Holidays: Historic Villages of Portugal: Six Towns to Escape This Summer
Portugal: The best coastal route in the world: it is traveled on foot and without leaving the Peninsula
They have more cows (happy, yes) than inhabitants,
the highest concentration of hot springs in Europe,
a volcanic stew that prepares at 96 degrees underground, kilometer-long
avenues of banana trees and hydrangeas
, the only tea plantations in the Old Continent and a famous
anticyclone
of the same name that warns the citizens of Europe and North Africa and America of the weather that awaits them three days before.
We are talking about the Azores, the still unknown Portuguese archipelago formed by nine islands finished off by brutal nature and suspended
in the middle of the Atlantic.
Literally, since it is two hours by plane from Lisbon, less than three from Madrid - throughout the summer there is a direct flight with Iberia from the Spanish capital to the Azorean,
Ponta Delgada,
on the island of San Miguel, the largest of all - and about four from New York.
Hence, those from Manhattan were the first to conquer
the European Hawaiians
for their volcanic origin and that together they do not occupy even a tenth of Galicia: 2,333 km2, in which 250,000 people can fit.
The thermal waters of Dona Beija.
Europeans (including the Portuguese themselves) are now beginning to discover this paradise full of volcanoes, lakes, waterfalls, trails or
black beaches with underwater vents
where you can even cook an egg.
Example: Fogo de
Ribeira Quente.
It is also the world's first officially sustainable archipelago.
To this long letter of introduction should be added its pleasant temperature all year round, with an average of 27º in summer and 17º in winter.
Even so, "all four seasons can occur in one day, so you have to bring a
swimsuit and a raincoat,
" says Rodrigo Pereira, guide for Azores Adventurers Islands, an adventure tourism company.
Mosteiros beach, famous for its strong waves.
Another point in its favor in such turbulent times is that both last year and this one the Azores have been chosen one of the safest places against
Covid-19,
according to
Best European Destinations, an
organization dependent on the EU.
The motives?
Its low rate of infections, its hygiene protocols (negative PCR is still required to enter unless you are vaccinated with the full schedule) and its status as an Eden of outdoor activities: kayaking, rafting, hiking,
hair walks , by bike
, 4x4 or buggy, picnics, canyoning, paragliding, surfing (a good place: Mosteiros beach), paddle-surfing, diving, fishing, photography tours ...
Philosophy of 'slow travel'
Everything is offered by accommodations such as the
Furnas Boutique Hotel,
a charming
refuge
with 53 rooms and a suite in the town of Furnas, built on the crater of an ancient volcano in the interior of
San Miguel
.
Sustainable and design, it is the perfect base of operations to explore the so-called
"green island"
: such is the color that permeates everything.
The hotel, in the middle of a
subtropical landscape
, is surrounded by sources of mineral-medicinal waters at 40º.
You don't have to leave without immersing yourself in a hot spring like
Caldeira Velha, Dona Beija or Terra Nostra
.
Already put, his thing is to mark a
peeling
corporal with the mud that is created to the contact of the water with the sulfur.
Facade of the Furnas Boutique Hotel, surrounded by nature.
You can enjoy such treatments in the hotel's spa, which has a Turkish bath, sauna or
floating bed, as
well as its own
Quente de Quenturas
thermal circuit
.
Its two swimming pools (outdoor and indoor) are also with
thermal water
and, in addition, they are open 24 hours a day, as is the gym.
"It is an example of our philosophy of
slow travel
and relaxation. We want the guest to feel at home and not have to follow schedules," says its director, Manuel Goes.
You can also have breakfast all day and anywhere:
the restaurant, the terrace
, the
lobby,
the room ...
They say that in the Azores there are more cows than inhabitants.
Another of the hallmarks of Furnas is the number of
fumaroles
that emerge in the middle of the street and that even serve to give life to the most traditional dish of the Azores:
volcanic stew,
made in steaming
calderas underground at 96 degrees
for seven hours .
The Furnas Boutique Hotel offers cooking courses to do so.
The clients take care of everything: buy the ingredients, prepare them, take them to the
Lake Furnas area
where it is cooked in one of the
56
existing
volcanic holes
, collect it ... "It is made with the steam that comes out of the earth. for seven hours without the need for water, "says chef Joao Fevereiro.
Then comes the tasting, of course.
Trekking between volcanoes
Whoever wants to smell the most is in the right place.
San Miguel hides some of the
most impressive (extinct) volcanoes in
the world with turquoise lakes within its craters, where
trekking
is done
.
Like those of
Lagoa do Fogo and Sete Cidades
.
There are several viewpoints to look at these and other jewels such as the Faial da Terra cliffs or the Salto do Prego waterfall.
Here are some of the most beautiful: Lomba dos Milhos,
Barrosa, Vista do Rei, Salto do Cavalho,
Bela Vista and Pico do Bodes.
The Azor Hotel and the port, in Ponta Delgada.
The time has come to get to know the capital,
Ponta Delgada
(67,000
souls
).
We explore it from the modern Azor Hotel (153 rooms), located in front of the port and which combines design with the best views of the city (from the
panoramic pool
and the rooftop bar) and creative local cuisine.
Look out
for their ceviches,
their tartares,
their watermelon and tomato gazpachos, their cheeses with paprika or their
grilled meats
.
For these
delicatessen,
his restaurant has been voted the best in the Azores several times.
Fish and black rice from the À Terra del Azor Hotel restaurant.
One of the Azor Hotel's proposals is a tour in an electric tuk tuk through Punta Delgada, with stops at its churches or palaces built with basalt, the
San Blas fort,
the Graça market or the
Antonio Borges garden
.
"It follows the romantic style of the nineteenth century parks," says Joao Godinho, driver of the Tuk Tuk Factory company.
Pineapple, tobacco and tea plantations
The route continues with a visit to traditional plantations such as pineapple, tobacco or tea.
The latter are the only ones for this product for industrial purposes in Europe.
There are two:
Gorreana and Porto Formoso
.
The first was created in 1883 (there were 14 factories in the Azores in the middle of the 20th century), after the nobleman José do Canto brought
two men from Macao
to teach the locals how to work the plant.
Today, both fields and factories are visited, where they explain the differences between
black and green tea
, which one is the best, how many varieties are there in the world ...
Canyoning is one of the activities available.
The
pineapples
, meanwhile, are grown in
glasshouses,
what gives a unique quality.
Tobacco has not been marketed in San Miguel since 1987, but a factory transformed into a museum (Maia) still stands in
Ribeira Grande
.
It would be necessary to speak of the dairy sector, since the Azores contribute 50% of Portugal's milk.
There is no reason their cows are "happy" thanks to their way of life, which runs between green pastures perched on very steep slopes.
PRACTICAL GUIDE
HOW TO GET THERE
.
Iberia covers Madrid-Ponta Delgada in summer (Wednesdays and Saturdays) from 179 euros.
WHERE TO SLEEP. Azor Hotel
(azorhotel.com).
Five-star sustainable design of 123 rooms and suites in the capital, Ponta Delgada.
Terrace with views of the city and the port.
From 115 euros.
Furnas Boutique Hotel
(furnasboutiquehotel.com).
Cozy, elegant and surrounded by nature, it has a terrace, two thermal water pools, a spa ... From 125 euros.
WHERE TO EAT
.
In the
À Terra
restaurants
of the aforementioned hotels, with fresh and eco products.
In Ponta Delgada, typical cuisine in
Tasca
.
MORE INFO
.
In www.visitportugal.com and www.visitazores.com
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
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