Day 1 - 19 Mar 2022
Content: We arrived at Ponta Delgada airport at noon
Content: Then we exited to the airport in the direction of P6 parking lot, where a Goldcar transfer was waiting for us to get us to our rental car. I highly recommend renting a car in São Miguel, since there are no public transports to the touristic spots
Content: We had lunch here as a friend recommended this place. It is said to have the best pizzas in the island and I also found them super delicious!! And the view is also really nice 🥰
Day 1 - 19 Mar 2022
Content: We visited this beautiful black sand beach with its famous islets. Unfortunately we couldn't walk on the beach since it was high tide time and the waves were very strong, but we loved it anyway 🥰
Day 1 - 19 Mar 2022
Content: On our way to the next place we found this beautiful viewpoint and I am glad we stopped there. So beautiful 🤩
Day 1 - 19 Mar 2022
Content: After that we headed to Sete Cidades and explored this beautiful church. If you visit São Miguel during summer this path will be filled wih beautiful hydrangeas
Day 1 - 19 Mar 2022
Content: We left the car near the church and took a walk around the village. The laggon is at a really close walking distance. You can walk on the bridge that "divides" the lagoon in 2 (the blue and the green lagoons), watch some ducks and admire the beauty of this place 🥰
Day 1 - 19 Mar 2022
Content: This restaurante has the best fish soup of the island!
Day 1 - 19 Mar 2022
Content: Time to check-in and rest! This hotel is absolutely incredible, on the opposite side on the main city Ponta Delgada, so it is super quiet, surrounded by nature and with ocean view. The room is super comfortable, the views are beautiful, super complete and diverse breakfast included and amazing pool & spa
Day 2 - 20 Mar 2022
Content: We started our day on one of the most emblematic attractions of the island. This place has the perfect view over Sete Cidades lagoon and you distinguish two different colors, almost as if there were 2 different lagoons 🥰 You have a small parking lot right there if you are planning to stay less than 20 min, otherwise you should park the car in another parking lot around 900m away
Day 2 - 20 Mar 2022
Content: We spent the rest of the morning exploring the ruins of an abandoned hotel. The view of the lagoon from there is absolutely stunning! There are many old rooms, balconies and a rooftop to explore! We had to climb a few walls and trees to get in and since it was raining the ruins were a little muddy so be extra careful if that is the case
Day 2 - 20 Mar 2022
Content: We packed some sandwiches for lunch and ate them on the way because we prefer to enjoy the day to the fullest and only go to restaurants in the evening. The next stop was Lagoa do Canário, a beautiful and small lagoon. The trail to get there is super green and fresh. The car is parked no too far from there
Day 2 - 20 Mar 2022
Content: On the same trail of Lagoa do Canário you will find what is for me the most beautiful viewpoint of the island: Miradouro da Boca do Inferno! Here you can see the mountains, 3 lagoons and even the ocean, the view is crazy!!
Day 2 - 20 Mar 2022
Content: We spent way too long taking pictures because it was unreal 😍
Day 2 - 20 Mar 2022
Content: Finally, we ended the day at this beautiful viewpoint 🥰
Day 2 - 20 Mar 2022
Content: This restaurant is PERFECT for tapas and cocktails! We only went for food but everything was soooo good 😍
Content: Tomorrow is another big day, let's get some sleep! By the way, since this island has a lot of water attractions (thermal baths, waterfalls, beaches..) this hotel and lots of others provide you adittional dark towels that you can take with you to explore the island!
