Weather you opt for a quick weekend escape from Barcelona, or a relaxing week long getaway, you will not be disappointed with Costa Brava. The towns are absolutely picturesque, but what drew us here, was the coastline. We love to find amazing swim spots, and there is no shortage of unique coves dotting the Costa Brava coastline. The steep coast plunges into the waters, creating ideal sunbathing spots everywhere you look and also giving those chasing adrenaline ample of spots to jump in! The waters are stunning shades of turquoise and jade, and warm up to the most perfect temperatures in the Summer.
Cap Sa Sal:
Sa Tuna: There is one winding road heading into Sa Tuna, a tiny sea side village with stunning views. The shores are rocky and the water is calm as can be. There is a small paid parking lot at the entrance to town, the village is nondriving, and additional parking alongside the streets. Parking is very limited, come first thing in the morning or late afternoon. The middle of the day the beach is packed. There are some lovely restaurants right long the stretch of beach, and the coolest cave beach to explore!
D’Aigufreda: Is a small bay between Cap Sa Sal and Sa Tuna, accessible by the Coastal Path from either location. We walked the Coastal path here from Cap Sa Sal, and also rented paddle boards to cruise over on during the day.
Pals:
Platja Cala Cap Roig & Cami Ronda Platja Aro: We stayed at Hotel Cap Roig, and were spoiled by the proximity to these two beaches. There is a lovely little beach restaurant called Xirinuito Cala Cap Roig a perfect place to grab lunch.
São Miguel is the largest island in the Portuguese Azores archipelago, and well worth a visit. São Miguel is known for it’s pristine nature, waterfalls, hydrangea lined roads, rich marine life, and so much more! We spent 8 days exploring the Island this July, and loved every moment of our stay. But you can easily explore São Miguel in less time, 5 full days would be the bare minimum… I will detail out an itinerary for you, keep reading. I’ll keep it short and to the point.
Getting around: While every blog post you read will say you NEED a rental car to explore the island, I’m here to tell you, you don’t. Find accommodations centrally located, where you can walk to some beaches, restaurants & markets. Explore the island with a combination of Taxi’s and organized tours.
Things to do: Surprisingly on an Island that is only 290 square miles, roughly 40 miles long and 9 miles wide, there is so much to do! I operate off google maps, I love that you can download the map and use it offline (without wifi, or cell service). You can use my itinerary in google maps as a reference for planning your visit to São Miguel. 5 full days would be the bare minimum that you need to see the Island, but the more time the better!
Itinerary: how to see São Miguel in 5 days. There is no specific order to the days, but to really enjoy the view of Sete Cidades you need a clear day.
Day 1- Nordeste
Day 2-Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo
Day 3- Sete Cidades
Day 4- Furnas
Day 5- Lagoa do Fogo & Caloura
Day 1 Nordeste: We did this on a private full day tour with Green Zone Azores, roughly 8 hours, from 9am – 5pm. We did a clockwise loop, starting on the North End of the island, then headed south along the coast, and finished our day at the beach.
Parque Natural da Ribeira dos Caldeirões
Miradouro da Vista dos Barcos
Miradouro da Ponta do Sossego
Miradouro da Ponta da Madrugada
Miradouro do Pico Longo
Alameda dos Plátanos
Povoacao
Praia do Fogo
Day 2Ilhéu de Vila Franca do Campo: We took a taxi which cost 25Euro each way. Tickets are available for purchase at the end of the marina at Bilheteira Ilhéu de Vila França do Campo, it is a small white booth, you can’t miss it. There are 400 tickets available daily, and boats run on the hour from 10:00am till 6:00pm. Return boats run hourly 10 past the hour starting at 10:10am till 6:10pm. On beautiful sunny days the crescent beach inside the island gets hot, the sun reflects, so make sure to wear sunblock, and prepare for the suns rays. The island can get busy, so try to be on the first boat over.
Day 3 Sete Cidades: We did this on a private half day tour with Green Zone Azores, roughly 4.5 hours, from 9am – 12:30pm. We did the white road around the rim of the craters which is only accessible by 4×4. *If I were to do this again, I would add in the hike to Miradouro da Boca do Inferno.
Azorean Pineapple Plantation
Aqueduto do Carvão
Muro das Nove Janelas
White Road around the craters
Miradouro das Cumeeiras
Sete Cidades
Miradouro da Vista do Rei
Miradouro da Lagoa de Santiago
Miradouro da Boca do Inferno
Day 4 Furnas: We did this on a private full day tour with Green Zone Azores, roughly 8 hours, from 9am – 5pm. Definitely spend a whole day exploring Furnas, or even stay overnight at Furnas Boutique Hotel. It is like you are on another planet, exploring the sulfur thermals, seeing food cooked in the ground, and swimming in thermal waters.
