A short(ish) review which really won't do this incredible destination justice!  Sao Miguel is the main island of the Azores and is called the Green Island for a very good reason - you really have to see the scenery for yourself to truly appreciate it.  It is truly stunning, so many deep shades of green and we were lucky, the hydrangeas were just coming into bloom when we were there.  They are scattered throughout the island, on every road and hedgerow, along with many other colourful flowers, shrubs and trees.  We saw green and blue lakes, waterfalls, rugged coastlines and at one point, we could see the whole width of the island - both coasts in the one view!  It was stupendous, a joy to see and to photograph and I am very glad I went.

We had a half day whale watching excursion as an optional and almost everyone in our group of 20 went - we were rewarded with two sightings of a sperm whale and pods of dolphins, who performed wonderfully for us, jumping out of the water and following alongside the boat.  A magical experience and I am very happy to have finally seen a whale!

The food was very good throughout the tour and this year it is half board (the number of included dinners next year is being reduced) - we ate in the hotel every night and it was generally excellent, with plenty of choice.  I am afraid to get on the scales!!  The hotel, the Marina Atlantico, is very good, with comfortable beds, a great shower and nice balconies overlooking the marina (if you upgrade to a sea view).  There is a public outdoor pool opposite the hotel (and an ATM).  There are places to eat around a ten minute walk along the seafront and the hotel is around 10 minutes from the centre.

My only criticism of this great tour is that there is too much free time.  If you do the optional whale watching tour (and you'd be mad not to!), there are still three half days and a full day free.  There is not much to do around Ponta Delgada (the capital) - we did the toy train of the gardens in the city one day and it was really lovely.  We were going to do a different tour on the toy train on our last day, but it was cancelled.  We asked our wonderful tour manager, Filomena Lima, for some help and she very kindly organised two optional excursions on our free day - a half day visit to a pottery workshop (very interesting) and even better, a trip to see Lagoa do Fogo, which is the most picturesque lake on the island (utterly stunning!  Why isn't this included in the itinerary?!).  For the afternoon, she organised a trip on the Big Truck, which took us back to Sete Cidades, where you can view the twin green and blue lakes - the difference being that the truck can take you along the ridge of the caldera for a much closer and different perspective of the lakes.  Just over half of the group did the two extra tours and we declared it to be the best day of the holiday!  The only other way the tour could be improved is to take a day trip to one of the other islands - there are several ferry and flight options I understand and this could be offered as an optional excursion, I feel.  We are most grateful to Filomena, who went above and beyond to ensure that we all had a wonderful time on our tour.  She is an excellent tour manager, one of the best that I have had.  The local guide, Emma, was not very inspiring I'm afraid.

I strongly recommend this tour to a unique destination - it is presently only attracting small numbers of tourists, so go soon before it becomes commercialised.  I loved the traditional Portuguese architecture and food.  And flying Ryanair was not a problem!  All in all, a lovely week, not too hectic and I greatly enjoyed the company of some familiar faces.  Do go!

All the best,

Bob

thanks for the review, . Sounds like a lovely place. Glad to hear you had a good time. Another destination for the wishlist.

Regards

Katy

I can only reiterate what Bob has said. The Island is picture perfect and you really must do it before it all changes and becomes over commercialised.

We had a lovely week with great company.

Regards

Julie

I agree with everything you said, it truly was a wonderful holiday in a fabulous location.  The hotel was clean and the staff were very friendly.  The Big Truck trip was amazing and I hope that JY decide to offer it as an optional excursion... it really is not to be missed.

Also, some of us discovered Goshawk Azores Pineapple Gin - it fast became the favorite tipple of some of us.

All in all an amazing place to visit.

Kezzer

I hope we get Filomena as our Tour Manager and that she will organise similar excursions on the free days. Haven't yet booked the whale watching trip - I saw plenty of whales in Antarctica but it will certainly be a worthwhile trip if the dolphins perform.

Peter

I know that we talked about this one in Crete.  I would LOVE to do it, but can't see it being possible for the foreseeable future because of my mobility issues.  The hotel sounds very similar to the one in Crete!

Cindy

Many thanks for your comments!

Katy and Rose, definitely one for the wish list - I have enough tours with various companies to keep me going for at least the next ten years!!

Cindy and Peter - yes Filomena really helped to make this a great holiday with her organisational skills, knowledge and in organising those extra excursions.  I've learned a lesson for the future - if there aren't enough optionals available, ask the TM if they can offer more - or at least point us in the right direction!  We saw dozens of dolphins and we even got some photos of them underwater.  Fantastic!

Elaine - the hotel isn't in such a nice location as the one in Chania and it is much bigger.  The staff were lovely though.  This isn't really a tour suitable for anyone with limited mobility, as there was a bit of walking over uneven surfaces etc.  Hope you get the op soon!

