Too good to be true on Terceira? Our Azores Getaways review

Okay, brutal honesty time, Luke and I both had the same question when Travelzoo surfaced an Azores Getaways deal with flights and accommodations for $499/person: is Azores Getaways for real?!! Seriously?! And Google wasn’t a ton of help. We found some thoughts on TripAdvisor, and were able to look up basic hotel reviews. But after finding very little specific info and a whole lot of “don’t worry, it’s a great trip”, we decided it was too good a deal NOT to find out for ourselves. The TL;DR is that we had an amazing trip to Terceira. It’s one of the larger islands in the Azores and sports amazing food, red wine, history, culture, and people. In fact, we were unprepared for just how beautiful and fun this place would be. AND we got a pretty solid idea of just what it’s like to actually book and enjoy a trip through this under-the-radar travel company. Voila, our Azores Getaways review and experience – so you don’t have to wonder as much as we did!

How’s the Boston to Azores flight time?

Living in Richmond, we were distinctly aware that a direct flight to the Azores would be impossible. So, we purchased round-trip tickets from Richmond to Boston that smoothly bookended our Azores travel dates. The flight to Boston takes almost no time – less than one full-length movie.

Once in Boston, we had to leave the secure area of the airport to pick up our checked bags, hoof it to terminal E, and then wait in front of the check-in counter for several hours for the gate agents to arrive. Happily, we ended up waiting with a serviceman stationed at the US based on Terceira who was bringing his adorable chihuahua back to the base with him. Perfect entertainment for two dog lovers! Plus, he volunteered some wonderful restaurant and activity recommendations from a distinctly American perspective.

Finally, once we checked in, went through Boston security (PSA: get your Pre-Check!), and spent some time at a restaurant enjoying a decent meal and some red wine, we boarded Azores Airways to Terceira. The flight was anticipated at well over 5 hours, but we arrived in a cool 4 hours, 40 minutes. Aside from some wobbly crosswinds on landing, we had a smooth flight with really decent food, free wine, and surprisingly comfortable (tolerable?) seats and legroom. Plus, one free checked bag! Please and thank you!

How hands-on is Azores Getaways? Is it just a travel agency?

Once you arrive at Terceira Airport, an Azores Getaways employee and bus will be waiting. We didn’t purchase the airport-to-hotel transfer ahead of time, but were still allowed to board and they charged out card on file (good news: it also included the return trip!). Before we boarded the bus, the rep we spoke with surprised us by providing a folder with suggested restaurants and cultural activities on the island, as well as a list of recommended Azores Getaways tours running each day of the week. It’s definitely an upsell, but it’s also a nice fallback if you need one.

Even more surprisingly, Azores Getaways had a representative stationed in the Hotel do Caracol lobby every morning to facilitate the day’s tours. When the weather got rough, or if a guide happened to run late, it was incredibly easy to walk over to the glass desk in the lobby to ask if the rep could help. So, it’s not just a travel agency… at least, not like any agency we’ve ever worked with before.

What’s the quality of the Hotel do Caracol package accommodations?

We got two different impressions of the Hotel do Caracol. First, we read TripAdvisor reviews, where we got the impression that the hotel wasn’t luxe but was absolutely good enough to serve as a home base while on Terceira. Then, we told an independent tour provider where we were staying, and she laughed and said we could do better (please note that the Portuguese are not rude – they’re just direct).

For folks who aren’t intimately familiar with the island’s hospitality offerings, let’s be clear that the Hotel do Caracol will do you just fine.

A few things to keep in mind about Caracol:

• Just get the airport transfer. When planning the trip, I had the crazy idea we’d just grab a taxi to the hotel. Turned out, taking the bus transfer ended up being about half the cost. Plus, it was ready and waiting for us, since our flight was the ONLY flight coming from the States that day. And hey, having someone help you load your bags is always nice, right?
• Purchase early check-in. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself sleeping in the hotel lobby with your luggage, because checkout is at 12pm, check-in is at 2pm, and most flights arrive before 8am.
• The Hotel do Caracol is only about a 20 minute walk from downtown Angra do Heroismo, and about a 30 minute walk from the Pousada do São Sebastião.
• The Hotel do Caracol restaurant serves buffet style meals (with breakfast included in most package stays). Breakfast is largely American-style, and is passably good. Don’t waste your E20/person on the buffet dinner, though. Bleh.
• If you need to eat at the hotel, go up to their snack bar on the second floor. You can order from a menu, and the food is actually pretty decent.
• The on-site spa is very nice and sophisticated, and well-worth a visit.
• Most tour operators will offer hotel pick-up of you stay in Angra do Heroismo – yay!

What are Azores Getaways’ Terceira Island tours and offerings?

TL;DR: How you feel about Azores Getaways tour and activity offerings will depend solely on how you prefer to travel. If you enjoy getting the high points without having to work too hard for them, Azores Getaways will have you covered. They work with in-country tour operators and tend to provide excursions and experiences for fairly large groups. We booked a Fado dinner, a walking tour, a “wine and cave tour”, a massage, and a food tour with Azores Getaways. Here’s a quick download on each:

Fado dinner

Every Sunday night, the Pousada do São Sebastião (in the middle of Angra do Heroismo) hosts a local Fado singer and her guitarists. Fado dates back hundreds of years in Portuguese culture, and is an extremely emotional musical style that tends to reference the hardship and heartbreak of being in the lower classes. The dinner is 4 courses – hors d’oeuvres, fish, _, and dessert – with bottomless wine glass refills and a final glass of port at the end of the night. Between each course, the dining room gets serenaded with beautiful Fado songs. We left extremely happy, especially considering the whole experience was about $35 USD per person.

