Travel advisor Misti Garcia turned a deeply personal journey through the Azores into a masterclass in island-hopping, uncovering the dramatic differences, hidden gems, and hard-won lessons that only firsthand experience can teach.
At a Glance
The Azores' four main islands—São Jorge, Pico, Madeira, and São Miguel—each offer distinct landscapes, cuisines, and experiences. Visitors should expect volcanic terrain, no sandy beaches, winding roads, and exceptional Portuguese food rather than traditional beach vacations. A two-week itinerary across multiple islands requires slower pacing to avoid motion sickness and travel fatigue.
Some trips are simply vacations. Others are something more layered, more personal, more transformative. For travel advisor Misti Garcia, a two-week journey through four islands of the Azores, Portugal was all of the above. It began as a honeymoon of sorts, a belated trip to the birthplace of her husband, and it ended as one of the most professionally revelatory experiences of her career.
Garcia and her husband visited São Jorge, Pico, Madeira, and São Miguel, each island distinct in landscape, culture, cuisine, and character. "Definitely how different, unique, and diverse each of the islands are," Garcia says when asked what stood out most. "Out of the four, they are very drastically, very, very different." With nine islands in the Azorean archipelago and only four explored, Garcia already has the remaining five firmly on her bucket list.
A Homecoming Wrapped in Cheese and Coastline
The trip began on São Jorge, the tiny island where Garcia's husband was born. Known for producing what he affectionately calls arguably the best cheese in the world, São Jorge is a place of roosters at dawn, rolling green pastures, and an overwhelming abundance of beef. Garcia laughs recalling the culinary immersion. "We ate beef five days in a row," she says. "My stomach hurt because I'm not used to eating beef that much." It was a charming, if unexpected, cultural education, and exactly the kind of firsthand detail she now passes along to clients planning a visit.
From São Jorge, the couple traveled to Pico, the island where Garcia's mother-in-law was born. Dominated by Portugal's highest peak and wrapped in terraced vineyards, Pico is a destination for hikers and wine lovers. Garcia is quick to note that it is not, however, for everyone. "If you really dislike hiking or wine, you probably don't want to go to Pico," she advises, with the knowing confidence of someone who has navigated its winding, uphill roads firsthand.
Madeira, Ronaldo, and the Best Risotto of Her Life
Madeira offered a different energy entirely. Warmer, more cosmopolitan, and heavily influenced by its most famous son, Cristiano Ronaldo, the island captivated Garcia with its high-end hotels, extraordinary food, and the kind of dining experiences that reframe expectations. "Some of the best food I've had in my life," she says simply. The couple visited the Ronaldo museum, soaked in the harbor views, and indulged in cuisine that Garcia ranks alongside, and in some cases above, what she has experienced in Italy.
That comparison became even more striking on São Miguel, the largest and final island of the journey. Known for its pineapple plantations, geothermal hot springs, and volcanic landscapes, São Miguel left a deep impression. Garcia, a self-described pineapple enthusiast, went as far as getting a pineapple tattoo on the island. She also toured a pineapple plantation and discovered a food scene that genuinely surprised her. "Some of the best risotto that I've had in my life was in São Miguel," she notes, still clearly delighted by the discovery.
The Surprise No One Warned Her About
For all its wonders, the Azores came with one revelation that caught Garcia entirely off guard. There are no sandy beaches. Situated in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, the islands are edged with dramatic volcanic rock and breathtaking coastal cliffs. Swimming happens in natural rock pools and constructed lidos, not on sandy shores. "There's actually no beach, no sandy beach," Garcia says. "That was kind of funny until we got there to realize." It is the kind of insider knowledge that makes the difference between a client who arrives enchanted and one who arrives disappointed.
Mobility is another consideration Garcia now raises early with clients. The terrain across most of the islands is hilly and the roads are narrow and winding. Motion sickness is a real factor. São Miguel offers the most walkable experience, particularly around the city centre, but islands like Pico require a rental car and a steady stomach. Garcia also highlights Sata Airlines as the primary carrier operating between the islands, stressing the importance of booking inter-island flights strategically to avoid backtracking and wasted travel days.
The Lesson She Wishes She Had Known Before She Left
If there is one piece of advice Garcia repeats with the most conviction, it is this: slow down. "You could go to the Azores and stay on one island for a whole week and be content," she says. "We did four islands in two weeks and I felt like that was really high-paced, even for me." Garcia describes herself as someone who likes to be on the go, eager to experience everything a destination has to offer. Even by her own standards, the pace was demanding. She now counsels clients to resist the urge to tick off as many islands as possible, reminding them that depth of experience will always outshine breadth of geography.
The Azores, she explains, are best suited to travelers who crave rich Portuguese culture, dramatic coastal scenery, boating and ocean activities, excellent wine, and the kind of seafood and local cuisine that rewards the curious palate. Those with significant mobility challenges or a firm requirement for sandy beaches may find other destinations a better fit. "I can tell clients these little tips," Garcia says warmly. "These are the things you only know until you're there."
What Comes Next
Garcia and her husband have since completed a trip to mainland Portugal and the Algarve, continuing their exploration of the country that holds such personal significance for their family. Italy is next on the horizon, promising another round of firsthand discoveries that will inevitably find their way into the itineraries she builds for her clients.
For Garcia, every journey she takes is ultimately in service of the travelers she guides. The fog that can ground flights without warning, the inter-island ferry routes that make sense and those that waste precious days, the island that suits the wine lover versus the one that suits the adventurer, these are not details found in a brochure. They are earned. And Garcia intends to keep earning them. "I would go back to São Miguel in a heartbeat," she says, and there is little doubt that when she does, she will return with even more to share.
