Sata Air Azores have just informed us today that airfares from Gatwick and Manchester to Sao Miguel have been reduced for flights departing in February and March. Flights start at £154 including taxes. Book soon as there is limited availability on these fares!

Portuguese band, Gomo, have released their new music video filmed on Sao Miguel and featuring one of our properties, Furnas Lake Villas in Furnas.

Below is a bit of information about the band.

When Portugal’s radio listeners first encountered the genre-blending, Cornelius-like sounds of Gomo, they were entranced. It was 2001 and Gomo’s demo was put into regular rotation, but the DJs were of no help when listeners phoned in, asking, “Where can I get this lovely and strange music?” Paulo Gouveia, the man who is Gomo, had sent the demo to radio stations with no contact information — just a note saying: “Thanks for all the inspiration. Hope you like this.” The multi-instrumentalist was working on new songs and a multimedia live show while all this was going on, and he had no idea Gomo was becoming an overnight favorite. Reviews in the national press and the invitations to play most of the major summer festivals in Portugal clued him in to the phenomenon and soon he was working with Mario Barreiras, the producer who was partly responsible for Silence 4’s rise to the top of Portugal’s pop charts. It was an odd title for a debut but Best of Gomo was the result, and the quirky, precious, and playful album became a radio and music press favorite when it appeared in early 2004. During October of the same year Gomo won the Best New Artist award given by Portugal’s SIC TV, and he was also nominated as Best Portuguese Act at the MTV European Music Awards 2004.

Scuttlebut Europe, a popular sailing website, has voted Peter’s café sport in Horta (Faial island) the world’s best sailor bar in an international poll.

I must admit, we always make a beeline for ‘Peter’s’ when we visit. The food is wholesome and reasonably priced and the gin and tonics are huge. But it’s the ambience and atmosphere that make it so special. A real cosmopolitan gathering of sailors swapping stories beneath the flag covered ceilings looking out over the marina.

Below are the final results, as compiled by Scuttlebutt Europe

1. Peter-Cafe Sport – Horta, Azores
2. Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club – Hong Kong
3. IYAC – Newport RI, USA
4. Maddie’s Sail Loft – Marblehead, MA USA
5. The Candy Store – Newport, RI, USA
6. Le Select – St. Barts
7. Bitter End Yacht Club – British Virgin Islands
8. Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, Hamilton Bermuda
9. Foxy’s Tamarind Bar and Grill – Jost Van Dyke, British Virgin Islands
10. Willy T – Norman Island, British Virgin Islands

One of our clients sent in this hilarious translation from a hotel menu (no names) on Sao Miguel :
“To this day, I don’t know what I would have received if I had ordered “larded and stewed pope’s eye with feather of pig!”"
Mr &  Mrs F, London (22-29 September 09)

Also, a lovely comment from a honeymoon couple this summer :
“This holiday was our honeymoon, so it had to be special. As you can imagine we considered many locations and companies along the way, but you came out on top. Every aspect of the holiday lived up to expectations and we have many happy memories of our time in the Azores to put alongside those of our wedding day. We look forward to returning.”
Mr & Mrs C, Essex (18-29 Aug 09)

Anyone that has visited the Azores will already know how unique these islands are and it’s wonderful that this well respected magazine thinks so too!

 National Geographic Traveler magazine rated the Azores the second-best islands in the world, behind the Faroe Islands, Denmark. In total, 111 islands and archipelagos were evaluated by 522 experts in sustainable tourism.

The Azores received 84 out of 100 points, being defined as a wonderful place, with buildings in good condition, unspoilt scenery and sophisticated people, most of whom have lived overseas. “The ecosystem—from the beautiful hydrangea-covered hills of Flores to the rock-bottomed bays of Terceira—is in great shape.”

See the article  for more information.