Europe’s Hawaii: Sao Miguel from the seat of a Mazda 2

There’s a little-known cluster of islands, technically part of Portugal but 1,000 miles off its coast, called the Azores. They’re in the same time zone as Iceland, formed from volcanoes, and sometimes referred to as ‘Europe’s Hawaii’.

They wouldn’t be most people’s first thought for a driving holiday, particularly as most haven’t even heard they exist. Speaking with some of the locals, they explained that a lot of maps don’t even include the minute cluster of islands. However, if you’re looking for perfect roads and incredible views for a couple of days away – the Azores have everything.

We flew to the island of Sao Miguel, which is so small it would fit twice into London. From there, tourists can easily hire a car and set straight off. Our route would be completed in a Mazda 2, taking us around the entire island, along coastal roads, across inactive volcanoes and via incredible mountain passes. Even this is manageable in one day with plenty of time for sightseeing.

With some tight winding roads ahead, the Mazda 2 was the perfect combination of small and manoeuvrable but with enough space for our luggage. Our Mazda 2 SE-L had five doors, reasonable boot space for two people and easy to use sat nav and infotainment.

There are some strange road rules on the island, such as always assume there will be another car parked just beyond a blind corner, or someone stood in the road with a wheelbarrow, and other road users may drive straight at you. That means being in a nippy Mazda 2 with its 90bhp 1.5-litre petrol engine is perfect in case you need to dive out of the way fast.

We hit the road bright and early, running into some light traffic in this place where not a lot seems to happen. We took the coastal road west towards Lagoa Azul, which translates as Blue Lake.

You can clearly see this was previously a volcano now filled with blue water. Along the top edge is where the Azores rally takes place, and for a truly spectacular view of this area you can take a trip to the top of a nearby hotel.

The Monte Palace was opened in 1989 with rooms giving an incredible aspect of the island. However, that didn’t last long, with it closing its doors because of a recession soon after. Now it’s not much more than a skeleton of the hotel it once was, but tourists climb to the roof for some amazing views or, at least, a good scare.

The roads around here match the panoramas as they wind smoothly to the top, with bright flowers lining them, before dropping back down to water level and we skirt around the lake.

We strike back out to the coast before heading to the centre of the island – our second stop and another volcano. The incredible roads again climb higher and higher as we weave around hairpins and dodge cruise ship tour buses.

Near the top, we pull over and get out. From here we can clearly see the Atlantic Ocean on both sides of the island, a huge lake called Lagoa do Fogo and miles of rolling green hills.

The little Mazda 2 never misses a beat either, as long as you’re in the right gear for these steep inclines!

Not everything on Sao Miguel is inactive, though. Around an hour’s drive away from Lagoa do Fogo there are hot springs in the town of Furnas, where we stop for lunch. Fortunately, you can’t smell the sulphur from the restaurant. After some food we walk around to see the steam bursting from the ground, although not for too long because it does smell really, really bad.

The rest of our drive took us around some of the most incredible driving roads on the island, which will make you glad you hired a car rather than jumping on a bus. The landscape transforms as quickly as the altitude and you soon find yourself driving over bridges you were just under.

That’s just a snapshot of what’s available on this incredible island. If you need sandy beaches and fantastic food to complete your holiday, there’s plenty of that too, while there are other unique experiences such as whale watching, waterfalls and beautiful public gardens.

While the drive was chaotic in parts, with cruise tour buses around every corner, when the opportunity rises to drive through the more remote areas the peace and quiet leaves you in awe. Winding up the coastal roads and around twisting bends, which could match those of Switzerland or Italy but with a tropical feel, the Mazda 2 held its own – even with the minuscule engine.

We crammed our day and took in as much as we could in one figure-of-eight route around the island. Including our stops to enjoy the views, food and a walk on the beach, the journey took around eight hours.

However, those looking for a more relaxing route have the option of plenty of excellent hotels with equally spectacular views if taking in the island over a couple of days appeals more. Remote it might be, but the island is well equipped. If you really want to get a taste of Sao Miguel, hire a car from the airport, hit the road and explore this enchanting place.

By Rebecca Chaplin