Personalized trips to the Azores
for independent travelers

Joao did a great job responding to our feedback and creating a trip that met all of our hopes and expectations. The four guides that we worked with provided high quality tours and their depth of knowledge was remarkable. Pedro with Our Island assessed what our interests were and then provided us a tour of Faial focusing on the plants, helping us understand how the ecosystem was built with endemic plants, plants brought in by the ocean and then those brought by people. His passion for his island and culture stood out. John from Sao Jorge Island Tours was our guide on Sao Jorge and again, his knowledge and passion for his island made us fall in love with all we saw. Matthew with Tripix guided us around Pico Island and his understanding of the history and development of the wine culture helped us appreciate this rugged island. Our final tour was Andres with Green Generation on Terceira and his desire to get people out into the countryside and hiking shone through and he provided us an excellent experience. All of these tours were impressive with the guides being experienced professionals with so much knowledge.
Joao provided us with road books to guide our explorations on Sao Miguel and these were excellent with clear descriptions of areas to explore and good directions to get us there. The rental company that they linked us with provided good service and a solid car for our explorations. The studios and hotels that Joao reserved for us were comfortable and convenient.
The Azores were spectacular - the dramatic landscapes, wonderful food, and kind people made this an exceptional vacation.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Do Colégio

Ponta Delgada

This hotel was well located, provided a delicious breakfast with brewed tea, the staff were lovely, and the rooms were comfortable though a bit noisy. And the rooms had bathtubs!!

Authenticity & Character

The public spaces were well laid out and attractive. The rooms themselves were ordinary seeming hotel rooms.

Location

Great location, short walk to the waterfront and the restaurants.

Staff

Nice, responsive staff, very pleasant and accommodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The room and all of the public space was very clean, the beds were comfortable, and the bathtubs such a treat. The only drawback was that it was a bit noisy.

Azores Book Hotel

Angra do Heroísmo

Beautiful, comfortable, a delicious breakfast, and overall excellent.

Authenticity & Character

The book theme was well done and carried out throughout the hotel. The public areas were nicely set up and very comfortable. The room itself was ordinary but quiet and comfortable.

Location

The hotel was quiet as it was a bit outside of the main town which did mean we had a bit of a walk to explore Angra.

Staff

always polite and pleasant. Happy to answer any questions and were very accomodating.

Cleanliness & Comfort

Very clean, the beds were comfortable, and it was quiet!

Pico Studios

Madalena

Comfortable and an excellent location but the theme of the room was off-putting and the kitchen was not as well equipped as I would have liked. Loved that they provided a laundry facility with laundry soap.

Authenticity & Character

The theme of our room was grey and too modern and plastic for my taste. This was a studio.

Location

Walking distance to restaurants and the ferry.

Staff

We interacted with the staff person when we arrived and she was helpful.

Cleanliness & Comfort

The studio was very clean and the bed was comfortable. We ran out of hot water one night as we didn't realize it was such a small tank.

As Casas da Riberia Grande

Ribeira Grande

Wonderful location - this was a studio and the kitchen was fully outfitted. The bed was comfortable and the parking made it easy to have a car in Riberia Grande. They provided a wash basin and clothesline!

Authenticity & Character

This was a modern studio but nicely decorated and very comfortable

Location

Our room overlooked a small church and the river

Staff

We didn't have staff on site but the individual who oriented us came from the hotel and was very thorough. They were also responsive to all of our questions.

Cleanliness & Comfort

No complaints what so ever

Activity Reviews

Half-Day Hiking Activity in Terceira

Portugal

Andre picked a fabulous hike for us that we were all able to complete despite one of us having a knee injury. He was solicitous and helpful throughout. We appreciated his knowledge and we ended up having him provide us with a full day experience as there was still so much to see!

Quality of Experience

Andre was great!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

knowledgeable, engaging, and professional

Transport

comfortable car - pick up and drop off went smoothly.

Between the Lava and the Sea - A Half-Day Guided Wine Experience on Pico

Pico Island

We had been with Matthew two days previously so it was great that the company sent us the same guide so we did not repeat any of the previous sites/information. The wine tasting was excellent and was a great finish to learning about grape culture on Pico.

Quality of Experience

Matthew truly admired the persistence and courage of the early Pico settlers and what it took to establish vineyards.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Matthew spoke up for this tour and it made a big difference for our understanding him. He clearly loves being a guide and is very professional.

Transport

The Transport was a comfortable van

São Jorge Flexible Explorer - Full-Day Guided Tour

Portugal

John was a pleasure to spend the day with. We saw many beautiful views, learned about the volcanic formation of the island, how the culture particular to Sao Jorge developed, and the unique coffee culture of the island.

Quality of Experience

John was such an excellent guide and there was so much rugged beauty on Sao Jorge

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Yet another guide who loved his work!

Transport

Pick up and drop off at the ferry went smoothly, car was comfortable.

Faial from Coast to Crater: A Full-Day Guided Discovery

Portugal

Pedro was a remarkable guide who catered our day together based on our interests. Our understanding of the ecosystem of Faial and especially of the plants that found their way to being established in the Azores was increased. His passion for his island and it's history stood out in many positive ways.

Quality of Experience

Pedro!

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Pedro was knowledgeable and engaging throughout. He clearly loves being a guide!

Transport

pick up and drop off at the ferry went smoothly

In the Shadow of the Giant: A Half-Day Guided Tour of Pico

the Azores

It was a cold, windy day and we were picked up from the airport to begin the tour. Matthew was excellent and did what he could to accommodate us given the weather. He provided a good overview of the history and ecology of the island.

Quality of Experience

Matthew's voice was a little quiet and so it was difficult to hear him at times. The second time we toured with him we asked him to speak up and he was much easier to understand.

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Matthew was knowledgeable and accommodating.

Transport

The van was comfortable.

We had an incredible trip thanks to Tiago! His advice and guidance was invaluable!

The trip exceeded our expectations! The planning with Tiago was effortless; we expressed our interests and he planned the perfect trip, totally and timely responding to every inquiry. Our driver, William to/from the airport was prompt and courteous, as were our tour guides, “Hugo 1” and “Hugo 2” as we nicknamed them. They were knowledgeable and responsive to our interests, as was Olivia, who coordinated the trip while on the island. They even switched the itinerary to accommodate the weather. Highlights of the trip included the beautiful green mountainside scenery, contrasting the blue waters and flowers beginning to bloom everywhere! We especially enjoyed our bike ride and trip to Furnas where we saw the hot springs and bathed in the garden waters. Finally the restaurants were excellent choices, catering to the local food. We could not have had a better time! Thank you to Kimkim and Tiago.