Page 28 - Boca ViewPointe - July '22

Page 28, Viewpointe July 2022
Travel: Postcards From Jessica

By Jessica Flores. Jessica is currently home to around 450 residents. The island’s I highly recommend staying at The Sensi Azores Nature
has worked in the travel and landscape is dominated by its caldera – that is, remnants of & Spa, which is one of Sao Miguel’s newest boutique hotels,
tourism industry for well a kilometer-high caldera which formed 430,000 years ago. on southern slopes of the great crater at Sete Cidades. This
over a decade. She holds Together with Flores and Graciosa, the island is a UNESCO beautifully converted farmstead has 21 rooms, and the décor
both Bachelors and Master’s Biosphere Reserve. is contemporary Portuguese.
Degrees in Hospitality & Central Islands: Santa Maria, the most southern of the Azores, is not only
Tourism Management. As The island of Pico, with its almost 8,000-foot-tall Mt. the sunniest of the islands, but it’s also the only one graced
owner of AWAY Travel in Pico, is Portugal’s highest peak and dominates most of the with golden sand beaches. The endearing seafront village of
Boca Raton, Jessica and staff landscape. Along with the neighboring islands of Sao Jorge, Anjos has a calm, natural pool, and the local watering hole,
bring 25 years of personal and Faial, the three form a triangle of islands which are both Bar dos Anjos, has stellar views of the sunset to enjoy while
travel experience to an geographically and culturally close. sipping local wines.
exclusive clientele looking It seems everything here is constructed of black basalt lava Wheels Down: If you are a wanderlust kind of individual
for luxury travel planning. Ready for your own journey stone, including the mosaic of corals surrounding the local who would like to trek the unusual, then please put the Azores
to begin? grape vines that have warmed and protected them from the on your “got-to-go” list. How can you pass up a land where
island’s blustery, salty breezes for centuries. waterfalls cascade down iridescent green slopes, roads are
To: Luxury Travelers Eastern Islands: lined with hydrangea hedges, and the craggy coast is coated
São Miguel is the largest island in the Azores. There’s
From: The Azores so much to see and do on Sao Miguel for both couples with amazing black sand beaches?
Only in the Azores will you find yourself lost-in-time as you

and families who love keeping active and enjoy kayaking, walk the quaint hamlets of stone dwellings linked by cobbled
paddleboarding, diving, surfing, canyoning, sailing, fishing, paths, where you will find the local inhabitants still remaining
hiking, road cycling and mountain biking. true to their old ways and the food as pure as its surroundings.
Also scenically stunning, with tree ferns and bunkers filled
with volcanic sand, is the 18 hole Furnas Golf Club that sits Wishing You Safe Travels,
at 1,700 feet above sea level. Jessica 

Pack Your Bags: I can’t tell you how many times I
have clients ask me to curate a vacation for them to remote
places visited by very few. For those frequent travelers (pre-
pandemic), a trip back to the Mediterranean seems somewhat
repetitive. A cruise … a bit unexciting. Now, after a long
hiatus of zero travel, they are looking for something new and
captivating. There are, of course, many choices; but none fit
that description better than the Azores!
Often referred to as “The Hawaii of Europe,” these remote
nine islands with a volcanic past and a magical present will
stimulate anybody’s desire for adventure. Only a short crow’s
fly from Boston, these islands that sit in the middle of the
Atlantic Ocean with unspoiled landscape will transcend you
into a fairytale environment.
Your Road Map: The best time to visit the Azores really
depends on how you want to explore the islands and what
you want to do. If your expectations are ocean wildlife, then
from April to end of May you’ll witness amazing whale and
dolphin activity. If you like a quieter time, then January to
May will be best for hiking and touring. Also, many of the
island festivals occur doing the spring months.
But July, August and September seem to be a great time to
visit, these being the driest and warmest months with plenty
of flights into the islands.
Island Hopping: Welcome to the Azores islands.
Interestingly, these enchanting islands are part of Portugal
and our clients tell us that each island is distinctively
different and amazing. With thermal pools, lush calderas,
steaming geysers and crater lakes, this unusual landscape is
a confirmation of its volcanic origins.
Western Islands:
Flores is arguably the most beautiful island of the
Azores archipelago. It is a flourishing, verdant landscape of
rolling hills and crater lakes, of magnificent waterfalls and
monolithic sea cliffs, and of isolated whitewashed fishing
villages dashed with Atlantic sea spray.
Corvo is a tiny island easily reachable by ferry. It was
established at Vila do Porto in the mid-to-late 1500s, and

Channel 63....

Have You Seen It?

Comcast cable channel 63 is the Boca Pointe
community information channel. Tune in for new
information and important updates. The BPCA
Board and committee meetings (held via Zoom)
are posted along with other current events. Check
out our new format! 