36,000 years ago a volcano erupted on the Azorean island of São Miguel. The resulting craters formed 2 lakes, Lagoa Azul (Blue Lake) and Lagoa Verde (Green Lake).
According to legend, these two lakes were formed when a couple, a shepherd and princess, were forced to part. Their tears, blue and green, matching the color of their eyes, fell on the ground and filled the lakes.
Miradouros are Portuguese viewpoints. Sete Cidades has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to Miradouros.
Driving up from the two lakes, you’ll see plenty of marked miradouros along the way including the Miradouro da Logoa de Santiago and the Miradouro da Vista do Rei. Do yourself a favor and stop along the way and enjoy the beauty. It is truly breathtaking. There’s even a hydrangea forest (Estrada Hortênsia). If you miss Estrada Hortênsia, you’ll see hydrangeas all over the Azores. Seriously, everywhere.
Just remember, some places along the road don’t have parking, so be careful.
Miradouro da Vista do Rei, named for the Portuguese king’s visit in 1901, is another amazing viewpoint. Just behind the miradouro is the Monte Palace Hotel.
In 1989, a French/Belgian investment company opened the sumptuous Monte Palace, a 5 star hotel on the top of Sete Cidades. With 88 rooms, including 52 suites and a Presidential Suite, this was the premiere hotel in all of the Azores. Views from the rooms overlooked Largo Verde and Largo Azul and were the best in the entire island chain.
To everyone’s surprise, the hotel closed a mere 18 months later. The property was closed off and a guard, along with his dogs, was stationed at the hotel to prevent vandalism. But, in 2011, after the guard wasn’t paid, he left.
Once the hotel was completely abandoned, vandals and thieves took over. Anything of value was stripped from the site. Restaurant equipment, bedding, chairs, even bathtubs and the elevator were liberated from the site. So loud was the noise from people stripping the hotel bare, many locals thought there was construction going on.
Recently, a Chinese company purchased the property with promises of rebuilding and reopening the hotel, but, to date, no work has been done.
While many tourists visit this site (it remains unguarded and ungated), there is a sign stating that entry to the property is forbidden. There is broken glass, lumber, and cement everywhere. In addition, there’s no railing or guardrails in place, making it dangerous to wander around. On the upper floors and rooftop, there are holes in the concrete floor.
If you do decide to go here, exercise extreme caution!
This is the money shot everyone is looking for. The Miradouro Boca do Inferno overlooks four lakes and is the iconic image used in almost every ad, video, or blog post about the Azores. And for good reason, it’s absolutely stunning!
The viewpoint is a short hike from the parking area by the Lagoa do Canário. While the hike isn’t too strenuous, there are some stairs and uneven trails so those with mobility issues won’t be able to do it.
If the weather cooperates, the sunsets here are spectacular! Highly recommended.
São Miguel is about a 5 1/2 hour flight from Boston and 2 1/2 hours from Lisbon. From there, it’s about a 40 minute drive to Sete Cidades. You’ll want a car since public transportation is spotty, at best, outside the capital of Ponta Delgada.
Between the two lakes there is a road that leads to the top of the mountains. Drive up for some amazing viewpoints. But, be sure to check the weather first! Storms can roll in quickly and the weather at the top of Sete Cidades may very well be completely different than other parts of the island. Spot Azores has webcams all over São Miguel as well as the rest of the island chain. This is a great resource for checking weather conditions that change rapidly.
Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel Truffle Hunt (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection That Bird. He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides to cities around the world on Destination Eat Drink, including an in-depth eating and drinking guide to Portugal. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms.
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