August 4, 2025
It’s safe to say we like Portugal. We’ve been five times already, and we’re going back.
It’s a luxury to be able to return to a European country. There’s no forced march to see everything; you can just enjoy the place at a slower pace. Portugal is pretty small, but it’s mighty and easy to visit over and over.
This time: a quick stop in Lisbon then off to the islands of Azores and Madeira.
For our one night in Lisbon, we settled into our favorite hotel in one of the best locations (Verride Palacio Santa Catarina), took a walk in an area we now know well to shake off the travel, and had an early dinner (yes, the Americanos are here for a 19:00 reservation) at one of our favorite spots, Rosetta’s.
Off to the Middle of Nowhere
The Azores are a group of nine small volcanic islands in the middle of the Atlantic with literally nothing around them but water. They’re almost as close to Newfoundland as they are to mainland Portugal.
Locals love to share different stories, but all agree on one point: there are more cows (around 500,000) than people (around 250,000) in the Azores. Each island is a bit different, but we spent most of our time on the largest and most populated island—São Miquel, flying into Ponta Delgada.
What else do the locals brag about?
- Locally sourcing everything: Basically, all the food you eat in the Azores is grown or comes from the Azores. With a temperate climate, the fruits and vegetables are abundant. They also grow tea (one of the only places outside of Asia), produce wine, and are surrounded by water, so lots of (you guessed it), fish.
- The perfect micro-climate: The weather is always temperate, but you get a fun variety of sun, wind and rain, which keeps you on your toes. During our trip, we only had one morning of fog and no rain at all. The days were beautiful and sunny.
- Amazon doesn’t deliver here: It’s a point of pride that no Amazon trucks are zipping around. You can order from Amazon, but it may arrive in two weeks… or maybe next month.
- Not touristy. Yet. Another point of pride is that it’s a little hard to get to. With only a small airport supporting small planes, the giant tourist buses haven’t infiltrated the islands. Unfortunately, that is slowly changing because the more people who visit the Azores, the more they spread the word about its beauty.
- It’s beautiful. No, it’s spectacular. It’s hard to capture in photos, but it has vivid colors, a beautiful coastline and calderas everywhere. Hydrangeas grow like weeds, and everything goes either up to a volcano or down to the sea.
Small, but diverse: You can circumnavigate the entire island of São Miquel in a week by bike or foot (highly recommended) and see how different each area can be. It’s easy to drive and navigate, but the key to the Azores is to get out of the car. The air is so clean and fragrant, and the colors are so very blue and so very green.
Our path:
Central to East:
Ponta Delgada (if you need a hotel there, try Octant Ponta Delgada) to Furnas.
Exploring the eastern side of the island, with highlights including:
• Villa Franca do Campo for lunch at Mercado da Vila
• The geothermal town of Furnas, where they cook food in holes in the ground, do water tastings (and see how much water affects food), and swim in geothermal pools.
• The waterfalls of Caldeiroes National Park.
• The eastern road, including Provoacao, Nordeste, Acadinha and Miradouro da Ponta Sossego.
• The Faial da Terra hike through dense forest, waterfalls, and a small village, ending with one of the best views of Sanguinho. Many, many designer chickens will serve as your tour guides on the path.
• Ribiera Quente for lunch of the freshest grilled fish, followed by a swim from the black sand beach.
East to North coast and west:
There are more miradouros (viewpoints) than you can count on the island, but when you hit the north coast, it’s hard not to stop at all of them. If you’ve never seen tea being grown, there are two great options, along with these highlights:
• Tea spotting at Fabrica Cha Porto Formoso (smaller and less crowded than Gorreana Tea Factory, the oldest on the island).
• Stay on the north coast outside of Ribeira Grande. We loved the Santa Barbara Eco-Beach resort, a great base point to explore the west.
• The area of Sete Cidades is probably the most famous area to see on the island. From the city, it’s a ride up to the edge of the crater of the volcano to see vistas of beautiful blue and green lakes, a ride down back into the city, then a ride up and out of the volcano to the incredible coastal roads. If you can do this from a bike seat (e-bikes are abundant there, too), it is pretty magical.
Don’t miss:
• a wine tasting of Azorean wines
• eating bolo levado (bread is a friend, not a foe…especially in Europe)
• eating your weight in all the island-grown fruit
To Madeira
All the locals in the Azores have mixed feelings about Madeira. Sure, it’s beautiful, they’ll admit, but it’s more crowded. Too many people and nightlife. (On the flipside, the locals on Madeira claim the Azores is too rural, quiet, and has too many cows.)
Our first impression of Madeira was from the window seat of the plane: green mountains, water, and no flat land. Then, you spot what looks like a miniature runway that was built as a bridge hanging over the water. It doesn’t seem even remotely possible to land on something so short. Came to find out that it’s a bit of a game. Many planes actually can’t land on the first try, even with the pilots having special training. We found out why. We did land, but it was one of the most adventurous we’ve ever had (aside from the fighter pilot-style landing in Bhutan).
Welcome to Madeira
It is instantly beautiful. The cities are indeed bigger and more populated, but they’re all concentrated and clinging to the coastline. It only takes about 15 minutes to be completely away from people and all the natural beauty. Madeira is literally all up and down; there are no flat spots on the island.
In Madeira, don’t miss:
• A stay at Reid’s Palace, with incredible gardens and the perfect perch above the water.
• A hike up to Pico do Arieiro (one of the highest points on the island) to watch the sunrise above the clouds. You can drive most of the way, then choose how hard and high you want to hike.
• Exploring the east and west sides of the island.
• To the east, there are some great hikes and levada walks to see the coastline to the north and east (including Portela). Check out some miradoures, including Balcoes, Valley of the Nuns (to see from up above and then visit the little town down below).
• On the west, don’t miss the mystical Fanal Forest.
The Verdict
I wouldn’t miss either the Azores or Madeira.
The Azores is best by bike, Madeira is best by car/foot.
The food (aside from the fresh fruits and veggies) is mostly mediocre at both places, even though Madeira has a ton of Michelin-starred restaurants and celebrity chefs.
And I will dream of returning to either the Santa Barbara Beach Resort, looking at the ocean from our deck, or sitting on the amazing terrace of our room (Winston Churchill’s room) at Reid’s Palace. Yes, we will return to Portugal yet again.
