Do-It-Yourself Ponta Delgada

[MISTYANNIE]

Susana,

 

How easy is it to rent a car and get around in the Ponta Delgada area?

 

We too, will be on the same transatlantic cruise in November.

[Dlhappy29]

We will be there on May 2, 2009 will the ocean be warm enough to swim? I see the tour of swimming with the dolphins and I am very intrigued, I told my husband and he wondered how warm the ocean will be in early may?

[costa del sol cruiser]

Hi Susana

 

Many thanks for all your great information; we too will be in Ponta Delgada on 14th November on our TA on Navigator of the Seas. As we have quite a long time on the island it´s great to know you can do things on your own and don´t have to pay the silly prices of the ship operated excursions

[trubey]

. . . I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't be hard to find a taxi who could possibly drive us around the island (I've found those to be great in other cities) so we could see its beauty . . . :)

 

There should be many taxis available unless you are traveling on a "monster" ship.

 

susana.

[trubey]

I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm doing some research for the carnival cruise I will be taking, that will have a 7 to 3pm stop at Ponta Delgada. It will be on a saturday, may 2.

 

At first I was thinking I would just walk off the ship into town and explore, which I still hope to do a bit of, but it sounds like I would be missing a lot if I didn't see furnas valley or cidedad.

 

As always, I'm on a budget, it looks like the shore excursion for furnas valley would be between $50 and $75 per person, but it must be extensive because it is a 5 hour tour. I'm leaning away from cidedad because if I book through the cruiseline I don't think I can wait to check on the visibility for that day. Unless I link up with some other shipmates onboard, it will only be my son and I - does going with the ship shore excursion sound worthwhile, or would a taxi be comparable? The huge tour bus experience is not my favorite, but if the taxi is more expensive then it may be our only option.

 

It is just like a lottery ticket. You pay and then see if you win. It can even be beautifully sunny in Ponta Delgada and then misty on the mountains.

 

If you do not make advance reservations and the day is rainy, but you still want to chose where to go (by taxi), I would advise the Furnas visit.

 

Furnas and Sete Cidades are wonderful places to see and part of the experience is simply the ride to them.

 

There will be activity in Ponta Delgada on a Saturday only between about 9:30 and 1:00.

 

susana.

[trubey]

Susana,

 

How easy is it to rent a car and get around in the Ponta Delgada area?

 

We too, will be on the same transatlantic cruise in November.

 

It would not be difficult to do it, but I would never, never advise it. Our roads are hilly and curvy and we supposedly have one of the highest accident rates in Europe. Just last week a car went around the curve where I live and found itself on the bottom of a ravine that must equal to about a five story house. Honestly.

 

There are only about 5 automatic transmissions cars available for rent on the island--would this be an issue for you?

 

If you love driving, it could be fun. But if you want to see everything, don't drive. I don't even feel comfortable answering my cell phone as I drive here. And I've been driving here for 9 years. (fyi: it's also illegal to answer a cell phone while driving).

 

susana.

[trubey]

We will be there on May 2, 2009 will the ocean be warm enough to swim? I see the tour of swimming with the dolphins and I am very intrigued, I told my husband and he wondered how warm the ocean will be in early may?

 

I can't give you the actual degrees of the ocean, but I can tell you that I don't go swimming until June.

 

susana.

[MISTYANNIE]

It would not be difficult to do it, but I would never, never advise it. Our roads are hilly and curvy and we supposedly have one of the highest accident rates in Europe. Just last week a car went around the curve where I live and found itself on the bottom of a ravine that must equal to about a five story house. Honestly.

 

There are only about 5 automatic transmissions cars available for rent on the island--would this be an issue for you?

 

If you love driving, it could be fun. But if you want to see everything, don't drive. I don't even feel comfortable answering my cell phone as I drive here. And I've been driving here for 9 years. (fyi: it's also illegal to answer a cell phone while driving).

 

susana.

 

Hi Susana,

 

Thanks again for all of your help (from all of us who read your posts)! We really appreciate it. Ok, you have convinced me....no rental cars. It looks like Amazing Tours is all booked up for that day & I didn't have too much luck with the Ava Tours website (for a private tour). We may just do one tour with the ship and take a cab for the rest of the day.

 

I guess someone from our cruise had mentioned they had been there before and used the public buses to get around and had a scenic drive around? How far do the buses go and are they easy/safe to use? Do we need exact change etc. How far are the places you recommend going to like Furnas and Sete Cidades?

 

Michelle

[MISTYANNIE]

Hi Susana,

 

Thanks again for all of your help (from all of us who read your posts)! We really appreciate it. Ok, you have convinced me....no rental cars. It looks like Amazing Tours is all booked up for that day & I didn't have too much luck with the Ava Tours website (for a private tour). We may just do one tour with the ship and take a cab for the rest of the day.

 

I guess someone from our cruise had mentioned they had been there before and used the public buses to get around and had a scenic drive around? How far do the buses go and are they easy/safe to use? Do we need exact change etc. How far are the places you recommend going to like Furnas and Sete Cidades?

