São Miguel
São Miguel is the largest and most populous of the Azores. The Azores is an archipelago located in the Atlantic Ocean. The archipelago’s largest city is Ponta Delgada. It is known for its volcanic and lake scenery and hot springs. It has wonderful hiking and outdoor activities. São Miguel in the Azores is one of the top destinations for when visiting the Azores. It is likely that you will fly into this airport and may venture off to other islands from here. You can also spend a whole week on São Miguel alone and have plenty to do.
São Miguel planning
When going to São Miguel, you have a few different options for exploration. We opted to rent a car and travel around the island to stay in various places to get the most out of the island. We also knew that the weather can be a little fickle, so we tried to chase the sun around the island to the best of our ability and planned the trip as we went. If you decide to stay in central location, you can be flexible with your itinerary to hit your top spots on the better weather days or times. If you are planning to visit São Miguel without a rental car, it is best advised to spend your stay in Ponta Delgada where you can take day tours from the city. If you have a rental car, you have a ton more flexibility with both accommodations and activities.
our One week itinerary
day 1-Ponta delgada
We arrived in the Ponta Delgada Airport from our red eye flight and proceeded to our hotel. We napped in the rain and when we woke the skies opened up. We thought we would take advantage so we headed to Sete Cidades and then returned to Ponta Delgada for dinner.
Antillia Hotel
Ponta Delgada-1 night
Free parking off street, great AC, good wifi, pool, 24-hour front desk, walkable area
day 2-tea, nordeste, and Povoação
Leaving from Ponta Delgada, we headed to the tea plantations of Formosa and Chá Gorreana. After that we continued east to the various viewpoints on the eastern side of the island and stopping in Nordeste. The day ended in Povoação for dinner and hotel stay.
HOTEL DO MAR
Povoação-1 night
Free parking, pool, amazing breakfast included, balcony, clean rooms, small walkable town
Day three- Salto do Prego and Furnas
After breakfast, we did the Salto do Prego waterfall hike. After the hike we drove to Furnas. Our first stop was the Calderias and then we went to Furnas Lake. We did the easy 6.8 km hike around lake and saw the beautiful Capela de Nossa Senhora das Vitórias. We then drove to the Pico do Ferro, for an epic view of Furnas Lake. In the evening, we checked out the Poça da Dona Beija thermal pools.
ATLANTIC 3 BICAS
Furnas- 1 night
Very small room but cozy and clean, affordable, free parking close by, good wifi, nice shower, common area with kitchenette, tiny balcony, walkable location
day four-lagoa do congro, vila Franca do campo, Caloura
Starting in Furnas, we took the drive over to the Cascata de Ribeira Quente waterfall which is located between two tunnels. After seeing the waterfall we returned to Furnas for walk around the town. We proceeded to Lagoa do Congro for a short hike to this beautiful green lake. Next, we headed to Vila Franca do Campo where we had a hot dog lunch in town. We next stopped at Nossa Senhora da Paz. Today was predicted to be our best weather day but it was shrouded with clouds. Nevertheless, we made the attempt Lagoa do Fogo and it was completely encased in fog. We proceeded to Caloura where we stayed at the ANC Resort and ate wonderful seafood at Bar Caloura.
ANC RESORT
Caloura – 1 night
Parking lot, large spacious room, outdoor patio, good wifi, beautiful pool overlooking ocean, kitchenette, not walkable to many restaurants
Day five- Lagoa do Fogo, Mosteiros, sete cidades
Today started somewhat cloudy but given the failure at Lagoa do Fogo, we decided we should try again. When we got to the top it was clear for a minute and then covered with clouds. We proceeded to the next viewpoints and suddenly, the clouds opened up. We explored the lake in the most perfect weather and then headed down to Ribeira Grande for lunch and to check into our hotel in nearby Rabo de Peixe. The weather was incredible so we did the northwestern shore route over to Mosteiros. From there we headed back to Sete Cidades for views in the sunshine.
QUINTA DE SANTANA
Rabo de Peixe- First of two nights
Gated parking, pool, spacious, good AC, good wifi, kitchenette, awesome if you are a cat lover
Day six- Ribeira Grande, Ponta Delgada, Pineapples and Gin
Today we explored Ribeira Grande and the beach, we headed back to our hotel to enjoy some pool time. After some relaxing we drove down to enjoy Ponta Delgada in the sun. We did a tasting and tour at a pineapple plantation. We then headed to the Gin Library, which is the largest collection of gin in Europe. We ate at Mirante Rooftop bar at Senhora da Rosa Nature Hotel.
QUINTA DE SANTANA
Rabo de Peixe- 2nd night
Gated parking, pool, spacious, good AC, good wifi, kitchenette, awesome if you are a cat lover
Day 7 -Salto Cabrito, São Vicente Ferreira
The first stop today was a little breakfast in the small town of Rabo de Peixe. After breakfast we headed to the Salto Cabrito hike. After the hike we headed to our next accommodation located in São Vicente Ferreira. We ate pizza lunch at O’Sole Mio. The weather was pretty grim this day but we had a small break with sunshine so we used that time to enjoy the pool. We had dinner at Solar O Rei dos Frangos Restaurant.
QUINTA DAS HORTÊNCIAS
São Vicente Ferreira- 1 night
Parking on site, spacious room, good wifi, nice garden pool, amazing breakfast included, no AC.
Day 8-Flight home
We had an incredible experience. This morning we woke to a wonderful breakfast at our hotel, checked out and headed to the airport. This island should be on your next top destination list. It is stunning and has so much to offer. One week is a perfect amount of time to really get a feel of this island. Next time, I want to explore the other islands of the Azores!