• Service provider: Pousada do São Sebastião
• Recommendation: Book it!

Walking tour

Pro tip: if you want smaller groups, book excursions where you need to be a little bit active. Even though the weather didn’t want to cooperate and we had a fair amount of clouds and wind during our walking tour, we enjoyed making our way through Angra do Heroismo’s storied history on foot. With only about 8 of us in the group, we definitely were able to have a more personal experience. We toured the Alta Memoria, botanical gardens, presidential palace, the Angra market, a local artisanal gift shop, and a lovely embroidery shop. Our only bus rides happened when the weather got poor or when we would’ve had to walk longer than 10 minutes or so, since we were a group of mixed mobility. Marina, our guide, gave us great pointers for local foods and experiences, and recited a ton of history very quickly. Mad props and obrigado!

• Tour provider: Azores Getaways
• Recommendation: Book it!

“Wine and cave” tour

When you book an excursion through Azores Getaways, you don’t know what tour operator you’ll be booking with or anything more about the tour than just a quick marketing blurb, so you have to go by the title. We read “wine and cave” and went OOOOO Portuguese wine and wine caves! Cool! WRONG WRONG WRONG. We also learned that the company providing this tour will NOT cancel it, even when the weather is incredibly poor (to the tune of 50 mph wind gusts, heavy fog, and driving rain). Add to that, the experience was made even less authentic by being led by an Italian guide who had only been living in the Azores for less than 7 months.

What this tour actually is: driving to Biscoitos to see how wine is grown on Terceira, touring the wine museum (if it’s open, which it wasn’t when we went), driving around a sight-seeing, then being served wine, cheese, and jam on a picnic. Except, our picnic ended up being 5 very stressed out people in a Jeep trying not to elbow each other as we reached for the bread because the rain was FAR too heavy to have any kind of a picnic. And finally, you’ll visit one of the island’s caves – either Gruta do Natal or Algar do Carvao.

• Tour provider: ComunicAir
• Recommendation: RUN AWAY AND SKIP THIS PLEASE.

Hot-stone massage at Mythos Wellness

Myrthos Wellness is the spa located inside the Hotel do Caracol, which meant we just had to walk downstairs to be taken back into luxury. Their facilities are clean and modern, and the staff we spoke to were all very nice and accommodating. The massage room we were in had lovely murals covering the walls. But most notable? The tall massage tables at Mythos Wellness are actually WATERBEDS that are lit with colored LEDs from below. WHAT!!! They’re not super comfy around the neck, but they make getting a massage everywhere else on your body extremely relaxing and enjoyable. The hot-stone massage was gentle enough to be relaxing but firm enough to work out a few kinks. We both left oily, warm, and happy.

• Service provider: Mythos Wellness
• Recommendation: Book it!

Food tour

We try to schedule food tours whenever we try a new city or country, since food and culture play so closely together. So, we did the same here. Darcio picked us up (along with 6-7 other folks) in his van, and off we went to drive around the island, led by our stomachs. We stopped first at a cafe to try Terceiran coffee (yay, espresso!). Then, we drove to a few different historic sites so Darcio could teach us about the island’s part in Portuguese and world history. For lunch, we stopped in Praia da Vitoria at an upscale restaurant called Sabores do Chef. There, we enjoyed courses of bread/cheese/jam, soup typical to the island, alcatra, and finally the Quijada do Conde da Praia da Vitória (say that 5 times fast). History by tastebuds, I’m telling you.

Then, we drove to a few more viewpoints and historic sites before stopping at a cheese factory to try a few different island cheeses followed by a local wine and liquor tasting. If you don’t have a pretty decent alcohol tolerance, you may be blasted when you leave. Finally, we stopped by Quinta dos Acores for some very tasty locally-made gelato.

However, it’s important to note that every single time we sat in the van, or got out and walked somewhere, or shared a meal with Darcio, he was talking. It felt like we took a college course in Azorean history that happened to have a couple of much-needed meal breaks. And – at least for introverts like us – when you hear the same voice (regardless of how nice the person is) talking loudly and constantly for 8 hours, you want nothing more than for it to please, please God stop for a minute. We’d redo a few of our tours in a heartbeat, but probably not this one.

• Tour provider: SeaAdventures
• Recommendation: Mixed.

If you’re still asking yourself “should I book with Azores Getaways?”…

The answer from us is yes, because:

• Value – the value for your money is great. For about $2000, we got flights, accommodations, and a few days worth of guided activities. Only some activities include meals, though, and the currency is Euro, so factor that into your budget. We also splurged on a few things, like the massage, so we knowingly drove our costs up a bit. The good news is there’s plenty to do, even without paying for excursions.
• Quality – The Hotel do Caracol isn’t the only hotel you can choose from, but it’s certainly not a bad one. It’s convenient, clean, fairly updated, and offers very nice ocean or garden views. That said, you’ll have upgrade options when you book, and we’ve heard nothing but great things about the Pousada do São Sebastião, the renovated and converted fort smack in the middle of Angra do Heroismo. We’d be willing to bet that their deals to other islands are pretty similar.
• Location – Portugal and the Azores are both really underrated as destinations go, and both absolutely deserve your exploration and time.
• Convenience – Especially for folks from East Coast, USA, you won’t find a better nonstop deal to Europe, as long as you can get to the appropriate airport easily. But even if you hail from another part of the country, coordinating budget flights to get you to your nearest Azores Airlines hub shouldn’t present too much of a problem.

Pin the adventure for later!