 

Michelle

 

Hi again Susana,

 

Just wanted to say that I finally had a chance to print most of your posts and read them over. It's much easier because I think that I missed reading some of your notes. Anyway, I think that you have answered most of my questions previously. Thanks again!

 

Michelle

[Jade13]

Just a note to travelers. Horta is not on the island of Sao Miguel. If your ship stops at Ponta Delgada, you will not see Horta. susan.

 

Susan,

 

We are exploring the idea of just flying to the Azores (from the US) for a week (6 nights). I am looking for something to do with my teenage stepdaughter who does not like to cruise, and is only interested in someplace with water (ie She doesn't want to go to Peru and I don't really want to go back to the Carribean as I prefer Adventure Travel).

 

I have looked at a couple of web sites and we do not golf or fish or go birding. We would come for 6 nights and the bottom line is that my DH wants to know what type of water sports are available (don't laugh, I know these are beautiful Islands, I've been all over and have been to Portugal (just not the Azores) such as rafting, paddle boats, etc.

 

Also, it looks like the flights go into Sao Miguel, and perhaps Faial or Terceira or Pico. Which Island do you recommend staying on, and how hard/expensive and how long does it take to go to another Island for the day? Also, because of the teenager, I need a hotel with a nice pool but note that we prefer old unique one of a kind hotels with charm, a good location (and at least one that includes breakfast).

 

Any recommendations would be great as we try to determine if this would be a good week trip for our family next July. Thanks!

[Jade13]

Ponta Delgada, Saõ Miguel, Azores, Portugal

 

Food-wise, there's not much of note. Azorean food is about 300 years behind modern cooking, with lots of overcooked dry oversalty meat, terrible sausage (chourice, or else blood sausage called morcela, served with pineapple). Fish can be wonderful, grilled or fried or roasted; but stay away from chicharros, which are crappy little whitebait that taste horrible. Steak will be very tough, as all the beef here is grass-fed. Shellfish is usually imported and expensive, though Polvo (octopus) or Lulas (squid) are local and usually good-to-great. Lulas Grelhadas (grilled squid) is my favorite. Bacalhau (dried codfish) is prepared in many wonderful ways, either 'com Natas' (with cream) or 'a Bras', with potatoes, and other ways 'en cassarole'. DON'T get it fried! Most cafes serve some sort of noontime food, and have a sandwich board outside with their selections.

 

 

Hmm, I just saw this which was from almost 4 years ago. Is the food all still bad? My DH is a Chef, and btw we do not eat fish (just shrimp and crabs). He said if the meat is tough it's because someone does not know how to cook it.

[Jade13]

Susan,

 

We are exploring the idea of just flying to the Azores (from the US) for a week (6 nights). I am looking for something to do with my teenage stepdaughter who does not like to cruise, and is only interested in someplace with water (ie She doesn't want to go to Peru and I don't really want to go back to the Carribean as I prefer Adventure Travel).

 

I have looked at a couple of web sites and we do not golf or fish or go birding. We would come for 6 nights and the bottom line is that my DH wants to know what type of water sports are available (don't laugh, I know these are beautiful Islands, I've been all over and have been to Portugal (just not the Azores) such as rafting, paddle boats, etc.

 

Also, it looks like the flights go into Sao Miguel, and perhaps Faial or Terceira or Pico. Which Island do you recommend staying on, and how hard/expensive and how long does it take to go to another Island for the day? Also, because of the teenager, I need a hotel with a nice pool but note that we prefer old unique one of a kind hotels with charm, a good location (and at least one that includes breakfast).

 

Any recommendations would be great as we try to determine if this would be a good week trip for our family next July. Thanks!

 

I see there is horseback riding, and DD will too that besides swimming, so perhaps I answered my own question about flying into Sao Miguel.

[caber]

We stopped in 2006 Transatlantic on Sea Princess for half a day. Just wandering the old town is an experience. It was the end of April. It was warm.

Sit and have a drink in a pavement cafe. You will find it much better and less expensive than the ship.

One thing I should mention, euros are used there. Some of our American friends only had dollars with them and the little stalls would not take them. We had to come to their aid.

You will find it a lovely stop.:)

[caribill]

Trubey

We have stopped at Ponta Delgada on a cruise once before (took a ship's tour to Ribeira Grande, Fire Lake & a Pineapple Greenhouse). By the way, it was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed the visit very much.

We will be there again on Tuesday, May 5, on the Emerald Princess which is scheduled to be there Noon-6 PM.

Among sights we are considering this time are Terra Nostra Garden and the Furnas Valley. Would your friend Petra be a great tour guide for that? Would we contact her directly (if so, how) or via Melo tours (if so, how)?

Do you have any other suggestions of what to see in our limited time there?

Also, are ATMs easy to find? This will be the first port that we can obtain Euros.

Thanks for your advice

[Nebr.cruiser]

We'll be in Ponta Delgada April 24, in port only from 7-1. Because of that (and because we have a lot of OBC) we'll be taking a ship tour--Norwegian Jewel.

 

Which would you recommend?

