Do-It-Yourself Ponta Delgada

[IMNiles]

I apologize on behalf of all cruisers. I am often shocked at the things fellow cruisers, particularly Americans (I'm allowed to say that as I am American), will say and do in a foreign port (I admit I'm not shocked at table-saving, but there have been plenty of other shocking things I've seen and heard). Sometimes it makes me embarrassed to be associated with them. Like it or not, we are ambassadors for our nation, and even though the locals will smile at us because they want or need our tourist dollars, it's the impression we make that determines if they'll still be smiling when we leave. OK, I'll get off my soapbox now.

 

Thank you so much, trubey, for all the excellent tips about Ponta Delgada. We have a very short time there (11-5, I believe), so we need to be able to maximize it. In particular, we know to get off the ship RIGHT AWAY to hit the shops before they all close for the afternoon!

 

1 week to go! :)

[trubey]

But, I, too am an American and a cruiser. It's just a wee bit weird when tourists completely take over your city for a day. They really didn't do anything wrong, I think I simply wanted to gripe. susana.

[trubey]

Fog at Sete Cidades

 

[IMNiles]

They really didn't do anything wrong, I think I simply wanted to gripe.

 

Me too! ;)

 

less than a week to go! :):)

[IMNiles]

Well, our vacation has come and gone.. sigh. We enjoyed our visit to Ponta Delgada, but our timing was very bad. We stopped in at Telecom Portugal to use the internet, and then flagged down a cab (cab line right across the square) to get out to the crater lakes. The cabbie spoke not a word of English, and we not a word of Portuguese, but somehow we managed to communicate (we even got onto a discussion of middle east politics!). Antonio Daniel was very nice, and did his best to explain what we were seeing in the mishmash of languages we managed to cobble together to communicate. He charged us about 35 Euros for two hours, which we thought was very fair. As we began to climb out of town, it became very clear that fog was going to be a problem. The fog was so thick that we couldn't even see the crater lakes until we were on the road that bisects them. Nonetheless, it was very pretty (for those of us that come from the desert, the fog and greenery alone were beautiful!), although Antonio fell all over himself to apologize for the bad weather. The view from virtually all the miradouros was pretty much nil, except for a couple that overlooked the coast, which were very pretty. When we were finished, we had him drop us off at the mall so David could use the internet there (he needed wireless for his laptop). Alas, when he purchased internet time in the food court, the vendor responded by emailing him his username and password, which was a bit circular since we needed the internet to get his mail. We didn't get the password until we got back to the ship. I was starving, so I got a sandwich at Pans and Company, and was pleased to find I could get a beer with my "value meal" - gotta love that! Of course, when we exited the mall, the sky was clear and the sun was shining, but it was too late to go back up to the lakes.

 

Despite the weather, we did find Ponta Delgada and environs to be just as pretty as advertised, and everyone we met was very friendly.

 

Cheers!

[TWIND]

Fog at Sete Cidades

 

 

Hi Susan & Lane,

 

We will be visiting Ponta Delgada on Friday Nov. 10 via the Grand Princess. We are scheduled to be in port from 8:00am to 3:00 pm (but all of Princess's excursions run from 9:30 am to 1:00pm?)

 

Andy of CA gave me the link to this (your) excellent roll call site. (We are all cc participants). I really appreciated all the information contained on it.

 

I think I have the picture, between weather variables and travel variables a cab in the am to Sete Cidades seems like enough adventure for me. We will be the only(2600 people!) ship in port that day. Any idea of the outlook for an am cab under the above conditions (Also, would cabs become harder to find if the sun comes out and people rush to the crater?)? Does 35 to 40 Euros for two hours seem to be in the ball park for a cab with 2-4 passengers? I have copied your cab directions!

 

Our most recent Island Adventure was a 4wd journey to the interior of Tahiti, no craters but a lot of fog and rain at the top. Nonetheless. a great trip (I can furnish you with a web site with some movie clips of it, if you have a broad band connection?)

 

Thanks for any help you can give and I hope that you two are doing well and let me know if there is something I can bring you from the "48"?

