SATA have just announced that during 2011 the direct flight will only operate from Gatwick to Ponta Delgada on Fridays.

Please note there will be no direct flight from Manchester in 2011 nor will there be a direct flight in the Winter. Flights via Lisbon are available every day throughout the year with TAP via Lisbon

Flight times (01st April to 28th October)

Outbound
Departs Gatwick at 1350
Arrives Ponta Delgada 1650

Return
Departs Ponta Delgada 0800
Arrives Gatwick 1250

“We very much appreciated your help and support during the Iceland volcano flight ban. It was reassuring to know that you were considering our well-being and keeping us up to date with the latest information. An excellent holiday.”
Ms Gray, Azores 03-10 April 2010

“An excellent holiday and the UK office staff were very helpful especially when the return flight to the UK was held up by ash clouds.”
Ms Sandell, Cape Verde 25 March – 08 April 2010

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.

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

 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.

Azores Bullfinch

Archipelago Azores have teamed up with Birdwatch magazine for the last 3 years to organise a reader holiday to Sao Miguel, Terceira and Corvo. We are bowled over to hear that thanks to the generosity of Birdwatch readers and the efforts of the magazine’s staff, this year they will be donating more than £20,000 to the Azores Bullfinch conservation project.  This takes the total raised so far to over £51,000 in three years. For more details see the Birdwatch website.

Hi Ian
I must tell you what a wonderful time we had in the Azores. Everything was a delight. Could have been nearer to the harbour and the Dive Centre, so next time, and there will be a next time, we’ll organise something a little closer.
Faial is a very special place and great that it is off the radar as far as other Brit tourists (I’m sure you’d rather it wasn’t!) But we had a marvelous time.
A special word about Tiago and Dive Azores. I found him extremely competent, helpful and organised. Being in Faial, none of the dive operations are up to the standard of more popular destinations such as Red Sea and the Med etc., but Dive Azores really tried hard with what they have at their disposal. They have a good boat, which Tiago is fastidious about. And he especially is keen to accommodate any dive site requests. In particular, in was very interested in diving a site 45 km to the south (Princess Alice Bank). The weather patterns meant it could only be dived the day before I flew home. Strictly speaking, as you know I’m sure, this day should be a ‘no dive day’ due to the body ‘off-gassing’ nitrogen. But, because of my Nitrox certification (enriched air), we sat down together and worked out different mixtures/depths so I could make the trip and be clear to fly home. It was a magnificent dive- as you’ll see from the film he made.

When you get home, pour yourself a glass, click to full screen and make sure the volume is turned up, sit back and enjoy. We were all very privileged to experience these 2 dives.

Thank you for all your help, I’m sure we’ll return soon. I hope this is helpful.

Yours sincerely,
Clive & Tricia

Until this point , it was nothing more than a very good encounter to be  shared between sea (observed) and land (observer) mammal ! But suddenly a small white shadow appeared to the left of the boat….  from the shadow surfaced a white dolphin.
The Azorean sea gave us Moby Dick’s great son a fews weeks ago, this time we had this incredible encounter with a white dolphin.
Greetings from sunny Pico, and thanks to Pedro for the photos.

Serge Viallelle

Hope you enjoy it.
Best regards.

Miguel

For information on a whale watching holiday aboard this great new boat, click here