Furnas Lake
Furnas Village
Capela de Nossa Senhora das Vitórias
Antigo Pomar das Caldeiras da Lagoa das Furnas
Restaurante Vale Das Furnas
Parque Terra Nostra
Gorreana Tea Factory
Day 5 Lagoa do Fogo & Caloura: We did a half day private tour with Green Zone Azores, then finished the day by Taxi to Caloura. Where we swam in Agua de Pau, and had an amazing seafood dinner at Bar Caloura.
Lets start with, How did we end up here? My daughter is 4 years old, hates litter and loves sea turtles. We would be out for our afternoon walks, and would pass trash along the side of the road, she would always stop and say “we should pick that up.” I’m the mom that will stop at no ends, if there is something my children are passionate about. So on our next walk, I brought gloves and a garbage bag, together we filled the 13 gallon trash bag, before our little 1/2 mile loop was over. My daughter marched right up to a neighbors door, knocked, and said “I’m picking up trash to save the sea turtles, do you have a trash bag?” Our first walk we picked up 45 pounds of trash, and then we started these “trash walks” regularly. We set a goal of raising $1 for every pound of trash we picked up, she wanted to donate it to “save the sea turtles”. I posted our trash pick ups on Instagram and friends and family quickly donated to her cause. 396 Pounds of trash later, she raised $400 to donate.
So down the rabbit hole of google I went. Searching “Sea Turtle Conservation Resorts” & “Sea Turtle Conservation Caribbean”. There was one resort that kept popping up in my searches, Rosalie Bay, in Dominica. With earth day approaching over my daughters April break. I booked a week, so she could make her donation in person, hopefully adopt a sea turtle, and if the stars aligned, even see a nesting leatherback sea turtle.
Sea turtle conservation brough us here, and Rosalie Bay did not disappoint. Upon check in reception asks you if you want sea turtle notifications. Why of course!
TheNature Enhancement Team, a safety NET for sea turtles, conducts sea turtle conservation activates and educational programs to protect the many endangered sea turtle species that nest on the beaches of Dominica. Simon and Judy, president and vice president of NET, have a love and devotion to sea turtle conservation that is beyond inspiring.
Endangered species nest on the black sand beach of Rosalie Bay from March to October, guests have the opportunity to witness a 1,000 lb giant leatherback sea turtle nesting in the dark of the night, and the opportunity to witness a baby turtle make its grand run for the sea.
Rosalie Bay offers a wide array of programs for sea turtle enthusiasts’.
Sea turtle hatchings. The tiniest of miracles. Sometimes nests emerge naturally, and other times Simon excavates the nest, giving the tiny turtles a chance to survive that they otherwise wouldn’t have had. We came too early in the season to witness the hatchlings, but are in the sea turtle WhatsApp group, where we are kept in the loop with nesting’s, and hatchings.
Sea turtle nesting. Guests are given the opportunity to run down to the beach to witness a sea turtle nesting under the dark of the night. A truly magical experience, one we were lucky enough to witness twice!
Conservation efforts. If sea turtles hold a special place in your heart, you won’t want miss out on these opportunities. In addition to witnessing sea turtles nesting, guests also have the opportunities to patrol the beaches, and to help the researchers measure and tag sea turtles, and relocate nests to the sanctuary.
Educational walks. Judy will give you the grand tour of the beach. You have the opportunity to see the patrol huts, the hatchling sanctuary, and search for sea turtle tracks.
Judy taught us about poachers and how the conservation program at Rosalie Bay has had a lasting impact on the local community. Through education programs and eco tourism, poaching has drastically been reduced on the island, and awareness and conservation efforts have increased.
The first call came at 9:09PM. “There is a turtle on the beach, if you would like to head down.” I stirred my daughter (4.5 years old) from sleep, there is a turtle on the beach nesting, do you want to go? I have never seen her get out of bed so quickly. I loaded my sleeping baby into the baby carrier, my daughter into the stroller and we made our way across the resort. It was a dark night, the only light we saw was Simons red head lamp. We made our way across the beach, only to witness a massive leatherback turtle attempting to nest, she was close to the water, too close, and a wave ultimately came up and washed her nesting efforts away. She went back to sea. And we went back to bed.
The second call came at 2:50AM. “There is another turtle on the beach, were sending security to help you down.” We were the only guests to wake this time. It was the same turtle, she came back to try to nest again! She was still digging her hole when we arrived. She was able to dig her hole, and then into the trance she went, and she laid her eggs! It was the most incredible experience, we were able to touch her, and get up close and personal. The sea turtle was untagged, so we helped Simon measure & tag the turtle. The nest again was too close to the waters edge, so Simon and his team collected, recorded and relocated the eggs to the hatchery. We adopted her and named her Kiki!
Judy messages the parents of the adopted turtles updates. It is such a fun and educational way to continue to learn about sea turtles, and to keep the memory of our adventure living on.
