Honeymoon in Portugal - Azores - need suggestions

Hi Kara,

Visiting Lisbon is totally different than visiting the Azores. A few months ago I posted "My 2 cents about visiting the Azores". See if what I wrote appeals to you to help you decide how much time you will want to divide between Lisbon and my recommendation for an island to visit, Sao Miguel. This island has the most options for sighseeing and culture and is big. You could hop over to Santa Maria or Terceira, depending on your tastes, and spend a couple of days exploring. I would read over what Rick recommends for Lisbon (and day trips) as a start to see how many days you have left over. I can get you through your trip in the Azores, just let me know your interests...but first research the websites in my post. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!!!!

Thank you Carl! I took a look at your posts and they were so helpful.

Sao Miguel seems like what we would be looking for. We love to eat, drink, and explore! We're very laid-back and tend to go with the flow on our trips, but we plan on doing a lot of hopping around in and around Lisbon so we want the Azores part of our trip to be more relaxing. Do you think we could stay on Sao Miguel for about a week? We'd love to explore other islands as well, but we think we might want to make one island our home base and see about exploring islands nearby - ones that don't require long travel times to get to, anyway.

Do you have any recommendations for a honeymoon-worthy hotel on Sao Miguel? Should we rent a car while we are there?

Thanks again for your help!

Hi Kara, I asked our family who live in the Azores for hotel recommendations and will let you know what they say when they get back to me. In the meantime check www.booking.com to see what looks good to you (Ponta Delgada is the capital city of Sao Miguel)...pick your favorite 2 or 3 and let me know so I understand your tastes...city or rural, beach or mountains, luxury or economy, etc.

Yes, Sao Miguel offers enough and more for a week! Santa Maria is a 15 minute flight away and Terceira is less than 1/2 hour. Each is doable for a couple of days, but for a first visit to the Azores, Sao Miguel might be enough. If you do choose Santa Maria, I have a scavenger hunt I made a few years ago that is a lot of fun and you see the entire island in one day! If you want a copy, Private Message me and give me your email address and I will send it to you.

I highly recommend renting a car wherever you decide to visit, excluding Lisbon! Sao Miguel and Santa Maria with a car makes it SO easy to explore at your own pace and is quite affordable. The smaller the car the better as some roads are very narrow. Also, the vast majority of cars are standard.

What really sparks your interest for the Azores? This will better help me narrow down a plan for sights, restaurants and excursions. Have you looked at any Youtube videos for Sao Miguel? It is very easy to experience these islands the Rick Steves way..."Back Door" style! If only he had an Azores chapter in his Portugal book...someday!!!! I met him a few years ago after a talk he was giving and asked if he will ever visit the Azores. He said he has heard lots of great things and hopes to one day get there...my fingers are crossed!

Hope this update is helpful. Happy planning!

So far I have two hotels for you to look at. Hotel Terra Nostra in the village of Furnas, about 40 minutes from Ponta Delgada. Another is Royal Garden Hotel in Ponta Delgada.

Thanks Carl! This is great stuff.
We picked the Azores because it’s off the beaten path. I’ve spent a lot of time in Ireland and one of the highlights for me were the Aran Islands because of the remoteness, etc. I feel like the Azores would be similar. We figured by adding Lisbon, etc. onto the Azores we could have the best of both worlds.
Do you recommend staying in Ponta Delgada? We love to walk and so having a hotel that is central to everything is important but a beach/water location would be nice, too. We are willing to splurge a little bit since it’s our honeymoon.

I will private message you about the Scavenger hunt. That is definitely something we’d love to do!

Thanks again!

Hi Kara and Carl,

I have to say I'm having a bit of an uncanny experience. I came onto this site to do some research about the Azores while planning our honeymoon to Portugal. I really enjoy all of Rick Steve's travel advice and have been reading the book about the mainland. The uncanny thing is that we're also getting married on Sept 26th, from the northeast, and are honeymooning in Portugal for 2 weeks! I read through your posts and they are all spot on for what we have been looking for!

My fiancé and I are looking for a relatively relaxed trip to Portugal but are already finding it hard to narrow down our stops! We would like to see Lisbon, relax on the beaches in the south and see the Porto/Douro Valley area (we're into wine). Do you think adding the Azores will be a stretch? Or alternatively, would it be a better decision to relax in the Azores and then do Lisbon and head north towards Porto?

Any help is much appreciated!!
Holly

Here's Carl's trip report about the Azores: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/portugal/my-2-cents-about-visiting-the-azores

Hi Holly...and Congratulations on your upcoming wedding as well!

