FINDING ALL THE FLAVOURS OF SAO MIGUEL
Eight things to try for the best experience on the Azores’ largest island.
On my five-day journey in the Azores, I stayed put on Sao Miguel, the largest of its nine islands. Instead of island hopping, you can also try these eight experiences for your eating, exploring and resting pleasure:
Signature dish: Furnas village is famous for cozido das furnas, its spin on the Portuguese pot-au-feu. Chefs and home cooks pay to have pots buried by a volcanic hot spring and cooked by volcanic steam for up to eight hours. Tourists come to the lakeside spot at 12:30 p.m. to gawk at the pots being unearthed. I followed a pot back to Terra Nostra Garden Hotel and ate the mix of pork ribs, pork belly, pig ears, pig feet, chourico sausage, blood sausage, chicken, beef, kale, carrots, cabbage, sweet potato and yam served with rice and cozido broth. There are also vegetarian and fish options.
Lunch: Carlos Cardoso, a guide and driver from Lindo Driver/Viajata Tours, took me to Cervejaria Sardinha (better known by its nickname, Mane Cigano) in Ponta Delgada for a lunch of grilled sardines and fried horse mackerel served with boiled yam and white beans. With just a few communal tables and meals that cost about $10 with a drink, this inexpensive spot is perpetually jammed. I ran out of time and missed a meal at A Tasca, a buzzy restaurant.
Dinner: My best meal, at A Favorita in Ponta Delgada, started with three local cheeses, continued with local grilled pineapple and blood sausage and finished with a gorgeous local sirloin served with roasted garlic and hot peppers, poached egg and wine sauce. Nearby, at Restaurante Sao Pedro, I sampled six local cheeses and “Mestre Dias” tenderloin smothered in melted local Sao Jorge cheese with fried potato slices.
Agri-tourism part 1: Europe’s only commercial tea plantations are right here in the Azores. Cha Gorreana near Maia, the larger of two local factories, has free, self-guided tours. Try to come with your own local guide and on a weekday when people are working. The first Azorean tea plantation was created around 1820 and Cha Gorreana dates back to 1883. It produces black and green tea. There are free tea samples and a café with a gift shop. Don’t miss the homemade ice cream.
Agri-tourism part 2: The Azores are still highly agrarian and among the things grown here are pineapples, which you’ll find in various forms on every dessert menu. You can tour the Augusto Arruda Pineapple Plantation near Ponta Delgada for free. Pineapples are grown in 20 glass greenhouses — a technique that’s apparently only used here — with whitewashed glass. It takes about 18 months for each fruit to grow. You can buy fresh pineapple, jams, liqueurs and crafts in the gift shop.
Sleep in Ponta Delgada: The nautical-inspired Hotel Marina Atlantico, also part of the Bensaude Hotels group, has a prime location in Ponta Delgada across from the marina. A buffet breakfast full of Azorean cheese, bread, pastries and more is free. You can try Azorean tea in the bar and dinner at Escuna Restaurant. Wi-Fi is also free and there’s a gym, indoor heated pool, sauna, Jacuzzi and Turkish bath.
Sleep in Fenais da Luz: I toured the brand new Pedras do Mar Resort & Spa with Acorsonho Hotels CEO and owner Vitor Camara. The concept at the boutique hotel is “all nature” and architect Fernando Monteiro relied heavily on local Japanese cedar and volcanic stone. There’s a beautiful trail to the ocean, where you can swim in natural pools, and walking paths along the sea. It’s in Fenais da Luz, about a 15-minute drive from Ponta Delgada. Sample and you won’t forget the cocktail made with Azor Gin, Fever-Tree tonic, fresh basil and cardamom pods.
Sleep in Furnas: For an art decoinspired hotel in the village famous for its cozido, stay at Terra Nosta Garden Hotel in Furnas, part of the Bensaude Hotels group. The renovated boutique hotel has a wellness centre, indoor pool with sauna and Turkish baths, and a restaurant and bar. But you’ll also get free entry to the 31-acre Terra Nostra Garden, a botanical park with a thermal pool nourished by warm volcanic water. If you’re not a hotel guest, you can pay to explore these spots.
Jennifer Bain was hosted by Azores Airlines, which didn’t review or approve this story.