This post is about the “Must See” sites on the west side of São Miguel island. (To read about the equally magical East side – click HERE).

Nine days in September – less people, more rain, chilly weather, and so much to do!

Can you locate the Açores on a globe? If they appear at all, the islands are 9 tiny dots in the mid-Atlantic about 900 miles west of Lisbon.

Green, Blue, Black!

São Miguel, the Green Island (Ilha Verde) is the largest. GREEN rainforest and calderas (volcanic craters) filled with sparkling BLUE/GREEN lakes; roads lined with BLACK lava walls and blue/pink hydrangeas.

1) Vista do Rei – Lagoa Azul e Lagoa Verde

A MUST DO . . . one of the 7 Wonders of Portugal.

A jaw-dropping postcard view of two beautiful lagoons, one blue and one green, surrounded by lush mountains. With frequent cloud cover and approximately 200 rainy days per year, a sunny day at Vista Do Rei is serendipity.

Sete Cidades Village

A bridge separating the two lagoons is bordered by pink surprise lilies and ubiquitous blue hydrangeas (past their prime in September). Inside a crater is the village from which you can rent kayaks or bikes to circle the lake.

Village Parade!

As we entered town, a parade was forming. A half dozen floats rolled by, led by an accordion band and a pair of oxen. Stealing the show was the Health Center float as rowdy patients sipped wine from IV bottles and stashed SuperBock beer under hospital beds.

Grota do Inferno Trail – Hell’s Mouth

Despite rainy days and non-visability, I didn’t fancy missing this hike, so we set out on a drizzly morning and somehow conjured up a couple of hours of miraculous sunshine. The trail starts at Lagoa Cánario green gates, on the road to Vista do Rei.

Deep ravines, multiple volcanic calderas, and crater lakes created by violent volcanic eruptions.

Ruins of Monte Palace Hotel

Remains of a luxury hotel that opened in the 1990s are at Vista do Rei. After eighteen months of operation, the owners declared bankruptcy and the building was abandoned. The doors were locked the same week that the hotel received an award for being Portugal’s finest hotel. All that remains is concrete (a tourist curiosity).

If you want to know more about this story, you can find the link here.  

2) Mosteiros Black Sand Beach

Mosteiros, a coastal village in the far west with natural tidal pools called “Piscina Naturais”. (No, the signs for Piscina Naturais did not mean “nude beach”.)

Perfect for sunset watchers!

3) Ponta da Ferraria and Piscinas Naturais de Água Quente

Farol da Ferraria (Lighthouse of Ponta da Ferraria), viewed from Ponte de Escalvo, is the largest in the Açores (1901).

Ponta da Ferraria is a regional national monument, the landscape shaped by ancient volcanic activity. Pico das Camarinhas, 300 meters above Ponta da Ferraria, generated the lava fajã (lava flow).

A natural thermal sea pool, sits inside a pseudo-crater. TIP: Always carry a bathing suit and a towel in São Miguel.

4) Driving Around – West Side Views

Carvão Aqueduct Ruins

On the road to Vista do Rei are remains of an aqueduct used to carry water from the lakes south to Ponta Delgada.

Miradouros – Viewpoints

The Circle Road is loaded with viewpoints (miradouros) from Capelas north to Mosteiros and south to Ponta Delgada.

Miradoura Vigra on the southwest side has a stunning view of Feteiras.

All over the island are ranges of volcanic cones.

5) Ribeira Grande

The island’s second largest municipality stretches from the Atlantic coast to the volcanic mountains in the center. Riberia Grande is charming and worth a stop for its baroque and Manueline architecture.

Recomendations: Volcanic Charming House for weekend brunch and Quinta dos Sabores in Rabo de Peixe for a delicious Farm to Table dinner.

Where to Stay

The island of São Miguel is 40 miles long and 9 miles wide. The main cities are Ponta Delgada (south coast) and Ribeira Grande (north central), only 20 minutes apart. The southern coast is popular, and the area around Ribeira Grande is equally convenient for touring.

We stayed in Quinta da Paz in Pico de Pedra, near Ribeira Grande, a small inn with a talkative parrot named Laura.

For more about São Miguel, click HERE to read about the east side of the island. So, so, beautiful!

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On another note, the ilslands of Açores are radically different from Madeira – to learn more, click on these Madeira links:

• Funchal;
• North Mountains, São Vicente;
• South Coast, Paul do Mar

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