The Azores.

Ok I’m going to start off strong here: The Azores is my favorite place I’ve EVER visited with my family. (Santorini still has my heart for romance). Yep. Favorite.

This chain of 9 islands in the middle of the Atlantic is beyond beautiful and serves up something for kids and adults at every turn. If you are going to Europe and you want to add a stop-over city on your way, or break up a long flight to mainland Europe, stop by the Azores. Delta flies there direct from NYC to Ponta Delgada (their only airport) and this newish flight has got lots of people discovering the islands, so I suggest you see this gem before hordes of other people do;)

sao-miguel-map

There are beautiful spots on all 9 islands but with long boat rides and driving times – we decided that staying on Sao Miguel (the main island pictured above) was a great fit with kids as there is plenty to see in 5 days. Sao Miguel is 10 miles north to south and 40 miles east to west.

A big decision before you go is to rent a car or to take taxis. Bike riding is not a thing. I will tell you that if you rent a car for 5 days or take cabs, you will end up spending the same amount of money. This was a no-brainer for me…navigating windy roads with a GPS in my hand is not a vacation – it’s how divorces start. Plus, the cab drivers are great to talk to and they know the history and vibe of the island. My favorite moments were just watching the hydrangea-lined roads and countryside. It’s personal preference but I prefer a week sans parking and petrol thank you very much.

What to do.

Swim in the Crater at Vila Franca do Campo.

This is where the Red Bull Cliff Jumping Competition takes place every year and you can see why. It’s gorgeous. Don’t make my mistake – we couldn’t swim inside the crater because tickets have to be purchased WAY IN ADVANCE! Only one boat takes you to swim in the crater and they limit the entrance numbers to 400 people/day. If you see tour companies that let you “see the crater” – know that you will just circle it, you will not be able to swim in it without a ticket from the city municipality ferry boat. If you’re going in June, July, or August – get your ticket as soon as you book your flight.

azores with kids

Hire a driver and see the northeast coast (Nordest). This will make you happy you didn’t rent a car within 3 kilometers;) In this drive (from Ponta Delgada – about an hour, or from Furnas about 5 minutes) you will be able to see the Gorreana Tea Plantation and walk through the working tea factory and wander through the beautifully manicured tea fields.

The 2nd stop is the beautiful natural park and waterfalls of Ribeira dos Caldeiroes Natural Park where you can take in a beautiful waterfal (pictured below). There’s an easy walk around the gardens and we took a *cold dip a little natural swimming hole. There’s also a restaurant here if you want to stop and eat. We didn’t want stop and eat for an hour of our ‘driver time’ so we just grabbed snacks. I’d pack a lunch for this day and eat it at the gardens or the pools at Lomba de Fazenda.

Our final stop was the most unique ocean swimming hole/pool at Lomba da Fazenda. This was an oceanside cliff that has a manmade pool built into the cliff. There’s a little cliff to jump off and plenty of space to lay out and relax.

The best part about this day – you only pay the taxi driver about $25/hour, because all 3 of the stops are free. Depending on how much time you spend at each spot – you’ll be looking at about 4-7 hours. We also drove through the cutest little town and he let me get out to take pictures as well as a quick stop to see a lighthouse. This was my husband’s favorite day of 2018 – not to hype this up too much, haa!

Spend a day in the town of Furnas and see the thermal hot springs, eat cozido (famous local dish cooked underground with thermal heat), and wander through the Terra Nostra Gardens. (We stayed at the Terra Nostra Hotel in Furnas – see: Where to Stay). Although a bit more expensive than an Air BnB, we got a larger suite and liked that we were not in the big city of Ponta Delgada. The town was quaint and walkable and this gave us many opportunities to meander through the INCREDIBLE gardens (move over Disney), natural hot springs, and walking trails with the kids as it was on our property (in lush robes none-the-less). If you have time after the Terra Nostra gardens and the hot springs in town (about a 20 min. walk from each other) check out the city lake. It’s beautiful and at 11 – 12am you can see the restaurants take their big pots of cozido out of the ground, after being cooked by thermal heat all night.

Hire a Tour to see Sete Ciudades, Lago del Fogo, Pineapple Farm, and Volcanic Beach. We used Sao Miguel Azores Tours to take us to these three spots but they ended us showing those 4 and gave us free (cut the line entrance) to the natural thermal springs of Caldera Vieja. I highly recommend Soa Miguel Azores Tour but there are many to choose from if you talk to your hotel/host. There were 3 other people in a small van with us and it was a great day. With a guide you can see and learn 5x more than you can on your own. This was a full day but a fun one and VERY well-worth the $60/adult – kids are half that. If windy roads are a killer for you – bring Dramamine. Our driver Diogo picked us up at our hotel and dropped us off in Furnas. A sit down lunch in Ponta Delgada was included and was delish. If pineapple farms and food are your thing – check out this more in-depth pineapple tour from Epicure and Culture.

Where to stay.

As I mentioned – we loved Terra Nostra Hotel. I highly recommended it if gardens/outdoors are your thing. Rooms start at 77 euros and go up to 290 euros. Terra Nostra is in the charming town of Furnas – located about 40 minutes by car outside of the capitol – Ponta Delgada. Staying in Ponta Delgada has you in a good position for tours and more restaurant choices BUT the city itself is nothing special. I wanted to be surrounded by the lush landscape and have a lake nearby – Ponta Delgada felt like another big city. The little town of Furnas is cuter than a june bug in a jumpsuit and Terra Nostra’s staff and BIG breakfast (included) are awesome. As a hotel guest, you can be the first to walk the grounds before anyone else arrives. My kids took a dip in their indoor pool both nights too.

We had no problems finding restaurants in Furnas and I recommend the Snack Shack for a quick lunch on the patio and let the kids run around in the nearby park.

Furnas has you close to Nordeste and to the crater in Vila do Franca. No matter where you choose as home base – you will have to drive to the other side of the island to see something – I was so glad we picked Terra Nostra in Furnas. You won’t be disappointed. If you choose an AirBnB in Furnas – just buy a day pass to the Terra Nostra Gardens/hot springs.

azores kids

When to Go:

We were in Sao Miguel in August, THE height of tourist season. You’d never know it. It was not crowded, in my opinion, at all. The airport was jammed on our outbound flight (arrive 2 hours early!) but that’s about it. If you’ve been anywhere in high season – traffic, long lines ,and crowded streets are expected. This is NOT the case in the Azores. I wouldn’t stress about when you go – even high season didn’t seem like high season. Terra Nostra Hotel fills quickly so make your hotel and ferry ticket to the crater at Vila Franca do Campo in advance.

What to Skip:

Whale-watching. It’s supposed to be great here but we did it and saw 2 pods of dolphins and no whales. It’s a 4-5 hour boat ride, $140 and almost a whole day of riding on a big boat. Wish we punted. My daughter and I fell asleep and Paul answered emails. We used the company Picos de Aventura. Had we stayed another day we would have likely done a canyoning or canoeing trip with them, so check instead of whale watching.

Don’t pack too many super cute clothes. You’re outdoors all day so keep it casual and, of course, bring comfy shoes. I’d bring a rain jacket just in case as it rains for about 20 minutes every day.

Please go to the Azores. You’ll thank me, as I thank my friend Timothy Drinkwine who, after a year of world travels, told me these islands were his favorite too. Bookending this blog with that loaded “favorite” word again..but daaaang!!!

Thanks for reading and sharing, now time for you to plan and save for this trip! I dare you to count how many times you say “OMG this is so BEAUTIFUL!”

Kate