The WORST things about the AZORES???
A very interesting thing happened the other day and a couple from the United States reached out to me through e-mail after they saw one of the videos. They are kind of thinking about moving to the Azores. So we started e-mailing a bit back and forth. And they told me that they already know that it’s like a paradise and it’s known because of sustainability and hot springs and beautiful nature. All this is like ocean life and good food. And there was this very particular question at the end of the e-mail: What are the worst things about the Azores? And I was like wow that is a nice question.
Because if we travel for vacation, we don’t really wanna see the bad things, I mean we don’t even have time to see the bad things. First, we are gonna talk about things, which are the most annoying for tourists and then we are just gonna look at it from the perspective of living here. Number one, you almost always have to fly to Portugal’s mainland first. In many countries, there are no direct flights but the flight schedule, as everywhere else in the world changes depending on the winter and summer seasons. Now it’s July 2022. Right now you can get here directly from Paris, London, Manchester, Boston Toronto New York, Barcelona, and I don’t know a few other cities outside of Portugal. Then another problem, especially in summer is that there are no cars to rent. Sometimes literally none. And I know that some people prefer private guides or hiring a taxi and in that case that’s OK, but if you want to rent a car, try to book the car right after you book your flight tickets, especially if you are coming in summer, like from May until October.
Yes, this thing with renting a car is not a joke in summer I saw it last summer and I am seeing the same thing this summer. Some people are solving this issue by combining buses and private drivers and taxis and I mean yeah it is possible to solve it, it also works, you just won’t have that much freedom. And one more piece of advice for visitors who are renting cars. Always check the marks on the car before you sign the contract. Take pictures of the car, of the scratches, It’s a rental car and people don’t take care of the car. They get scratched and the roads on some parts of the island are very tiny. It’s good to take pictures of the car because once you return the car and the company “finds” “new scratches” that might have been there even when you took the car, they will hold you responsible. Even if you are not responsible for it.
And if you don’t have the right insurance, you might be forced to pay for the damages. The next thing is the weather. A lot of people tend to complain about the weather even though you cannot do much with the weather. And many times I get asked what the weather will be like when somebody is coming, like in a certain date range. And the thing is that you never know. The good thing is that it’s never too hot or too cold. But the exact temperature Nobody knows, it changes a lot. There is a different weather on the south and there is a different weather on the north. The best is to check the app they have and just to see the cameras.
Then another thing is whether it is necessary to book hotels and restaurants in advance in summer. And yes it is, in summer yes. Even restaurants. And hotels – yes. The next point would be traveling between islands. It’s easy but it’s not that easy. So the best option is to fly and as far as I know, the only airline which offers inter-island flights is Azores Airlines. And to get to most of the islands you would have to take a flight from Sao Miguel first Also in my opinion the flights are quite expensive.
Then about ferries, it is not hard to travel around between islands that belong to the same group of islands. For example, if you want to travel from Sao Jorge to Pico or Flores to Corvo. But as far as I know, there are no ferries from Sao Miguel to Corvo, for example. Previously I used the company, I think it was something like Atlantico Lines or Atlantic Lines but I am going to doublecheck their website and I am just gonna put it in the description so you can see the details and routes. Then another thing is the local roads and infrastructure. The roads in the villages might indeed get very tiny, but on the other hand, there are the highways which are I think more than okay.
The lizards and cockroaches. Yes, you are very likely to see both. much more like any different kinds of insect. There are lizards everywhere and you can expect to see cockroaches and sometimes you will find them inside the Airbnb. But good hotels and Airbnb usually call these companies who deal with cockroaches like they come from the company and spray the house against the cockroaches every 2-3 months. With the cockroaches, I feel like I saw the most during the fall. I don’t know maybe it’s a weird coincidence. But yeah I have this feeling that I saw them more in like September – October than in March, for example. And they both, the cockroaches and lizards, and other small insects, they move, like, really fast. All the things that were mentioned in the video until now were mainly from the perspective of a tourist.
and these were the things I heard the most that tourists were complaining about. So now from a bit of a different perspective. From the perspective of living here. And a couple of things which might be useful to consider before moving here full time. If you come here for the very first time you are going to be amazed and thrilled and excited. But that “hype” and, kind of like, “wow” effect, is going to disappear. Slowly by time. And at one point living here is just going to become normal.
The first thing would be healthcare and it’s great here but if you have to undergo some complicated procedures, you will have to fly to mainland Portugal. Then a great thing is that if you live in the capital city or a bigger city you will not necessarily need a car from the very beginning. But having one makes everything less complicated Then n. 3, in winter there is no snow, but because of the rain, wind, and humidity, it might feel a bit colder. And I think a lot of houses do not have a heating system. So during winter, it can get a bit chilly, during the evenings and nights.
Then mold and humidity. The humidity is high but it also depends on the part of the island where you live. On some parts of the island, it’s higher and in winter it’s really good to have a dehumidifier. Otherwise, the walls get moldy very easily. And even the clothes, can get kind of, you know, wet. especially if you leave your clothes folded on each other and just put them into the wardrobe. I guess it’s better to hang them. Now well the last one, but it’s also a fun one.
Getting things delivered might take time. And it might be a bit more complicated. Yeah, it will take some time.
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