Day 3 - 21 Mar 2022
Content: Lagoa do Fogo is the 2nd largest lagoon in São Miguel and also super beautiful 😍 We took a long trail from to go down to the lagoon, which took us all morning Since this is the lagoon at highest altitude, sometimes fog can get in the way and you won't see anything. Install the app SpotAzores which has live webcams so that you can check the weather in the most well-known places of the island
Day 3 - 21 Mar 2022
Content: We had lunch at Bar Caloura with a beautiful sea view. This restaurant has amazing fish dishes
Day 3 - 21 Mar 2022
Content: Then we headed to Vila Franca do Campo, where you can find this emblematic chapel. At the bottom of the stairway you have a nice viewpoint over Vila Franca do Campo and the ocean, but you can also go up the stairs and have an even greater view. You can also spot the Vila Franca islet, which you can visit during summer months by boat and it is super beautiful 😍
Day 3 - 21 Mar 2022
Content: The afternoon was spent walking around this beautiful garden, which surrounds Lagoa das Furnas. You can park the car for free around here and then walk to the lagoon
Day 3 - 21 Mar 2022
Content: This chapel is right in front of Furnas lagoon and we found it super cute so we decided to stop by and take some photos
Day 3 - 21 Mar 2022
Content: In certain areas of Furnas lagoon and its surroundings you can feel the volcanic activity. The heat that is generated is used to cook the famous dish "cozido". The pans are placed in underground holes for hours 🤯
Day 3 - 21 Mar 2022
Content: If have some time left at the end of the day I advise you to go to Poça da Dona Beija. These thermal baths are open until 11pm and are perfect for relaxing after a long day exploring the island. The entrance is 6€
Day 3 - 21 Mar 2022
Content: Good restaurant for Nikkei food
Content: Good night 🤗
Day 4 - 22 Mar 2022
Content: Okay, you HAVE to visit Terra Nostra Park... and don't be mistaken, this will take you at least 3h 😅 Get you ticket at the entrance, 10€ for access to the huge garden and to the thermal tanks. Isn't it beautiful? 😍 By the way, make sure you park the car a little bit before you get to the park (if you use GPS) since it doesn't have its own parking lot
Content: After going through the gardens enjoy the thermal baths! Don't worry, the rusty color of the larger pond is due to the presence of ferrous minerals, it's not muddy 😅 BUUUUT, it definitely stains, so make sure you wear the oldest darkest swimsuit you have!! The water is at 37°C There are 2 other smaller ponds which are not that ferrous and are at around 39°C There are individual changing rooms but no lockers or anything, so you can only leave your stuff in benches and hangers around the tanks. Also only cold water showers, which is not great when it is cold outside.. so I recommend that you go to the "less yellow" tanks at the end to remove most of the color from your skin and clothes 😅 P.S.: it also stains nails, nail polish and hair, especially dyed and blonde hair 🙃 But I LOVEEEED IT The park closes at 6.30pm so make sure you come early to enjoy it to the fullest
Content: If you want to try the traditional dish "cozido" this is the place! It only serves it at lunch time but there are other great dishes for dinner too (and for the ones that don't like cozido 😅)
Day 4 - 22 Mar 2022
Content: This park was on my list for so long! Unfortunately there were some landslides before, along the trails, so we couldn't reach all of the places. But anyway, it was still amazing! The photos speak for themselves 🥰
Day 4 - 22 Mar 2022
Content: Had some amazing burgers for dinner at this retaurant!
Day 5 - 23 Mar 2022
Content: Enjoyed the amazing breakfast and the pool before checking out
Day 5 - 23 Mar 2022
Content: We visited Gorreana tea plantation, where green and black tea is produced. You can get a free tour around the factory, taste the tea and walk around the plantation, all for free!
Day 5 - 23 Mar 2022
Content: Lagoa do Congro is a green lake you will reach after 15 minutes hiking. Super beautiful, especially because no one else was there
Day 5 - 23 Mar 2022
Content: Okay... I was really hoping to get a photo among the pineapples but I was surprised to find only 3 baby green pineapples in only 1 of the many greenhouses... kind of disappointing.. make sure to check some recent photos beofre going there to make sure there are pineapples 😅 the entrance is free!
Content: Goodbye São Miguel, you will be missed 🥺❤⛰