Today’s article will be a bit different and will cover some interesting facts and curiosities I noticed during eight days spent in the Azores – more specifically on the island of São Miguel. You may have heard of some of them, some might be familiar to you, and a few might completely surprise you. So let’s dive into it.
1 AZORES & TEA
On the island of São Miguel, you’ll find the oldest and at the same time the only tea plantation in Europe. It’s called Gorreana Tea Plantation, and it was founded in 1883 by the Gago da Câmara family. To this day, it remains in family hands. Using traditional methods, they mainly produce black and green tea. We had the chance to walk through the plantation, taste different teas, and even buy some to take home.
Entry was free.
2 AZORES & PINEAPPLE
Did you know that the Azores are the only place in the European Union where pineapples are commercially grown on a larger scale? And that’s despite the fact that growing a single pineapple there takes 18 to 24 months. Why so long? Because unlike in tropical countries where pineapples grow on open plantations (like Costa Rica or Samoa), in the Azores they are grown in greenhouses. We visited one ourselves and enjoyed a delicious pineapple cake, ice-cream, juice, and fresh pineapple. The place we visited is called Plantação de Ananases A Arruda. I highly recommend it.
There’s no entrance fee either.
3 AZORES & FOOD
Since I mentioned pineapple, I’ll also mention a very traditional dish called “Cozido das Furnas,” which you can try in the town of Furnas on São Miguel. We had it at Tony’s Restaurant. What is it exactly? It’s a dish (meat and vegetables) cooked using volcanic steam. All the ingredients are placed in a pot, buried underground in an area with volcanic activity, and cooked for 5 to 7 hours using geothermal heat from the volcano. Pretty cool, right? I have to admit, though, we didn’t love it – it was a bit too tender and overcooked for our taste. But it was definitely worth trying.
After all, you don’t get to eat food cooked by volcanic steam every day.
4 AZORES & HOT SPRINGS
Speaking of volcanoes, São Miguel is home to several hot thermal springs where you can relax both body and mind. The Azores lie at the boundary of tectonic plates, which causes hot mineral waters to rise to the surface. We visited two places: Caldeira Velha (entry €11, booking in advance recommended; visits are limited to 90 minutes and it’s very popular) and Terra Nostra Park (entry €17, tickets can be bought on site and include access to a huge botanical garden).
In the Azores, geothermal energy isn’t used only for bathing but also for electricity production – it’s one of the most eco-friendly energy sources on the islands.
5 AZORES & WEATHER
Since the Azores are located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where different air masses meet and the ocean strongly influences the climate, you can experience four seasons in a single day. Sunshine in the morning, fog an hour later, then rain, and sunshine again. During our eight days, we experienced it all. What’s fascinating is that one part of the island can be covered in thick fog, while just 20 kilometers away you’ll find clear blue skies. Incredible!
6 AZORES & COWS
In the Azores, you’ll find cows almost everywhere. It’s even said that there are more cows than people. On São Miguel, there are about 135,000 residents and around 150,000 cows—roughly 1.1 to 1.4 cows per person. While that’s not as extreme as in New Zealand with sheep (5 million people and 25 million sheep), it’s still impressive. The nice thing is that the cows graze freely on lush pastures, which is said to be one of the reasons why the quality of dairy products there is so high.
7 AZORES & AN ABANDONED HOTEL
On São Miguel, near the Miradouro do Rei viewpoint in the West, you’ll find a massive and rather eerie abandoned hotel building. It’s the Monte Palace Hotel, which opened in 1989 as a luxury five-star resort overlooking the crater lake in the Sete Cidades area. However, due to low tourist numbers at the time, high operating costs, and its remote location, the hotel had to close in less than two years. For the first 20 years, the building was somewhat controlled, but later it was abandoned completely. Even the elevators were stolen. Today, there’s nothing inside except graffiti and debris – well, and stunning views from the rooftop over the Atlantic and the Sete Cidades lakes. Of course, only if the weather cooperates.
So, which of these facts did you already know? Which one was new to you? Let me know in the comments below.
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