Pico Island, Azores

Looking for a unique vacation? Visit the island of Pico, the second-largest and one of the most beautiful of the Azores’s nine islands.

Whether you hike, bike or drive, be sure to explore the lush landscape and lava rock formations surrounding the towering volcanic mountain peak – don’t worry, it’s a dormant volcano, so they say.

Visit in summer for numerous colorful festivals of the Holy Ghost, Bom Jesus, Mary Magdalene and the Festivals of the Whaling Men, full of music and dancing. Pico gastronomy? Fantastic seafood, delectable fruits, cheeses, dry white wines and brandy distilled in copper stills all await you.

Hotel Caravelas, located at Rua Conselheiro Terra Pinheiro, 3, Madalena, just 10 miles from the airport and a few yards from the beach, offers air-conditioned double rooms with TV and direct-dial telephones for 100 Euros from June-September. Amenities include a bar, restaurant, gym and swimming pool overlooking the island of Faial.

From this central location, you can go whale and dolphin watching, fishing and swimming, enjoy a variety of water sports, or just explore this beautiful peaceful island. Ferries also depart regularly from Madalena to the island of San Jorge, 11 miles away.