Our trip to the Azores took place almost 3 years ago. Sao Miguel is an extraordinarily beautiful island with a wonderful climate and excellent food...
The question is why people do not go there???
We were only on one island, but as far as I know, it is not the most interesting one. We spent one week there. There are very little people and hotels; however, there are better beaches and food (meat).
Nature is impressive! The island is like a large botanical garden - plenty of flowers, greenery, ivy and ferns...
When the Azores are advertised, saying “It’s more beautiful than on a postcard", believe it - it's absolutely true!
The climate is great, in the afternoon it was about + 24C, at night about +22 (this was in September 2010, when we were there).
Food is for every taste.
What fruits are there! And there are fresh juices of it!
There are the most delicious (and the most expensive) pineapples in the world! Do not forget to get some home - your friends will appreciate)))...
And in general, there wasn’t anything particularly annoying... That was a big plus to me))).
On the islands, there are about 80% of foreign tourists from the Scandinavian countries. Menus in many restaurants are in Danish or Swedish, as some owners of hotels and restaurants are from those countries etc.
Almost everyone (at least young people) speaks English well.
Now, let me say few words about transport. We rented a car for 5 days. The island is quite small, so that was more than enough. You can also take a taxi. It costs 15 euros per hour. Or you can even go by a special bus for tourists or by usual local buses, but the routes are not interesting usually...
Our first tour was to the west from

Ponta Delgada

to the lakes

Sete Cidades

.
The way to the lakes is very picturesque. There are blue hydrangea bushes along the side of the road, tall trees and serpentine road. If you come when the weather is good, you can see that the water in one lake is blue, and it’s green in the other lake. According to the legend, these lakes are the tears of two lovers – of a blue-eyed princess and a green-eyed shepherd, who were not destined to be together...
Despite the both lakes were full with algae at that time, both were swarming with fish! Big fish was jumping onto the surface like dolphins... A fisherman passing by said that usually there is perch, carp, and pike. He also told us about the license, which must be bought in Ponta Delgada, if someone wishes to go fishing there)))
On our way, we saw few more lakes. This one is very interesting (

Lagoa do Fogo

). It is in the crater of an extinct volcano.
The pathways are good. The routes are of various difficulties.
We saw bushes of the blue, red and white hydrangea everywhere along the road.
Hydrangea is a national flower of the islands. It is often depicted in the azulejos (painted tin-glazed ceramic tile work).
Generally, there are a lot of various flowers.
Later we went along the coast.
First, there was a fishing village of Mosteiros, where we had dinner in the restaurant Brisa do Mar, which I heartily recommend to everybody. Squids were very tasty.
Then we went in Furnas.
Here are some views...
Furnas itself is a small resort town, but "hot springs" (geysers?) and a park are main points of interest, of course. Primarily, we went to the springs. It was interesting of course, but the SMELL!!! This smell ("the stink" in fact, to be precise))) is not only in Furnas, but also in all its surrounding environs. We defined that we were approaching to that region by the smell.
Anyway, it was interesting to see the springs. The ground was snorting and gurgling...Some springs were boiling with clear water, other – with mud. 
Nearby there was quite an interesting lake of green color. I do not know whether there’s fish, but there were ducks walking along the bank...
Here's the continuation of the review:
Sao Miguel. The Azores. P2
Sao Miguel. The Azores. P3