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The Atlantic's Floating Kingdom (Cont.) Access & Resources: Tooling Around in the Azores
GETTING THERE Certainly the most interesting way to arrive in the Azores is by sailboat. Unless you own a boat and want to outfit her to cross the Atlantic, the alternative is to hitch a ride as crew. Boatcrew (info@boatcrew.net) matches needy yachts with willing bodies. Another option is to fly to the Azores and try to talk your way aboard a passing yacht. There are commercial airports on Faial, Terceira, and S‹o Miguel. TAP, the Portuguese airline, runs a daily flight from Newark to Lisbon, starting at around $550 round-trip (011-351-707-205-700, www.tap.pt). From there, SATA flies to the islands for about $215 (011-351-218-437-701, www.sata.pt). During the busy summer, SATA also organizes charter flights direct to the Azores from Boston, Toronto, and Oakland. AcorLine (011-351-296-302-370, www.acorline.pt), based on Sao Miguel, runs inter-island ferries. WHAT TO DO The Azores' cruising grounds are some of the best in the world, and several individual boat owners rent sailboats by the day or week. Octopus (011-351-295-628-706, www.azoresdive.com/octopus), based out of Angra do Hero'smo, on Terceira, rents 31- or 36-foot sailboats for about $50 an hour or $200 per day. If you're sailing from the United States on your own, buy the Imray E1 chart of the Azores ($27) and Anne Hammick's Atlantic Islands pilot guide ($94; both available from Bluewater Books & Charts in Fort Lauderdale, 800-942-2583, www.bluewaterweb.com). There are whale- watching and sportfishing companies based in just about every town with a harbor. Fish for marlin, tuna, shark, and swordfish with Xacara Big Game Fishing (www.azoresmarlin.com/xacaraindex.html) in Horta, on Faial. Onshore, trekking is the main form of recreation. Camp anywhere, but it's polite to ask permission from the landowner. LODGING On Flores, the 36- room Hotel Ocidental (doubles $35-$80; 011-351-292-590-100) is near the island's natural lava pools and has its own big saltwater tub. In Horta, choose a mountain or ocean view at the Residencial São Francisco (doubles $65-$80; 011-351-292-200-980). On Terceira, try the Casa Bela Vista (doubles $45-$80; 011-351-295-908-975, www.viaoceanica.com/belavista) in the village of Biscoitos. The Azores tourism office (011-351-292-200-500, www.drtacores.pt) has a branch on every island.
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