Portugal

410
PORTO SANTO MADEIRA & PORTO SANTO
15
The Azores: Lost Continent of Atlantis
One of the most offbeat travel experiences in Europe is a trip to the nine Portuguese
islands off the Azores. Mythologists believe the remote Portuguese
islands in the mid-Atlantic are the only remnants remaining of the lost continent
of Atlantis. For hundreds of years these islands were considered the end
of the earth, the outer limits of the European sphere of influence beyond which
ships could not sail. Even today, they’re a verdant but lonely archipelago in the
middle of the ocean, seemingly more tuned to Boston and Lisbon. The cluster
of islands is the place where the winds of the Atlantic meet; cyclones call on
each other, and visiting urbanites can lose themselves in the often fog-bound
volcanic islands containing 240,000 hearty people.
When the first explorers directed their ships’ prows into the Atlantic, the
volcanic slopes of the Azores were the westernmost-known points of land.
Whether the Vikings, the Genoese, the Phoenicians, or whoever first visited
these lands remains unknown.
The autonomous archipelago spans a distance of more than 805km (500
miles) from the southeastern tip of Santa Maria to the northwestern extremity
at Corvo. The main island of São Miguel lies about 1,223km (760 miles) west of
Portugal (3,396km/2,110 miles east of New York), making the Azores the most
isolated islands in the entire Atlantic.
Completely uninhabited when discovered, the Azores were named by
Diogo de Silves (a captain of Henry the Navigator) after the hook-beaked açor
(compared to both a hawk and an eagle), which sailed on the air currents over
the coast. The date: 1427 (give or take a year or two). It wasn’t long before settlements
sprang up. Besides the Portuguese settlers, many from the north,
Flemish immigrants came to the central Azores, and today’s place and family
names show this influence.
Eventually it was learned that the entire island group was actually composed
of three distinct archipelagos: the eastern section of Santa Maria and
São Miguel; the central with Terceira (the scene of bullfighting in the streets),
Graciosa, cigar-shaped São Jorge (Raul Brandão’s ethereal island of dust and
The hotel itself contains restaurant, bars, shops, public lounges, and an indoor pool
connected to a kiddie pool. The bedrooms, often furnished in wicker, are midsize and
the best on the island (32 of the units are junior suites). Most of the airy bedrooms open
onto private balconies overlooking the water.
The on-site Atlantic Restaurant in the main building serves only buffets, which are
wide ranging in scope and cuisine, with a variety of regional and international specialties.
Cabeço da Ponta-Apartado 243, 9400-909 Porto Santo. & 29/198-08-00. Fax 29/198-08-01. www.vila
baleira.com. 256 units. 85€–187€ double; 100€–240€ suite. AE, MC, V. Amenities: 2 restaurants; 2 bars;
babysitting; beach club; children’s pool and club; concierge; health club with spa; free Internet; room
service. In room: A/C, TV, hair dryer, minibar.