Panorama | Review | Map
Beach and Marina Hotel at Vila Franca do Campo, south coast Sao Miguel, Azores.
This was a lovely beach; sandy, with coves and great rocks. It was right next to a water park with slides, chutes and rides, on one side and the marina with whale watching trips on the other.
There were a couple of cafes and a promenade running behind the beach along to the water park from the hotel.
First time I found it a nightmare to find my way around and nothing much to look at (admittedly from the car). Second time, I found it a night mare to drive around, but could admit that it might be worth a closer look. Third time (armed with a map supplied by some kind Italian friends) it was still a nightmare to drive around. So I parked (nightmare number 4) and walked. Suddenly it was all different. The ancient parks were visible from my eye over the walls and fences. I could see where I wanted to be and once I got in there - WOW! Terra Nostra is a huge park and the hot lake (40degrees c) is rightly very popular, but in only nano seconds, you can walk alone under the shade of impossibly exotic plants, with only the birds for company. It is delightful; at every turn there are pools, fountains, streams and gardens. All framed by the sky scraping mountains around the valley. And for your 4 euros entrance fee, you can come and go as often as you like during the day. You can't eat in here, unless you take a picnic, you can't even get a coffee, though the entrance kiosk did sell icecreams. But outside, in the village, there are lots of cafes, snack bars and restaurants to choose from. I even found (and this was first in the whole of the island) - gift shops! Normally I'd steer away from such places, but here I went in, just for the novelty value. And if you want a bliss overdose, go home via the Salto do Cavalo. So beautiful it could bring tears to your eyes. P.S. Oh yes, and as if all this wasn't enough, just ten minutes down the road from Furnas, is Ribeira Quiente. A fabulous sandy beach and a thriving little fishing port with a life-guarded beach, toilets and showers, a large carpark and a good stock of cafes. No pano, I'm afraid. We just didn't have time. I even went back a second time, but it was dull and cloudy whilst I was there so I didn't bother with a photo. It was lovely though, honest.
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You are viewing panorama No.5 (Caldeiros at Furnas, east of Sao Miguel), one of 62 Virtual Reality 360 degree views of Azores.
Map of Azores showing the location of
Caldeiros at Furnas, east of Sao Miguel at Latitude 37.77289 / Longitude -25.30371.
We have visited Azores on a number of occasions to produce this tour, this page was created on Wed, 24 Sep 2014 16:53:24 +0100.
5 Day, 10 Day, 15 Day long range weather forecast and current conditions for Caldeiros at Furnas, east of Sao Miguel, Azores