Cheers to the Azores
Some words describe ways of life precisely, but are difficult to translate because they are so closely linked to the respective language and culture. For example, the Portuguese term "saudade" is elusive, describing a feeling somewhere between longing and homesickness. This feeling can be wonderfully experienced in São Miguel, the main island of the Azores, located in the middle of the Atlantic between Europe and America – only a two-and-a-half-hour flight from the Portuguese mainland, yet so far away from everything. Where mainland Portuguese meet dropouts, and trekking sandal wearers meet ocean-going sailors.
Those seeking to escape the hustle and bustle can retreat to the "Sensi Azores Nature and Spa." Here, in a former 19th-century riding stable, some rooms have four-meter-high ceilings and a tiny saltwater pool on the terrace. The spa offers oriental herbal compresses, Ayurvedic treatments, and Tibetan sound therapy. The restaurant serves fresh tuna and tamarillos, which look like cherry tomatoes but taste tart and sweet and sour. On excursions to the hot springs, Europe's only tea plantation, or the pineapple greenhouses, you'll again encounter tourists from Germany. It's not for nothing that we have the expression "wanderlust" here, which describes the desire to explore faraway places—like an archipelago in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Sensi Azores Nature and Spa, Rua do Monte 1, 9555‑080 GinetesSão Miguel, Azores, Portugal, Tel. 00351/296/24 82 60DZ from 205 euros/night
sensiazores.com
süeddeutsche