Let me start with the premise of you wanting "a relatively relaxed trip to Portugal" and go from there. You can accommodate some beach time as well in Sao Miguel, Azores. And remember, both of you know your stamina and interests and travel abilities as none of us do.

With 2 weeks, and assuming you will be flying out and back to Boston, then SATA airlines is your best choice. I will say more about SATA towards the end of this post. You can fit a few days in the Azores and I would do it if you like my ideas and of course Rick's recommendations for the mainland, but for me I would leave the best for last..Sao Miguel.

My 2 week plan...fly direct to Lisbon but do not rent a car yet until leaving Lisbon. Do what is in the book for Lisbon, but there are many choices you need to pick from. The 3 Lisbon walks- allow a full day. Belem at an enjoyable pace- another day. Sintra- another full day. Another couple of days is great for Lisbon. When ready to go north, get the rental car. Skip the Algarve and the beaches to save for another trip in conjunction with Spain ;-) Visit Obidos for 2 hours and walk the wall (add an hour), Alcobaca about 1 hour (buy cork products at one of the stalls/stores you see here, the prices are the best in Portugal and the workmanship is very high quality), Batalha-1 hour, drive through Nazare...and I really liked the views from Sitio-1 hour. Fatima, if you are Catholic, can be seen in a couple of hours on this day as well, as the towns are really close to each other. End this day in Coimbra and stay 2 nights. A full day is a must for Coimbra. After Coimbra head to Porto. A full day just for Porto was good, another full day to drive the Douro valley was enough as well. Fly to Sao Miguel. This leaves 4 days for Sao Miguel Azores.

Read the websites for the Azores, watch youtube videos, look at photos... there are many beautiful beaches here instead of the Algarve for this trip, Vila Franca do Campo, Populo, Ribeira Grande will allow you your beach time. 3-4 days for Sao Miguel can provide a lot...with a car! Very easy to navigate around an island to see the highlights. Pick a hotel in Ponta Delgada (preferably with free parking), then go see Sete Cidades, backtrack to the Pineapple greenhouses and on to Vila Franca do Campo and Furnas village where you must have dinner where the restaurant cooks the meal in the earth using geo-thermal heat. Another day quickly visit Ribeira Grande then off to the Nordeste, by the windy coastal road, not the highway! Visit the tea plantation and stop off at every Miradour (scenic lookout and each is unique) and have a picnic lunch at one of them (get your wine and food at any market). Savor the beauty of this gem of a destination and the clean ocean air and the majestic hills and mountains and the grazing animals everywhere! Continue your drive to Povoacao then back to Ponta Delgada. Ponta Delgada is simply stunning at night wandering around the streets and the port area and sitting at an outdoor cafe thinking of your next trip to Europe.

Here is where you have to figure your flights. Try a multi-stop itinerary on SATA from Boston-Lisbon then Porto-Ponta Delgada-Boston using your specific dates. If the price is what you expect, book it on the one ticket. The flight from Porto to Ponta Delgada may have a quick stop in Lisbon or Terceira. Another option, Boston to Lisbon and then Ponta Delgada to Boston on SATA, but book Ryanair for the flight from Porto to Ponta Deldada. If the cost for the flight from Porto to Ponta Delgada is a couple of hundred bucks cheaper flying Ryanair, I would do it. Just make sure you read the about the fees associated with the different ticket options Ryanair offers and purchase the one you prefer. SATA offers different tickets as well with different prices, one with just a carry-on...read the rules!!!

Hope this helps...Boa Sorte! Good Luck!

To add to Carl's great suggestions - when you go to Coimbra try to find a couple of hours to visit Conimbriga, the site of ancient Roman ruins. They are about 16 km apart and worth your time. You will love Portugal!

Hi Holly! That's so cool and congratulations to you! Let's hope for good weather on Sept. 26th!

Carl, thanks for the tips! Your suggestions seem to be spot on for us as well; we definitely plan to end our trip on Sao Miguel and fly home to NY via the Boston flights. Now we just need to pick hotels and book everything!

If I'm getting this right, you suggest staying in Coimbra for two nights and Porto for two nights after leaving Lisbon?

