We're open tomorrow at 9:15 AM 020 8568 4499 020 8568 4499

Get in touch

Sun, sea, savings! Book your summer escape today (including £100 child reductions).

10 things you didn’t know about the Azores

Sao Miguel

1. While the islands were first colonised by the Portuguese in 1432, the Atlantic islands had been the stuff of many fearsome and alluring legends for centuries before. Even Pliny and Plato wrote about these mysterious Atlantic islands over 2000 years ago.

2. Christopher Colombus stopped for a breather on the islands in 1493, on his way home from America. He was mistaken for a pirate and promptly taken prisoner.

3. The nine Azorean islands are spread across a distance of 600 km (375 miles). This vast area of ocean is solely responsible for Portugal having Europe’s third largest economic trading area.

4. The Azores are home to Portugal’s highest point. Mount Pico on Pico Island peaks at an impressive 2,351 metres.

5. Unlike many remote island groups, the Azorean gene pool is very well mixed thanks to a diverse influx of people over many centuries. These have included settlers, merchants, sailors, prisoners and slaves.

Whale watching, Azores

6. Mark Twain wrote of the Azores in 1877, “I think the Azores must be very little known in America. Out of our whole ship’s company there was not a solitary individual who knew anything whatever about them.” How many people know much more about these islands today?

7. The Azores hit the news in early 2003 as the staging point for the international summit that saw the go-ahead given for the Iraq war. In attendance were George Bush, Tony Blair, Spanish Prime Minister José Aznar of Spain and Prime Minister of Portugal José Barroso.

8. The Azores sit on the edge of several tectonic plates, although there has been little volcanic activity in recent years and most recorded earthquakes have been minor.

9. The island of São Miguel is home to the only two tea plantations in Europe. Visitors can tour the facilities at Gorreana and Porto Formoso and enjoy a taste of the produce in their tea rooms.

10. Football fans may want to combine a visit to the island with a game at the local team Santa Clara. Despite being a couple of hours flight from Lisbon the team has competed at the highest level in Portugal and several international players have played here in their early years, most notably Pauleta, Portugal’s all-time leading scorer.

If you’d like to learn more about visiting the Azores contact our expert team on 020 8758 4722.

By Rosanna Melaragni

10^th March 2011

Talk to our Azores expert

Rosanna Melaragni

Rosanna is the head of our Discovery Department which covers tailor made holidays to Portugal and the Azores, Italy and Sicily, Scandinavia and the new programme to Spain. She is our longest serving member of staff having joined in 1994 after completing an honours degree in French and Italian and subsequently working for a tour operator in Yorkshire. She is responsible for brochure writing, contracting accommodation, programme costing, computer inputting and generally troubleshoots where necessary. She has global knowledge of our tailor made programme.

Call one of our experts to discuss your next holiday with Sunvil on

020 8568 4499

We're open tomorrow at 9:15 AM

Get in touch

Enquiry
Contact us

Please use this form to request further information about a Sunvil holiday or destination.

We promise that a member of our specialist reservation teams will reply personally to your holiday enquiry before 5.30pm if received before 12.00pm (Monday to Friday). Enquiries received after 12.00pm will be replied to within 24-hours (excluding Sundays).

If your enquiry is of an urgent nature, please telephone our dedicated reservation teams on the numbers listed below.

Our lines are open from 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday-Friday and from 9.30am to 4.30pm Saturday.

Greece: 020 8758 4758
Cyprus: 020 8758 4759
Portugal, the Azores, Spain, Italy, Sicily and Scandinavia: 020 8758 4722
Latin America: 020 8758 4774
Marketing: 020 8758 4731

Required Information

^* Mandatory Information

Title ^*

First name ^*

Surname ^*

Telephone number ^*

Alternative telephone number

Email address ^*

Confirm email address

Preferred method of communication ^*

Other comments:

Email newsletters

Register here to receive regular email newsletters from the Sunvil Family, and be the first to hear about our latest news, holiday inspiration, special offers, events and competitions.

You can opt-out at any time by using the unsubscribe button on our emails, by contacting us on 020 8568 4499 or by emailing data@sunvil.co.uk, and control the volume and content of the emails that you receive in our preference centre.

For full details on how we collect and process your personal data can be viewed in our privacy policy.

If your enquiry is of an urgent nature, please telephone our dedicated reservation teams on the numbers listed below.

Our lines are open from 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday-Friday and from 9.30am to 4.30pm Saturday.

Greece: 020 8758 4758
Cyprus: 020 8758 4759
Portugal, the Azores, Spain, Italy, Sicily and Scandinavia: 020 8758 4722
Latin America: 020 8758 4774
Marketing: 020 8758 4731

Required Information

^* Mandatory Information

Title ^*

First name ^*

Surname ^*

Telephone number ^*

Alternative telephone number

Email address ^*

Confirm email address

Preferred method of communication ^*

Do you have a holiday confirmed with Sunvil?

Is your question answered below?

Alternatively, please enter your query in the box below:

Email newsletters

Register here to receive regular email newsletters from the Sunvil Family, and be the first to hear about our latest news, holiday inspiration, special offers, events and competitions.

For full details on how we collect and process your personal data can be viewed in our privacy policy.

My Suitcase

We understand that so much choice can be overwhelming which is why we have developed 'My Suitcase'. This facility allows you to save and compare your favourite holidays, and even allows you to return to your selection at a later stage.

Why not use 'My Suitcase' to compile a wish list of your future Sunvil holidays?

New to Sunvil?

Chat with usLiveChat

10 things you didn’t know about the Azores

Share

By Rosanna Melaragni

Other posts from Rosanna Melaragni

View all posts from

Other related posts

View all posts from

Talk to our Azores expert

Rosanna Melaragni

Make an Enquiry

Please use this form to request further information about a Sunvil holiday or destination.

Required Information

Title *

First name *

Surname *

Telephone number *

Alternative telephone number

Email address *

Confirm email address

Preferred method of communication *

If you would like to be called during a specific period, please specify

Details

Preferred departure date *

Duration *

Preferred UK departure airport *

Party size *

Back

Budget range

Other comments:

Email newsletters

Required Information

Title *

First name *

Surname *

Telephone number *

Alternative telephone number

Email address *

Confirm email address

Preferred method of communication *

If you would like to be called during a specific period, please specify

Booking reference number *

Is your question answered below?

Alternatively, please enter your query in the box below:

Email newsletters

Thank you for your enquiry

Your details have been saved

My Suitcase

Sign in

New to Sunvil?

Create Account

Already have an account?

Password reset

Close

Close

Title ^*

First name ^*

Surname ^*

Telephone number ^*

Email address ^*

Preferred method of communication ^*

Preferred departure date ^*

Duration ^*

Preferred UK departure airport ^*

Party size ^*

Title ^*

First name ^*

Surname ^*

Telephone number ^*

Email address ^*

Preferred method of communication ^*

Booking reference number ^*