 

Cheers,

Ina & Denis (cc TWIND)

[corkpopr]

we got off the ship late and walked into town. we rented a car and drove to twin lakes and down into the village (beautiful) from the observation point. we then went back thru the town and over to the other side of the island. wandered around and went to the liquor factory. we then drove up a long drive to the top of fire lake. we ended up above the clouds looking down as if from a plane. we then took an unmarked road down the other side in the general direction of the city. it was a one and a half lane, no guard rails, no lines, 3 or 4 thousand foot drop that dumped us about 2 kilometers from town. we dropped off the car and went to the mall that the car rental was in (3 levels 250 long) and bought a few items including interesting jewelry. make sure you check out the elevator! we started walking back to the ship and realized that we may not make it so we grabbed a cab. last passengers on the ship with 5 minutes to spare!

a great day, i recommend it for all

[TWIND]

Hi Northridge Neighbor,

 

We are just down the freeway in Camarillo. Would love to get together and share your expertise. Sounds like you are pretty good (and lucky- who cares it worked!) My email is in the signature box.

 

Ina & Denis

[wdrl]

Thanks for all of your posts Trubey. We are on the Star Princess TA in May 2007 and are researching our first port, Ponta Delgada. There's so much info here it's wonderful. I'm printing most of your posts so my hubby and I can read it at our leisure. :)

 

--Denise

[TWIND]

Let me second the motion Trubey, we really enjoyed Ponta Delgada. The last few minutes of our home made , eight minute, Grand Princess Trip Video are worth many thousand words.

 

Click on Link Below for Video hosted on .mac.

 

http://web.mac.com/twind3/iWeb/%20Grand%20Princess/

 

 

Thanks again.

 

TWIND

[JLT]

I had read this thread a while ago but didn't make notes then. Now I am sailing on the Brilliance of the Seas, arriving 4/23. Thank you so much for all your practical information. I am looking forward to our day on the island.

[Ephraim]

If we wanted to rent a car, what car rental agencies would be close to the port (so we don't have to go to the airport to pick up the car).

 

Also, where would be a close petrol station so we could fill up the car before returning it.

 

Thank you for all the information. We are going to be visiting on the Brilliance. We are Canadians. :D

[trubey]

There are many car rental agencies here. First, you did read that I wouldn't recommend it, didn't you?

 

There are any number of agencies in the city. The one we use when we have guests is tucked away on a back street which would be difficult to find and really not convenient on a day when every hour counts--also they don't speak any English.

 

But along the large street (Avenida Infante Henrique) which runs along the harbor, I have gone in to get a quote from a company called Limota. I just checked for a website for them and sadly found it quite old. The prices quoted are in escudos which we haven't used in about 5 years. But this was the site address, and maybe you could send them an e-mail:

 

http://www.geocities.com/limota_2000/

 

Another one, on the same street is called Micauto and has a more current website:

 

http://www.micauto.com/tarifas.htm#SMG

 

Note, that their site says that there is a 15% tax not included. And it seems that no matter what kind of quote I get, there are always additional fees, no matter.

 

I haven't done business with either of them and my suggestions are simply based on ease of location. There is one large company here that runs a scam to make renters purchase new tires because they have had a flat. I don't want to give out their name on a public forum, but if you find another rental agency, please feel free to write me and I will tell you if you have selected it.

 

There are half-a-dozen gas stations in the Ponta Delgada area. You won't have difficulty there. There are two (one in each direction) on the expressway which goes around the outside of the city. There are also two on the major north/south road on the west side of the city (Avenida Príncipe do Mónaco).

[Ephraim]

I saw your warning, but we do have a habit of swimming against the stream and once of the experiences that I love is driving in places where it's tough. I've driven in places where most people won't even consider it. Though I have to admit that I draw the line at driving in the Golan Heights, that's too unnerving for me.

 

Thanks. We haven't decided, but we want to keep the option open.

 

Any national companies like Eurocar, AutoEurope? I assume that the 15% is VAT(IVA). All car rentals have weird fees. Some of the companies in the US are now charging for tire wear, the nonsense is endless.

[trubey]

Because of your question, we called our favorite rental agency this morning to see if they would do a pick up at the pier. Unfortunately, we found out that they have a two-day minimum rental period.

 

I do not recall ever seeing the names of the companies you mentioned here in Ponta Delgada. But, many of the smaller rental companies have contracts with the larger corporations and function under both names. And actually, most of the companies are owned by a larger Azorean firm that does business under many different names--including those of the major international players.

 

There are the obvious Hertz and Avis at the airport. Although the airport is only about 4 kilometes away from the pier, I have paid 10 euros for that ride.

