Month: June 2025

Azores 14.6.25

14 June 2025 / admin

BA Plane 14.6.25

Time to return home. In view of our experiences we felt we would treat ourselves to a little more luxury and have booked lunch at Vila Galé in Ponta Delgada and arrange for a taxi to take us to the hotel. Vila Galé was the attractive looking hotel close to the fort which we spotted earlier in the week.

It is very different to our earlier hotel and the swimming pool looks to have plenty of sunbeds! It has a jazz and soul bar and we manage to obtain a drink – the poor girl has to run down from the restaurant and we follow her back up there for our lunch.

We do see a small number of other guests in the hotel – mainly coming and going – but absolutely no-one around the pool (not a surprise as it has rained earlier) and perhaps more surprisingly there is no-one dining either! They are obviously expecting people at some point as they are putting out a huge number of plates and bowls around the buffet areas (although no food is seen). However we have an airport to reach.

I am not sure they were expecting much in the way of dining guests until much later (for around 10 minutes we could find no-one at all) and the food is obviously cooked fresh although perhaps not as good as I had hoped – however no worse than the last hotel.

Another taxi takes us to the adjacent airport where we find that the inbound flight from Heathrow is late – it was delayed leaving Heathrow because the Red Arrows were flying overhead for the King’s Birthday. Recovery on tight turnrounds is never possible and we end back at Heathrow about 35 minutes later than planned. On the outward journey we were surprised to find that we had to wind our watches back an hour as Ponta Delgada is that much further west than the UK. Except I am so used to winding my watch back on return flights from Europe by an hour – which I do on leaving on Ponta Delgada, so when we do a time check at Heathrow it is two hours later than it says on my watch. Completely confused.

At Heathrow T5 we are at the C gates and have a huge wait for a shuttle as only one appears to be running and yet despite not going smoothly through passport control our bags have not arrived (most of the fellow passengers have long gone) and it seems ages before Jackie’s case eventually materialises. Then upward to pod parking and homeward.

Azores 11 & 12 & 13.6.25

14 June 2025 / admin

A change of pace now – the holiday was booked as two halves with an initial busy period and the a couple of quieter days at the end at what was hoped would be a sunny and warm location just along the coast from Ponta Delgada at Lagoa.

To put it mildly it was not in our usual price bracket but we hoped for a couple of days of indulgence.

We stayed in the first hotel in the morning and took a light lunch as the weather was not as good as the previous couple of days. Then a taxi to our destination.

It is a boutique hotel (nine rooms) and on being shown around I suppose the most striking aspect was the need to book the use of the jacuzzi. I accept that I would not want to share with others – but with that number of rooms booking it was a little much. We were also given a mobile phone so that we can contact the hotel team at any time (they are not on site overnight) and I can see the H&S side as positive – but do we really need another mobile phone? I largely left it in the bedroom until it woke us overnight as the battery went flat.

I have been known to arrive in a bedroom and sit down on the bed and ask politely if I need to unpack or not and probably should have done that. There is no door to the bathroom area – merely net-like curtains to pull across. I recall a hotel room in India where there was a glass wall between bathroom and bedroom – but that at least had a blind which could be lowered to obscure the indecencies – here there was no real separation which given the potential smells as well as sounds was unwelcome. Somehow I suspect we are not the target market.

For a boutique hotel room I would like a comfortable sofa or similar to lie along and read a book – there are two rather hard units in corners which are neither long enough on which to lie or short enough to provide a back rest whilst feet are on the floor. During the day it lacks natural light. At night some of the windows are unobscured so to my mind it is too light – almost impossible to conceive mentally but here physically obvious. There is a small window to the outside street with no blind and it is largely the only natural light. So we have a room which is too dark in the day and too light at night and with no comfortable seating.

If we had been outside throughout our stay as we were largely on the Thursday on the sunbeds then the room might have been less irksome but on Friday as it rained all day it was more oppressive and containing. The weather no-one can control but it was not possible to be comfortable.

We ate in the hotel on both Wednesday and Friday nights. Our first choices on the first night were the items we really wanted and the food is excellent. However our second choices on the Friday evening were good in terms of the quality of the items – we both had a deconstructed curry – but I am not sure the execution quite matched the underlying product quality.

On the Thursday evening we went out to find a local restaurant but the external visage of the two we found were not ideal. We dined in the second (given that there were only the two to find) and in reality the hotel needs the support of some slightly better restaurants – Jackie’s shrimp curry here was a somewhat odd pink colour and the shrimps were undercooked.

