Rent a car. It is easy to drive there, hard to get lost on an island (usually one perimeter highway and a couple that go across), and you will be free to go (or stay) wherever you want and hang out for as long as you want. This is especially the case on São Miguel and Pico, which are pretty big and have lots of places to go. (Faial is quite small and you can drive all the way around it in maybe two hours.)
BUT: Depending on where you are staying, you may not need or want a car the entire time. For example, if you are based in Ponta Delgada, Madalena, or Horta for a few days, they are all easy walking cities and you won't need a car to get around town, so you might consider renting cars a day or two at a time as needed to go on excursions. Of course, if you are staying in more remote places, or want to move around a lot, you will need a car the entire time. Isla Verde is the main rental car company, but I have also had good luck with small local ones that I find once I get there. Folks where you are staying can also advise you. If you want to stay outside of the major cities there are quite a few AirBnB-type options. There are hotels at various sizes and price points in Ponta Delgada and Horta, and both towns are lovely. On Pico, I don't recommend staying right in Madalena as there isn't much there besides the port and some retail shops, so it's better to stay in or near a smaller town like Lajes. If you want a nicer eco-hotel-type place to stay on Pico, I recommend Aldeia da Fonte <http://www.aldeiadafonte.com/en/home> near Lajes. It isn't cheap, but a beautiful place and has a decent restaurant. For organized excursions on Faial, I highly recommend my friends at OurIsland <http://ourisland-azores.com/en/tours/>. They are great folks, young and smart and really know and love the place and history, and can plan outings to fit your specific interests. Have fun! Steve Peters -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/azores.