 

Below is a list that I got from the government's web site:

 

 

 

ILHA VERDE RENT-A-CAR

Praça 5 de Outubro 19

9500-153 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296304800

Fax: 296304892

reserve@ilhaverde.com

www.ilhaverde.com

 

RENT-A-CAR WALTER M. B. MEDEIROS LDA

Estrada Regional Relva 77

9500-655 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296302030

Fax: 296302037

autowm@mail.telepac.pt

www.autowm.com

 

AUTO-RAMALHENSE, LDA

R. Direita do Ramalho 158 A

9500-180 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296281104

Fax: 296281078

 

RENAULT RENT

Largo de Camões 52

9500-304 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296301400

Fax: 296301409

 

296 RENT-A-CAR (FILIAL)

Av. Infante D. Henrique s/n - Rosário

9560-022 Lagoa

Tel: 296912270

Fax: 296916205

 

RENT-A-CAR AUTATLANTIS (FILIAL)

Av. da Liberdade 40

9680 Vila Franca do Campo

Tel: 296581115

Fax: 296581116

info@autatlantis.com

www.autatlantis.com

 

RENT-A-CAR AUTATLANTIS (FILIAL)

R. da Matriz 2

9500-527 Ribeira Grande

Tel: 296474179

Fax: 296474180

info@autatlantis.com

www.autatlantis.com

 

RENT-A-CAR AUTATLANTIS (FILIAL)

Aeroporto João Paulo II

9500 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296282491

info@autatlantis.com

www.autatlantis.com

 

RENT-A-CAR FLOR DO NORTE

Rua Dr. Guilherme Poças Falcão 43 – São José

9500-057 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296287209

Fax: 296287209

flordonorte@iol.pt

www.flordonorte-rentacar.com

 

RENT-A-CAR MICAUTO

Av. Infante D. Henrique

9500-150 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296284382

Fax: 296285186

 

RENT-A-CAR SOLMAR

Centro Comercial Solmar

9500-529 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296282678

Fax: 296282679

 

RENT-A-CAR FLOR DO NORTE (FILIAL)

Estrada Regional 14

9630 Lomba da Fazenda

Tel: 296486120

Fax: 296486495

flordonorte@iol.pt

www.flordonorte-rentacar.com

 

LIMOTA RENT-A-CAR

Av Infante D. Henrique 55

9500-150 Ponta Delgada

Tlm: 967358331

Tel: 296629338

Fax: 296629339

limota@delca.pt

 

TOURILHAS RENT-A-CAR

R. Augusto Manuel de Freitas 1 – Rosário

9500-052 Lagoa

Tel: 296916412

Fax: 296965542

reservas@tourilhas.com

www.tourilhas.com

 

RENT-A-CAR HERTZ (FILIAL)

Aeroporto João Paulo II

9500 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296205435

Fax: 296205455

hreservas@hertz.com

www.hertz.com.pt

 

VARELA RENT-A-CAR

R. de Lisboa s/n

9501-903 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296301805

Fax: 296301810

rentacar@bensaude.pt

www.bensaude.pt

 

296 RENT-A-CAR

Rua de S. Gonçalo 235 – Fajã de Baixo

9500-435 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296205070

Fax: 296205080

296rentacar@296auto.pt

 

EUROÇOR RENT-A-CAR

Largo de São João 18

9500-106 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296282899

Fax: 296282064

eurocor@clix.pt

www.rentacar-eurocor.com

 

RENT-A-CAR 7 LOMBAS

R. 25 de Abril

9650-403 Povoação

Tel: 296559560

Fax: 296559562

7lombas@portugalmail.pt

www.7lombas.com

 

RENT-A-CAR AUTATLANTIS

Rua dos Manaias 65

9500-084 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296205340

Fax: 296287146

info@autatlantis.com

www.autatlantis.com

ESTRELA DA MANHÃ RENT-A-CAR

R. D. Aristides da Mota 57

9500-054 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296284382

Fax: 2962851

[Ephraim]

Europcar gives me 3 addresses. One is at the airport. The other two are:

 

RENT-A-CAR SOLMAR

Centro Comercial Solmar

9500-529 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296282678

Fax: 296282679

 

ILHA VERDE RENT-A-CAR

Praça 5 de Outubro 19

9500-153 Ponta Delgada

Tel: 296304800

Fax: 296304892

reserve@ilhaverde.com

www.ilhaverde.com

 

So, I guess they are Europcar's agents.

 

Thank you for all your help.

[trubey]

May I suggest you send me an e-mail. susana.

