HAWAII EUR-O

It is no great leap of hyperbole to describe the Azores as the “Hawaii of Europe”. True, the weather is nowhere near as spectacular, but the scenery is – and it doesn’t take the best part of a day to get there. Portugal’s nine-island mid-Atlantic archipelago is due to become more accessible, via the April 1 launch of a ryanair.com service from Stansted to Terceira – a weekly flight (return fares from £70) that will complement the airline’s link with Ponta Delgada on Sao Miguel (also from Stansted). Portuguese national carrier TAP ( flytap.com) is another option – via Lisbon. See visitAzores.com.