It will not be receiving a rave review, but I will not name it as that is a little unfair.

Azores 10.6.25

11 June 2025 / admin

Catamaran 10.6.25

When we walked along the Marina earlier in the week we noted various ways of going whale watching and the larger boats are catamarans (there are also rib boats but they are far too small for Jackie) and we booked an afternoon trip for today on one of the cats as the sea looks pretty flat and the weather looks good for the Tuesday.

Last time we went whale watching off of Boston poor Jackie was bedevilled with sea sickness until the return journey and so far this week the sea has looked calm and there are no obvious strong winds and so it proved as we headed out along the south coast of the island in an eastwards direction. This means we pass Lagoa where we are staying for the rest of the week – but we are far enough out to be unable to identify details apart from a very tall white building – some sort of vertical store.

After today’s trip I reach the conclusion that there is an ongoing problem with whale watching – it depends where they are and in terms of visibility. In terms of time we spend about an hour to reach an area where the crew hope we will see something – but nothing much emerges except a fin or two. Visible but not long enough to get a decent photo. So we move to another location and there are underwater shapes – where are informed there are a number of dolphins just under the surface – perhaps it is just too warm to come up today – who knows.

Distant fin 10.6.25

So there is an imbalance of time spent travelling and watching on one hand and even when there if they do not want to come out to play you do not see very much!

It is then an hour back to port – and in my personal view the risk / reward ratio did not work today – but at least Jackie was not ill as it remained smooth in both directions. We stayed in the cabin as that moves around less and consequently is less likely to cause upset.

After a drink on our return we walk around looking at the various restaurants but we had already decided we are having an Indian today as a change from the local cuisine which otherwise becomes a little boring as it is similar in most places. It was recommended by some Americans in the hotel bar earlier in the week but it as a welcome change.

Azores 9.6.25

10 June 2025 / admin

Underground Cooking 9.6.25

Today we had a pre-booked excursion with Pure Azores to explore the Eastern side of the island with our trip largely centred around Furnas which is a town in a collapsed volcano crater which is in the centre of the area. The crater remains very warm as we shall encounter but has not been active for a long time.

Collected on time and with a small number of other travellers our driver is also the guide for the day – but as the roads are not overly hectic keeping up a running discourse is not that difficult for Joao who looks after us very well throughout the day – and he has been doing this for about 6 years as tourism to the island has grown.

Furnas Lake 9.6.25

Our first stopping point is high up over the lake which has formed in the collapsed crater below our stopping point and which has a wonderful view over the wider area – mainly the lake of course but also the surrounding area and the village of Furnas.

We then descend to lake level and observe the location where the local restaurants use the heat in the ground to mass cook meats for lunch and we even see one container being lowered into the ground which will be fully cooked some 8 hours later, so to be ready for our lunch someone was lowering them into the ground about 4am this morning – a very odd working day!

Elsewhere in the town there are five different types of water – varying temperatures and varying flavours which are running out from the rocks.

It is possible to bathe in the waters – we had not pursued this option but one of the group did being dropped off and then collected in time for lunch – the restaurant puts a huge plate of mixed meats – mainly pork and local sausages plus some chicken and a limited amount of beef into which we all dig. It does not all get consumed and we see many others departing with doggy boxes of leftovers – not something which we can consider unfortunately.

Waterfall 9.6.25

Our trip then visits a number of beauty spots – a garden with waterfalls and subsequently a view over part of the northern length of the island’s coast. It all confirms that it is a lovely island and we are well looked after during the day.

We return to our hotel and decide on a bar snack this evening – which goes moderately well until we need to pay at which point the staff disappear. It is odd the way that staff have not quite got the approach to customer service perfect – good in patches is my view.

Azores 8.6.25

9 June 2025 / admin

City Gates 8.6.25

Following breakfast we head out to have a wander around the centre of Ponta Delgada and rather than ignore it I will admit that we followed the guidance of Kitty at:

https://kittymeetsworld.com/short-walking-tour-ponta-delgada/

Although not arriving by cruise liner (unlike Kitty) our hotel is at the Eastern end of the docks / marina area overlooking a collection of restaurants which has been built in the bay so we have a little way to walk to the City Gates along the front, where the described tour commences.