Kara, if the time permits, then 2 nights is good for Coimbra. As Carol said, try to see Conimbriga ruins. I wanted to do that before arriving in Coimbra, but did not have enough time. Porto is worth at least 2 nights, and one more if you plan on driving through the Douro valley as a day trip. 2 full days is needed for just Porto itself, I think. And don't worry about reservations for Sao Miguel. Since you will be going in early October, there will be plenty of availability. I booked my 2 bedroom apartment for 1 week at Quinta de Santana a week before I left the USA (October 2014) and the price dropped by half (about $250) for the original price I saw many months before (almost $600). I would make a list of the top 3-5 hotel choices you like in Sao Miguel and before you leave for your honeymoon, check the rates and then reserve. I used booking.com to reserve it. Same with a car, there is no hurry.

Great! Thanks for the tip Carl. So you recommend staying in Ponta Delgada, then? We want to be walking-distance to restaurants, etc. I know you suggested the Royal Garden Hotel in Ponta Delgada, which looks very nice. Have any others? Thanks again for all of your help.

No other ones I can recommend in Ponta Delgada that are in the heart of the city (not that there are no good ones, but I generally rent apartments). There are many great ones, though. I would just trust the reviews on the website you are looking at like booking.com or tripadvisor. All the restaurants and sites in Ponta Delgada are within walking distance, not that there are tons of sites to see, but especially the night-time vibe is so peaceful wherever you walk and eat, preferably outdoors. Many great places to eat are in the Solmar building on the harbor front Avenida Infante Dom Henrique (this is the tallest building in Ponta Delgada), nearby the waterfront, and even in the shopping mall called Parque Atlantico has good options. I have a few other restaurant suggestions around the island, of course to get there you need a car. When you are ready to fine tune your plan, let me know. One example in Ponta Delgada...dinner for 3 people, drinks including wine and other beverages, and dessert was a little over 30 euros! It is behind the hotel Marina Atlantico at the corner of Rua da Fonte. You order meats or fish and grill them yourself over coals in a cooking pot...lots of fun and the food is amazing. I think the name is A Grelha. I have others but again, when you are ready to fine tune just tell me. Hope you enjoy your continued planning...you will have an amazing trip!

Hello all,

It looks like I'm joining the party a bit late but I am ALSO getting married at the end of September (September 27!), and my fiance and I are looking to do a short trip just to the Azores (We'll have to plan a Portugal trip for another time!). We also enjoy traveling, seeing new cities, being outdoors (i.e. not beach resort types either!), and eating good food and delicious wine! Everyone's comments have been great and I am looking forward to planning this trip. Since we would only be staying 4 nights and flying from Boston, we would plan to stay only on Sao Miguel. I've heard that it can be nice to divide your time between two different accommodations - maybe half the time on the coast and the other half in Ponte Delgado? Any more info that you can offer to make this trip special would be very appreciated!

Looking forward to this adventure!

Stephany

Welcome Stephany,

I should just meet all of you there with a great big van and do what Rick Steves did when he started this company!!! This would make all 3 honeymoons real easy!

All kidding aside, Sao Miguel is compact enough to see and experience everything even in 4 days so just pick one hotel from the many options available. For me it would be in Ponta Delgada. Now if you were staying more then a week then I would probably split my time at another hotel. You will be no more then 15-20 minutes from the coast no matter where you are on the island. The entire island of Sao Miguel will offer you serenity, relaxation, fresh cuisine and wine galore, photo ops like you have never seen or thought of, friendliness of the people who are sincere and not looking to get every tourist Euro you have, rustic and modern amenities and styles of living, ocean activities, land exploration best seen by foot (best to start out by car, though), history dating back to the 1400s, etc., etc. Your dilemma is what to choose each day. And since the Euro is almost equal to dollar, your honeymoons on Sao Miguel will be even better on the wallets and pocketbooks! After you look over the websites I mentioned in previous postings, and watch some great youtube videos as well, come back with some specific questions for me to make your honeymoon as amazing and adventurous as possible...Take care and "Boa Sorte" Stephany

Hi All, Congrats to the soon to be newly weds! Hope the wedding planning is going well!
Carl, thank you so much for your great advice and awesome descriptions! We're definitely going to hunt out the food and adventure experiences your recommend. You are now "honeymoon planner master" for all those going from the Northeast to the Azores! You've also given us some great advice for the mainland that we are looking into!

As our planning gets more detailed I'll probably come back with more questions!
Thanks again!
Holly

Hi Holly!! I am not going anywhere so keep the questions coming. FYI SATA airlines has much competition with Ryanair and Easyjet and has lowered their prices across the board for flights between Lisbon/Porto and the Azores, depending on your dates. Hope everyone's planning has been fun!!!