Flores
We‘re back from a magical place, some even call it heaven on earth. It‘s a gem still hidden in the middle of the Atlantic ocean – the Portuguese islands Azores. After two amazing weeks we‘re back with a heart full of love for nature and its beauty. We started our adventure in Azores on the island Faial but as some of our friends and readers wished, we‘d like to present you first the island Flores.
Flores is our favorite island. We‘ve stayed for four nights. Some people might think it‘s too much, because the island is very small, but for us it was perfect! The weather is unpredictable and no app or forecast can give you real meteorological guidance. We still think that we were very lucky. We had lots of sunshine and made it to see all the amazing nature highlights. But maybe it‘s also because we were not stressed about time. We tried to visit the Caldeiras two times and couldn't see a thing (too foggy). And then on one afternoon, suddenly the sun came out and we had the most beautiful afternoon on the island. We visited the Caldeiras and did a stunning coast hike.
So, our first recommendation to you: go with the weather and take every day as a surprise. We did book some tours in advance and most of them came out just right weather wise. But for example our boat trip to Corvo was quite an adventure. On our way back, it started to rain massively. We barely saw the actually beautiful cliffs. We were on a speedboat and arrived all wet (including underwear). And guess what? It was the same day that the sun came out in the afternoon and we did that breathtaking coast walk!
Corvo island
In Flores, you‘ll experience nature deeply. The capital Santa Cruz das Flores is very tinny and has not much to see. But they have really nice natural cliff pools and the wale museum is worth a visit. Most of the people stay nearby Fajã Grande and so did we. We can really recommend you our wooden cabins O Sitío da Assumada. The owner is a very friendly man who‘s on your service 24/7. He even offers to pick you up after a hike (not all the paths are circular). We think, we had the prettiest cabin of them all. We had a huge garden (every cabin actually has that) with a hammock, which I used every evening for reading, and a stunning view to nature! From Sitío da Assumada you‘re near to the most famous waterfalls of Flores at Poço da Ribeira do Ferreiro. We also recommend you to visit the waterfalls at Poço do Bacalhau.
The Caldeiras offer you amazing views and you can hike there too. We recommend you to visit all of them, if the weather is good. Every view is stunning and different! We visited all of the Caldeiras but opted for a hike starting at the cost of Fajã Grande. Flores has a lot of hiking trails. They are well signed and you can check them online here (for every island).
Another very exciting adventure was the canyoning! It‘s the most fun way to explore nature on the Azores and feel one with it. We had a very experienced guide and always felt save and relaxed (and I‘m more of a chicken-kind-of-girl). We really recommend you the experience with Marco from WestCanyon.
As said, Flores is not at all touristic and there are only a few restaurants (all Portuguese). If you like fish go with that! You can have for example the catch of the day. But don‘t worry, the meat is also very good (I think there are more cows on this island than people). We also cooked two times in our cabin and enjoyed the evening in our garden. There is a tinny shop in Fajã Grande and you‘ll get the essentials there. Otherwise, you‘ll have to drive to Santa Cruz to buy food (or have a bigger selection). We recommend the following restaurants:
Por do Sol - As the name says it, go for dinner and enjoy a beautiful sundown.
Papadiamandis - It's probably the only restaurant around Fajã Grande that is open every day.
O Pescador - A restaurant run by a fisherman (freshly caught fish every day) and his wife (the cook). Go for lunch, it‘s hard to drive back in the dark to Fajã Grande.
Dear friends and readers, I hope you loved reading this article and that it will inspire you to visit this magical island!
Stay tuned for more articles about the Azores. Wishing you a lovely day,
Liliana
