Sensi…….tive

We are on the move again today, heading along the southern coast, west of “Punta Degaga”. Our next hotel “Sensi” was given a great review by Richard and Kimmy whom we met last night at the Gin Library, and even though it is a little out of the way for optional dining out in the evening, they told us not to worry, as once you taste the food, you won’t want to go anywhere else, plus, Nurlan the masseuse is phenomenal which makes the ladies very happy. Sensi shows it is only about 40 minutes away on Google Maps, but we have some stops planned along the way. First on the agenda is Shteve and Margo’s new place in Relva, currently getting the reno treatment……looks like it is coming along nicely, is in a great part of town just west of the airport, and steps from a beautiful cliffside ocean overlook. You are never far from anything on Sao Miguel, especially when you have good access to the main road, so this property would be a great place to plant it for a week or so, golf, and do day trips around the island.

We continue along the coast road heading west, bordering the cliffs, and stop at a scenic overlook on the edge of town…………couple of guys there with big ass binoculars and two way radios with antennas………they are spotters for a couple of different whale watching operations and they can see for miles out to sea from this vantage point. They are in direct contact with their respective ships, steering them towards any sea life they can spot with the binoc’s. Apparently there are whales that frequent these waters throughout the year, so something different from the migratory behaviour I was always used to, and they say there are always tons of dolphins around which are big crowd pleasers also. We snapped a few pictures and continued our journey.

I don’t think we missed a “miradouro” (viewpoint) along the way, each one just as stunning as the last with the cliffs and rocky shores providing some fantastic scenes. Access to the water for swimming on the island appears to be limited. If there are beaches we haven’t found any, and my cliff diving days are over.

It doesn’t take that long, and we arrive at Sensi. A very cool property, formerly a farm/equestrian facility, that was purchased by the current owners just 5-6 years ago. It was badly in need of repairs and upgrades which they have done beautifully, probably touching every surface in the place, and creating a lot of new ones also. We are in luck as our rooms are ready, so we dump the bags and get back on the road, wanting to reach the west end of the island at Mosteiros before the sun sets.

Not too far along the way is one of my targets at a place called Ferraria……..no nothing to do with cars or F1, but it is a place on the shore where hot volcanic water meets the sea, feeding a rocky cove where some arrangements have been made for people to actually get in. Here’s the deal……..you have to walk across a rocky volcanic shore to reach one of two (swimming pool) ladders that have been fixed into the rock…….descend the ladder into the cove/water…….grab hold of a rope…….many of which have been secured across the cove………and enjoy the warm water. All sounds pretty straightforward, but unless it is low tide, and the sea is relatively calm, waves are rolling in over top of everything, and if you don’t get sucked out to sea, you might get slammed against the shore rocks……..not for me, and the ladies smartly declined also. The locals we talked to, confirm that at low tide it is a great treat and the water does get quite warm………early morning is probably best.

I didn’t mention the road down to the shore from the cliffs above……..hairpin city, and steep as you can imagine……..J&S were crapping themselves on the way down, and already talking about having to climb our way back out before we even got out of the car. There are remnants of a functioning spa, hot pool, and restaurant adjacent to the parking lot, but apparently they have not made it all the way back since the COVID shutdown, and everything looks pretty grotty. Walking the shore with waves crashing in was a blast, and after a trip to the death pool, we are back in the car……….the climb back up the cliff takes less than a minute………I don’t think the girls breathed out once on the way up……..just kept inhaling, and inhaling, and inhaling…………maybe 45 seconds………memorable seconds they were though.

Minutes later we scope out Mosteiros from the car, before heading towards another target……..”Steve’s Sunset Bar” just down the road on a high spot overlooking yet another rocky inlet with waves crashing in and flying up into the air on impact with the shore. Great spot…….Beers burgers and fries are on the way.

Rather than watch the sunset from Steve’s, we decide to book it back to Sensi and watch from there. Great choice. The indoor hot pool at the hotel can be booked for your private use in one hour increments, and it just happens to be free NOW. Trunks on and into the hot pool! All freshened up we meet in the bar for sundowners, and I spot a young girl rolling dice at another table. She is just messing around playing a game…….. two hands against herself, and I ask if she would teach me how to play………”Marralhinha”……great game, and I just happen to kick her ass. This one will be coming home with us……….reminds me a lot of “Trouble”………hmmm, that’s the name of Kohners popomatic game.

Dinner is as advertised…….ab fab, in a lovely dining room w/great service…….bottle of vino (ok two), and we are ready to hit the sack. Hiking at the volcanic lakes tomorrow.