 

Option 1: Hot Springs and Botanical gardens. Scenic drive along south road passing Lagos and the viewpoint of Calours. Arrive at Vila Franca. After a short break continue to the Valley of Furnas for hot springs, etc. Next, visit the Gardens of Terra Nostra. Return to Ponts Delgada, cross to North coast, stop at tea plantation.

 

Option 2: Village of Sete Cidades & Wine tasting; (Note; we're not really wine drinkers). See caldera with blue and green lake from the highest point and close. Visit Splend time in Sete Cidades. See Santiago Lake on the way back.Stop at a hotel to sample wine and cheese.

 

Option 3: Drive scenic roads to Ribeira Grands. Drive to summit of Pico da Barrosa Mountain with views of Fire Lake. Return along the new road, descend to Lagoa, stop at pineapple plantation.

 

Option 4: Sete Cidades Crater Lake. (I'm leaning toward this one) Scenic drive to village of Faja de Baixo,visit pineapple plantation. Continue to Sete Cidades. Continue to Santiago Lake and Vista do Rei viewpoints. Reach main crater with twin lakes.

 

I've cut the descriptions of these tours down to the essentials. They are each about 3 1/2 hours except the first, which is 4 1/2 hours.

 

Thanks for any help you can give me. We can't wait to see the Azores! I just wish our time there was longer.

[rich40245]

We'll be in Ponta Delgada April 24, in port only from 7-1. Because of that (and because we have a lot of OBC) we'll be taking a ship tour--Norwegian Jewel.

 

Looks like it's time to disturb the piece and quiet in Ponta Delgada:

 

We are on the Norwegian Gem, in port on April 23, one day before you.

[AzoresW]

We'll be in Ponta Delgada April 24, in port only from 7-1. Because of that (and because we have a lot of OBC) we'll be taking a ship tour--Norwegian Jewel.

 

Which would you recommend?

 

Option 1: Hot Springs and Botanical gardens. Scenic drive along south road passing Lagos and the viewpoint of Calours. Arrive at Vila Franca. After a short break continue to the Valley of Furnas for hot springs, etc. Next, visit the Gardens of Terra Nostra. Return to Ponts Delgada, cross to North coast, stop at tea plantation.

 

Option 2: Village of Sete Cidades & Wine tasting; (Note; we're not really wine drinkers). See caldera with blue and green lake from the highest point and close. Visit Splend time in Sete Cidades. See Santiago Lake on the way back.Stop at a hotel to sample wine and cheese.

 

Option 3: Drive scenic roads to Ribeira Grands. Drive to summit of Pico da Barrosa Mountain with views of Fire Lake. Return along the new road, descend to Lagoa, stop at pineapple plantation.

 

Option 4: Sete Cidades Crater Lake. (I'm leaning toward this one) Scenic drive to village of Faja de Baixo,visit pineapple plantation. Continue to Sete Cidades. Continue to Santiago Lake and Vista do Rei viewpoints. Reach main crater with twin lakes.

 

I've cut the descriptions of these tours down to the essentials. They are each about 3 1/2 hours except the first, which is 4 1/2 hours.

 

Thanks for any help you can give me. We can't wait to see the Azores! I just wish our time there was longer.

 

the first one

 

this is Furnas

 

 

Terra Nostra Garden

 

Tea Plantation

 

 

Hot Springs in Furnas

 

 

 

Fire Lake & Sete Cidades are also great, but if the weather is cloudy and foggy it will be hard to see anything

 

Fire Lake

 

 

Sete Cidades

 

[MadisonBay]

 

First, let me thank you so much for your advice last year about the festival. After 6 days at sea, we arrived in Ponta Del Gada, and enjoyed the wonderful festival surrounding Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres. Thanks to you we were prepared. Nothing prepared us for the beautiful flower petals and wood shavings that adorned the street. It was a memorable trip!

We will be back next month on another TA. My husband wants to visit the lava tubes. I researched and found that Gruta da Carvão is located underneath Ponta Del Gada. Where is it? Can tourists visit it? What is your advice?

Thanks again.

[SOOKIENY]

Hey Rich.....are you trying to tell me something?????? LOL

[rich40245]

Hey Rich.....are you trying to tell me something?????? LOL

We might have to ring the door-bell twice to wake them up.

 

(From what I see on CruiseTT.com, March has one visitor - the Azamara Journey with 694 pax. April has one on the 19th, one on the 20th, and then us (Gem) on the 23rd, one on 24th, and [look out] two ships on April 25 with 4802 pax, and finally one more on April 28)

 

Rich

[SOOKIENY]

Guess we won't have trouble finding a taxi!

[decemberroses]

If we want to try the pineapple, where would be the best place to go to buy some? :)

[decemberroses]

Or am I thinking of the wrong place?

[thmpsn]

We will be visiting in Oct. 2010 on the NCL Gem. We will be there on a Sunday. I noticed that you said everything is closed on Saturday. Is that also true on Sunday?

Could you also recommend what would be a good thing to purchase and bring home that is made or produced there?

Thanks for any recommendations on these issues.

Karon

[SingSingSing]

we've been there many times. it's a nice safe place to visit. amazing islands. we'll be there again this month.

 

jake