All the best,

Bob

A wonderful tour made incredible by your photos on Facebook. I too would be disappointed by the days of leisure, one of the reasons why I do not want to do Cape Cod even though it is a beautiful place. I believe that I saw Filomena is on the River Douro cruise on 16th July. I am on the 26th July.

Jan

Hi all,

Many thanks for your comments!

Katy and Rose, definitely one for the wish list - I have enough tours with various companies to keep me going for at least the next ten years!!

Cindy and Peter - yes Filomena really helped to make this a great holiday with her organisational skills, knowledge and in organising those extra excursions.  I've learned a lesson for the future - if there aren't enough optionals available, ask the TM if they can offer more - or at least point us in the right direction!  We saw dozens of dolphins and we even got some photos of them underwater.  Fantastic!

Elaine - the hotel isn't in such a nice location as the one in Chania and it is much bigger.  The staff were lovely though.  This isn't really a tour suitable for anyone with limited mobility, as there was a bit of walking over uneven surfaces etc.  Hope you get the op soon!

All the best,

Bob

Thanks as always Bob.  I will let you know as and when the op happens!  🙂

As always, a great review.

When I visited the Azores two years ago in September with another company, we stayed in Sao Miguel and Faial with a day trip to Pico. If JY wants to improve the holiday, maybe they should include something similar, as the islands are all very different. Free time was not limited either.

Regards

Sylvia

Was looking forward to your review of the Azores and as usual it was great reading, am pleased that you enjoyed the tour.

I had been considering it because of the whale watching trip, unfortunately like Janib I am a little put off it now because of all the free time. I hope that JY does take note of your comments regarding leisure time.

Kind regards

Di

Thanks for your comments - and if JY want to live up to Travelsphere's new slogan of "the holiday of a lifetime, every time," I really do hope they take our suggestions on board.  It was a great holiday but it could easily be made better still.  I thought I'd relish the continuity of staying in the one hotel for the week, but as a holiday companion commented, it gets a bit "samey!"  In fairness, JY do bill this tour as "leisurely touring" but there needs to be options available for the free time - as I said, there is very little to do in Ponta Delgada.  Shopping is certainly very limited!  But Di, please don't let this put you off going - the scenery is so stunning that it is definitely worth seeing.  Perhaps bring a book for the down time, if JY don't offer some more excursions?!

All the best,

Bob 

PS Jan, many thanks for your kind comments!  Sally's photos are better still!!

Thank you both for your comments regarding the free time, I have passed them on to the Holiday Creators as it is always valuable feedback.

Kind regards

Matt

Cheers,

Bob

Bob,so shopping is limited as well in  the Azores!! really that should be a good thing for me so that I couldn't go silly spending and buying a load of tut then (apart from the obligatory fridge magnets which definitely aren't tut).

Enjoy where ever you are travelling to next.

Matt,Yep, I know JY do listen to feedback but as we all know JY cannot please everyone how ever hard it tries because we all require different things from our holidays. 

kind Regards

Di

I will speak to our Customer Feedback team and get that organised. Apologies that you did not receive the form.

Kind regards

Matt

Thank you for the lovely review. Am amazed that there was so much free time. I would get bored as I am not a 'beach' person or one to lie around doing nothing. It is fine for a few hours but not half or full days. A bit disappointing to hear that Just You is also cutting back on number of meals provided. Holidays are getting expensive and cuts are getting more and more. I am going to look around to see if I can find a better company for the New Zealand tour since Just You have also cut back on the Maori Hangi meal, which is included in their rivals itinerary and the price has also gone up a lot. I do like travelling with Just You and have been a very loyal customer, but now with prices going up and cuts being made I have decided to 'shop' around. I would love to go to the Azores one day. I think within a couple of years I will cut back on long haul travel and do short haul trips as there are so many places I want to see. Glad you enjoyed Azores and also saw the whale and dolphins. Must have been very exciting.

Regards

Jaya

Many thanks!

Hi Di,

There was some very nice volcanic jewellery available (as Sao Miguel is highly volcanic), plenty of fridge magnets, picture books of the Azores and toy cows, if you're into that sort of thing!  Sally bought a very nice one and has called it Connie....(briefly called Colin, but that's another story).  Also delicious liqueurs and Azorean tea....however SM is a bit short on big stores and shopping areas....

All the best,

Bob

As always thank you for your feedback.

At Just You we try to put together tours that appeal to all of our customers, some people enjoy our Classic Touring range, others are more adventurous and keen on our Active range, while many are looking for more free time which they get with our Relax and Discover range.

Kind regards

Matt