Are the Azores Worth the Hype? How to Plan the Perfect Trip to São Miguel (with a Little Luxe)

The Azores are beautifully remote, located in the mid-Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Portugal, but the archipelago is surprisingly easy and affordable to get to. With stunning landscapes, beautiful fishing villages, outstanding wine, and delicious cuisine, a trip to the Azores is definitely worth it. Direct flights from Toronto, NYC, and Boston will you get you there in just 5-6 hours for a lovely long weekend or extended stay. Here’s what we did on a perfect four night trip to the main island of Sao Miguel. 

Getting There 

Azores Airlines (which you may also see as SATA Azores) has direct flights from Toronto, NYC, and Boston to Ponta Delgado on Sao Miguel Island. You may also find additional flight routes in high season. 

While you can catch connecting flights from Sao Miguel to other islands, we decided just to stay here on our short trip because there was plenty to explore. 

The most affordable way for us to get there was booking a 90-minute flight to Toronto using our American Airlines miles. From there we could either do a long layover or spend a few days exploring Toronto, too. We opted to use points to book the Hyatt Regency downtown — which is a great hotel in an excellent location. We’ll follow up with a post about Toronto later. 

From Sao Miguel’s airport, it was a 25€ taxi to our gorgeous hotel just outside of Ponta Delgada.  

Note: You will likely arrive very early in the morning. The combo of a relatively short flight and an early arrival means you will probably be very tired. So, it’s a good idea to have a plan for the day. We wound up sleeping by the hotel pool until check in. 

Where to Stay

Our hotel, Sul Villas & Spa is Lagoa, was absolutely gorgeous. There wasn’t nearly as much to do in the area as in Ponta Delgada, but the views and ambiance were well worth being outside of town. Plus, the hotel had everything we needed (food, wine, pool, spa) and the surrounding area was quaint and fun to explore. 

True story: After a jet-lagged nap at the pool, I woke up completely unaware of where I was. The view was so beautiful, it looked fake. And since I was reading Dark Matter, I freaked out thinking I was in another dimension before I remembered I was in the Azores.

Honestly, this hotel was almost too good to be true:  

The Room: Our accommodations were spacious and nicely appointed, with a mini kitchen, a stocked fridge, and a patio with a dipping pool. The wine and snacks in the room were not included but they were very affordable and nice to have when there weren’t a lot of dining options within walking distance.

The Breakfast: The included  breakfast offered a variety of fresh hot and cold options, from eggs and meats and cheeses to pastries and breads. They also served fresh fruit and yogurt. 

The Dinner: The hotel also served dinner each night for an added fee — and it was well worth it. After long days of exploring the island (more on that later) it was really nice to have a cozy meal at the hotel and relax for the night. 

Note: For breakfast and dinner, they asked you to select your dining times in advance since the boutique is quite small. We missed our reservation one night but were able to order a cheese and charcuterie plate with some fresh bread to take to the room and enjoy on our patio by the plunge pool. 

The Pool: The outdoor area was small but lovely. You can order drinks and sandwiches poolside in the afternoon. Get massages. Hop in the hot tub. Or lounge in the sun. 

The best part is this place is available to book on points through the Chase Ultimate Rewards portal. 

Exploring the Island 

Unless you just want to hang out by the pool and enjoy the view for your whole stay — which is perfectly acceptable — we recommend either renting a car or booking day trips.

On this mother-daughter trip, we decided not to deal with the hassle of a rental car, and we booked two full-day tours of the island with the same company through Airbnb. On the first day, we explored the east side and on the second we explored the west. They are very different experiences, so we recommend doing both with a day of relaxation in between.

The Western Route

We started our journey with the western route. Our guide, 𝕁𝕠𝕒𝕠 was knowledgeable, funny, and an excellent photographer. I usually don’t like photos of myself but all his turned out great and made nice keepsakes. 

Here are some of the amazing views we got to check out on the western tour:

We also stopped for an included lunch that was surprisingly good (I generally have low expectations for meals on tours) — and included wine and some local liquor. 

Pause for a Day of Relaxation

Our tours were absolutely top-of-the line, but they were long and involved a lot of getting in and out of the shuttle, so it’s best to plan a day to enjoy the pool, spa, hot tub, and view. You can also take a stroll around the lovely little town of Lagoa.

We even got to experience a local celebration for Sao Joao (not to be confused with our tour guide, Joao). 

The Eastern Route 

After a day of relaxing, you’ll definitely want to check out the Eastern side of the island, which is vastly different from the Western side. 

I read a lot of reviews that said the West was more scenic, but I loved them both and was fascinated by the calderas, hot springs, and volcanic activity in the East. So, if you only have time or energy for one, it really depends on your interests. I would probably choose East, but I’m glad we did them both. Just do some research to pick the best route for you. 

The lunch on this trip was also amazing. I was totally shocked at how much I loved the blood sausage in this stew. I’ve come along way from my 18 years with no red meat! 

Our guide on this leg, Katia, was also outstanding. If you’d prefer not to rent a car, we highly recommend booking with this tour group. This isn’t sponsored, we just really enjoyed the experience and local guides who know the island. Both legs were in 9-seater van, which means 8 guest max. The small group is perfect, and the vans were really comfortable (with individual air vents). It’s a little snug when the van is full and the back seat has to be popped up and down for the people in the back to get in and out, but it was so much better than a bus tour and way more affordable than a private tour. 

Add It to Your List

I cherish these mother-daughter trips, and this one was really perfect. The Azores are often compared to Hawaii in terms of scenery (though the climate is different). I can confirm that Sao Miguel has a Hawaii feel for sure — and it’s closer for East coasters.  

I enjoyed it so much, I want to go back and explore it again with Theo. Although we might rent a car, I would stay at the same hotel and visit the same spots to show him all the beauty of the Azores. 

Have you been to the Azores? Is it on your list? Let us know in the comments.