Rosalie Bay, was simply Magical. An absolute oasis on one of the most pristine Islands that the Caribbean has to offer. From the moment we arrived we felt relaxed, safe and at home. Unlike traditional resorts, Rosalie Bay offers 28 bungalow style rooms, which are free standing buildings, scattered across the lush Caribbean property. This setup offers solitude and tranquility, making your stay an absolute escape from the realities of the real world.
We stayed in the King Riverside Suite, it was perfectly located next to the restaurant and pool. In the mornings I would open the door to the back terrace and enjoy the sounds of the river as the kids watched for birds hunting in the river below. The rooms at Rosalie Bay are huge, the suites offer indoor and outdoor sitting areas, a huge bedroom, often a desk area and a bathroom built for a Queen.
Rosalie bay has something for everyone; whether luxury, pampering, sea turtle conservation or adventure is your goal, Rosalie Bay will deliver.
Sea turtle conservation brought us here, and Rosalie Bay did not disappoint. Upon check in reception asks if you want sea turtle notifications. Why of course! We’ll get into our sea turtle experiences further here, but for now, let me go on about this magical resort.
TheNature Enhancement Team, a safety NET for sea turtles, conducts sea turtle conservation activates and educational programs to protect the many endangered sea turtle species that nest on the beaches of Dominica. Simon and Judy, president and vice president of NET, have a love and devotion to sea turtle conservation that is beyond inspiring.
Endangered species nest on the black sand beach of Rosalie Bay from March to October, guests have the opportunity to witness a 1,000 lb giant leatherback sea turtle nesting in the dark of the night, and the opportunity to witness a baby turtle make its grand run for the sea.
Rosalie Bay offers a wide array of programs for sea turtle enthusiasts’.
Sea turtle hatchings. The tiniest of miracles. Sometimes nests emerge naturally, and other times Simon excavates the nest, giving the tiny turtles a chance to survive that they otherwise wouldn’t have had. We came too early in the season to witness the hatchlings, but are in the sea turtle WhatsApp group, where we are kept in the loop with nesting’s, and hatchings.
Sea turtle nesting. Guests are given the opportunity to run down to the beach to witness a sea turtle nesting under the dark of the night. A truly magical experience, one we were lucky enough to witness twice!
Conservation efforts. If sea turtles hold a special place in your heart, you won’t want miss out on these opportunities. In addition to witnessing sea turtles nesting, guests also have the opportunities to patrol the beaches, and to help the researchers measure and tag sea turtles, and relocate nests to the sanctuary.
Educational walks. Judy will give you the grand tour of the beach. You have the opportunity to see the patrol huts, the hatchling sanctuary, and search for sea turtle tracks.
We had the opportunity to walk The Nature Trail with Judy, and what a treat that was. We started at the resort and walked to NET’s sea turtle center. The well maintained walking trail, runs along one of Dominica’s 365 rivers. It provides opportunities to jump rocks in the river and learn about the many species of plants that are native to Dominica. You are welcome to do this trail on your own, but Judy really explains everything and points out every species, so it is worth it to ask her to join you.
The Rosalie River that runs past the entrance to Rosalie Bay is a great place for kids to explore, cool off and swim. We spent hours searching for shells, and splashing in the shade under the palm trees. It is a local favorite as well, across the river you will see families spending the days with their kids playing in the shallows of the river. After hurricane Maria, families would come down to the rivers to do their wash, as the Island was without electricity for months on end.
The Glo Spa, is an absolute must. The spa is built right alongside the river, the sound of running water plays in the background as you enjoy pampering. Come relax and rejuvenate. The spa offers massages, facials, hydrotherapy, manicures, pedicures, waxing and more. For a full list of services click here.
The spa also offers a nature tour across the Rosalie Bay property. I definitely recommend doing this walk, it is so educational, and truly gives you a sense of why Dominica is known as the Nature Island. All different plant species were pointed out to us, and we were educated on their medicinal uses.
At the Restaurant, Chef Nyanda is cooking up a storm. We worked our way through the menu, and tried local dishes that did not disappoint. Everything is so fresh, the servings are huge and the atmosphere is a true open air Caribbean vibe. The staff was incredible, always friendly and accommodating. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner here and never got tired of the menu.
The Pool, is truly an oasis in the middle of the resort. Located right outside the restaurant, is perfect for anyone. This large kidney shaped pool has a splash end, perfect for kids to run and play in. We spent our days poolside, swimming, lounging, and watching the birds and lizards sun themselves. If you leave your drink unattended for too long a little bird will come along to enjoy a sip of your drink.
The Black Sand Beach, while not for swimming because of strong currents, is magical. Come in the morning to search for turtle tracks or in the afternoon, but definitely avoid the beach in the heat of the day. The black stand really heats up, and will burn your feet if you don’t wear shoes.
Out Making Memories 