The isle of Sao Miguel was uninhabited when a small fishing village was established at Santa Clara in around 1444 and is the largest island of the Azores island group which consists of nine islands – which are spread quite widely. The weather is close to mediterranean but with warmer winters due to the Gulf Stream and generally higher rainfall leading to the obviously green and lush pastures supporting around 30000 cows (with a slight preponderance of bull beef cattle over milk production). There are more cows than people on the island.

The City Gates now stand some way back from the waterfront, as post WWII a huge area in front of the gates all along the front was reclaimed to form a dual carriageway road and significant new building construction (no doubt at premium prices). The older buildings are therefore set a little way back from the current edge of the port and westwards from the Town Gates a large area has been pedestrianised and it is easy largely flat walking so we have no need to hurry as we pass the Gates, Churches, Town Hall and a sanctuary before finally reaching the fort. Along the way we note some interesting restaurants and a fado establishment but we are unable it enjoy the music on this visit.

In the corner of Campo de São Francisco we note a smart looking hotel Vila Galé and so we now have a small number of reasons for a potential return visit to the island. There is also a Dotto train, although we completely fail to find the ticket selling cabin, even though it supposed to be bright green.

WW1 Memorial 8.6.25

After visiting the first war memorial at the fort we return towards our hotel along the front largely at the lower level where we pass some more restaurants and some floating “units” like caravans which are a little different. We reach a busy bar and restaurant in time for drink and a spot of lunch.

Close to the Airport 8.6.25

And we know we are very close to the airport!

In the evening we eat in the Balcony restaurant in the hotel – it is both convenient and we were sure of it being available on the Monday evening. This was good and it is good not to be on the diet that we are at home.

Azores 7.6.25

8 June 2025 / admin

Steak at Michel’s 7.6.25

When we visited Madeira a couple of years ago we asked where they went for holidays and the answer was the Azores and it was also where they sourced beef as it was the best. So it was added to the holiday list.

We arrived at T5 having pod parked some 90 minutes before we can bag drop! Slightly excessive. Then the trauma commences – the bag drop scanner requires bar code facing upwards. However the security scanner requires the barcode facing down. Come on system designers please be consistent. Today we are not scanning boarding cards at the baggage check – the equipment was there but is unused and turned off, last time through we did have this extra scan (why was it needed, why is not needed?). Today take nothing out of your bag, previously take phones and ipads out – they had to be separate! Enough to confuse all old people! Why keep changing the processes?

However there is real trauma the other side of the body scanner. Somehow Jackie’s cardigan jumps out of the tray and becomes entangled in the rollers on the air side of the scanner backing up the numerous trays behind, including mine which I suspect is actually within the scanner itself.

I hate not to have visibility of my bag for any length of time and this drags on as the initial prodding has no effect. Then we are told the stopped trays are being put on an adjacent conveyor, but mine does not appear. Panic levels rising all round and a proper engineer is eventually summoned.

Three staff are needed to release the cardigan unharmed. Jackie is relieved. However when it comes through my bag is shunted sideways and needs to be given an extremely thorough swabbing including the book, camera, ipad, and so on. Eventually I can put my belt on and repack my bag!

T5 has the wonderful shuttles (which were less than wonderful when we return at the end of the week) to the B and C gates but today we are required to descend to ground level and take a bus, then walk on the tarmac and climb steps to G-TTNG to obtain access, back to the fifties everyone! Once on board Air Traffic Control have us sat around doing nothing for nearly half an hour.

Nearly four hours later we arrive in Ponta Delgada and walk across the tarmac into arrivals and then a taxi to the Grand Hotel which overlords the harbour and our sixth floor room has a pleasant view over the marina area.

For dinner tonight we are booked at 7pm at Michel’s which is walking distance from the hotel. And so it seems are large numbers of other guests for the restaurant. Although we are about the third party seated something goes seriously wrong and it is some 35 minutes or more before our order is taken – they still insist on phone use for reading the menu – a practice which I do not appreciate. In consequence before the waiter did comes we feel seriously out of sorts. I also get the impression that the food was a sitting around for a while as it could have been usefully warmer. Maybe we were unlucky, what we did have tasted excellent. I had the limpets to start and misjudging the temperature I burn my lower lip – entirely my own fault and yet I am glad I have tried them. The relatively poor service was annoying as the food was definitely very good.

We return to the hotel before it gets dark – in general I believe the place is safe – but better than being out in the dark in a strange town.