[trubey]

The Ilha Verde office on the Praça 5 de Outubro is just about where you get off the bus from the pier. Assuming that the bus drops you off by the fort, cross the street and you will be about on a large square. The car rental location is along the square, on the south-east corner.

 

susana.

[Creeks]

May I suggest you send me an e-mail. susana.

 

 

Thank you for posting maps - my favorite way to preview any place

we will be visiting.

 

We'll be on the Splendour of the Seas, arriving at Ponta Delgada

on May 2nd. We are only scheduled to be there from 7 AM to 1:30 PM,

and after six days at sea (which we love), all of the passengers

will be madly dashing onshore.

 

Think we'll just ride your trolley and enjoy the town.

If we have a table in the sun, you are welcome to join us! :)

Jo in Arizona

[orknot2be]

Hi Susana

 

First of all I hope you are both well. We will be on the Brilliance arriving 4/23. I hadn't read your posts till just a couple of days ago, they are fascinating and informative. I'm just not sure if we can book the crater lake at the last minute through the ship, and if we should just wait to contact you for a weather report (is the number still the same? and is it still ok to call?). I see from the pictures it can be quite a disappointment if the weather is wrong (although I'm sure beautiful, regardless). Unfortunately I am one of those nervous types afraid to travel without a ships tour, we are only in port from 7A-3P. While it seems like a good stretch of time, how early in the morning can one start out on a private tour and is there such a thing as too early to go to the crater lake because the fog is heavier early in the day?

 

More importantly, is there anything we can bring you?

[Joy_K]

I checked on the per-hour taxi hire rate yesterday. A driver, stopped at random, said it was 13 euros per hour for up to four people. Many of the drivers speak English and you’ll find a queue by the City Gates. If you wish to leave the city, this is my recommendation.

 

Trubey, you first posted this taxi info in 2004. Can you give us a 2007 price? Also, are the majority of taxi's sedans, or might we find vehicles that seat more than 3-4 such as mini vans?

[trubey]

First, some replies to orknot2b (sounds like it is a name of a yaucht).

 

I'm afraid I can't give you a very good answer about what time of day would be best. There really is no pattern on a daily basis, so there is also no way to minimize your risks or maximize your positive chances. I guess I mean to report that there is no one better time of day than another to either avoid or to stress.

 

As for booking a shore excursion: My experiences have all been on HAL and shore excursions really had to be made in advance. But there is always the possibility of asking for a Waiting List position.

 

I guess a lot of this depends on one's personal attitudes in life. If you are a "Go With The Flow" type of person, who just enjoys seeing different things, you can very much enjoy a tour where the vistas will be greatly diminished, but you put on your short-focus lenses and enjoy the cows and the houses and the flowers along the roadside.

 

For example, I will be going to Ponta Delgada late this afternoon to meet with some Cruise Critic travelers. The weather now, at 10 in the morning, is cloudy and damp. I'm hoping that they are having a good time even though the day isn't perfect. However, I know that I will enjoy the ride into town, myself. There is always something to see.

 

For timing, I would think that 3 hours would be plenty of time to go to the lakes and return to town. So, don't worry about rushing.

 

Yes, my telephone number has stayed the same. However, I have friends from our old life in America who will be coming on your ship. So, I will be going downtown that morning. I will be reachable on my mobile: 351-914-928-662.

 

susana.

[trubey]

Joy, I will see what I can find out about taxi rates today.

 

Also, most taxis are normal 4-5 person European cars which limits the passengers to 3 or 4. But I have seen a few station wagons and a few mini-vans. I don't know how to arrange for these specifically, but if I see any today, I will ask. susana.

[trubey]

For those of you who have been waiting for an answer from April, I have just found recent taxi information.

 

A 4-seater taxi is 16 euros an hour (with Sundays and Holidays having a 20% premium).

 

There are two 6-passenger taxis on the island. Although my source did not know the hourly price, he said that they would also have a Sunday and holiday premium and can be reserved.

 

susana.

[kanigeta]

Trubey,

 

I hope you're still checking in now and then and I'd sure like to thank you for the information. I had planned to follow some of your suggestions in October 2007 when we were there on the Holland America Westerdam, but I was too sick with a nasty cold to leave my cabin. Still I enjoyed seeing your beautiful island from my balcony.

 

I'm returning on March 7th, via the Norwegian Jade, and will try once again. Your tips about getting a taxi and the routes you suggested will come in very handy.