgada

Santa Barbara

For our last dinner, we decided to visit the Santa Barbara Eco-Beach Resort on the north coast. While the dinner itself was forgettable, the resort’s sleek architecture was interesting, and the beach looked as if it would be quite nice on a sunny day.

Santa Barbara Eco-Beach Resort

Final Day on São Miguel

Our plan for the last day in the Azores was to visit a pineapple plantation, see a castle on a hill, meet Bruno for a late lunch and catch our return flight to Lisbon in the evening.

Augusto Arruda Pineapple Plantation

We checked out of the AirBnB, dropped off our carry-ons at the airport left luggage and proceeded to the pineapple plantation in Faja de Baixo. Admission was free and a handy leaflet explained the progressive phases of pineapple cultivation. We strolled past a series of greenhouses each with a crop of pineapples at a different stage of development. In the gift shop, we tasted special pineapple liqueur from an exclusive Arruda family recipe, and at the café bar, we ordered delicious freshly made piña coladas and pineapple juice.

Greenhouses

Pineapple drinks at the café bar.

Castelo Branco

We followed the GPS up steep mountain tracks often wide enough for only one vehicle. Finally, we reached a lonely iron gate with a plaque announcing Castelo Branco (White Castle), and, next to it a faded warning, Proprieade Privada (private property). There wasn’t a soul in sight, so we encouraged Shahid to skirt the gate on a narrow gravel path. Up we went to the castelo.

The surprisingly humble rectangular concrete structure, with a single staircase leading to the roof, had a spectacular 360-degree panoramic view.

Castelo Branco and vista.

Bar Caloura

It was now time to meet Bruno for our last meal at Bar Caloura, a superb seafood restaurant on a quiet cove near Agua de Pau. We sat at a table overlooking the ocean and the public swimming pool built on the rocks in the middle of the cove. It was a cool, cloudy day and the lifeguards looked bored for lack of swimmers.

Bruno ordered the catch of the day, some of the best fish I’ve ever tasted, and local white wine. We visited the salad bar, reminisced about our fabulous tour of São Miguel and applauded Bruno for his outstanding service. We ordered pineapple cake and coffee. We airdropped photos to each other and toasted a trip not soon to be forgotten.

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Part 1

References

[1] https://www.visitazores.com/en/explore/porto-formoso-tea-factory
[2] https://www.azoreschoice.com/blog/things-to-do-in-furnas/
[3] https://azoresgetaways.com/en-us/destination/azores/islands/São -miguel/furnas-village
[4] https://www.visitazores.com/en/experience-the-azores/whale-watching
[5] https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/azores-whalewatching/index.html
[6] https://az9.pt/a-tasca-restaurant/

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