Home of the largest gin collection in the world, reserve ahead and try a cocktail made with any gin on their shelves, including their own. If you bring a gin they do not have, they will swap with you for one of their own house gins. Head to their website to see their inventory! This place doubles as a hotel too.

A botanical garden hidden right in the city, this is where we got our engagement photos done that you saw on our save the dates! Built in the 1850's, this place is home to many different plants and trees from all over the world. Free to enter.

Visit the pineapple plantations to see how they grow them on the island. They sell their own pineapple liqueur here in the gift shop, and it is the only pineapple liqueur sold on the island that uses just fruit in its production, no other flavor enhancers. Free to enter.

Small beach with a restaurant on site. Black sand and lots of cool volcanic rocks wash up here.

Located inside the Octant hotel in downtown Ponta Delgada. We have only walked past the casino, we have never been inside. Downtown Ponta Delgada has underground parking garages right in front of this hotel, and it's very cheap. There are also lots of little shops and food trucks in the downtown area, it's worth walking around!

This is the viewpoint where Ethan proposed. There is a parking lot off R8-1A to the left with the hiking trail to the right. On the map it is directly next to Lagoa do Canario. This trail is fairly easy, I consider it almost a "walk". It's a flat dirt path until a small area of rockier elevation at the end. The entire hike takes about 45min-1 hour round trip.

Further down the road there is another viewpoint of the two lakes that does not require hiking. It is next to the abandoned Monte Palace hotel, also located on R8-1A. It is called Miradouro da Vista do Rei.

Important to note: Sete cidades being up in the mountains, it highly depends on the weather. Sometimes it can be too foggy to see the two lakes. Please check this attached website called SpotAzores to see a live stream of what the area looks like, and choose a sunny day to visit!

Super cute café that Ethan and I loved going to for breakfast. They have the best cappuccinos!

Seafood restaurant with an ocean view.

Ethan and I have not tried this restaurant but we've heard good things about it!

This is a church that sits on the mountain overlooking the entire town. It gives the best view on a sunny day.

There is a small island off the coast of Vila Franca that you can take a boat to and go snorkeling for the day. Boats run back and forth about every 10-20 minutes from Vila Franca marina to the island. There are two ways of buying tickets; online up to 15 days in advance or get to the office early and buy tickets the morning of to guarantee nice weather. We had trouble with the website so we went the morning of and bought tickets. The problem with waiting is that they only allow a certain number of people on the island per day because it is a protected nature reserve, so they can cut off the line once they reach their max capacity. So the earlier you go, the better. They do have bathrooms on the island, and bring water shoes because the rocks are extremely slippery. They do not supply you with anything except transportation to the island so bring your own food and snorkel gear if you plan to stay there a few hours.

These are Ethan's favorite Portuguese dessert. There are multiple companies on the island that make queijadas but these are the best ones. It's also a cafe with pastries and coffee, and I believe you can book a tour through their factory.

Restaurant with 4 different chefs serving Italian, Portuguese, sushi and chocolate/dessert. It has both indoor and outdoor seating, overlooking Ilheu de Vila Franca.

Best steakhouse on the island, very reasonably priced too.

Our favorite beach, they offer surfing lessons here. Very good restaurant and plenty of parking, as well as a pineapple cart where someone will make you both alcoholic and nonalcoholic pina coladas.

By far my favorite activity in Portugal. Ricardo, the owner of the farm, has 50 goats as well as chickens, cats and dogs. You have free rein to hangout with the goats, feed them and even milk them. After that he provides you with a traditional Portuguese breakfast with his own goat's milk and cheese. I booked through Airbnb and his tour is typically about 3 hours long. Ricardo reached out to us beforehand and told us google maps works best to find his house.

Visit the tea plantations on the island, see how they harvest and make the tea as well as visit their café and store to buy some of your own. Our favorite is the hibiscus green tea.

Another one of Sao Miguel's botanical gardens, this one is much larger and has a hot spring inside that you can swim in. Buy tickets at the door to enter, and if you plan on using the hot springs PLEASE wear a black or dark colored bathingsuit. All of the hot springs on the island contain water with high iron and minerals so it will stain your clothes orange, especially the one in terra nostra.

These are the hot springs that we always go to, the water is much clearer than Terra Nostra's springs but it will still stain so please wear dark bathingsuits. They have multiple pools with different temperatures. Book tickets for your timeframe in advance, and to enter you can either scan the QR code on your phone or print it out.

This restaurant utilizes the volcanic heat of the island to cook their food. You can try the traditional Cozido das Furnas here, Ethan loved it.

Nordeste is furthest away from everything else, its a very small town with one restaurant and one café. But they do have a couple roadside viewpoints and parks that are worth visiting. This one has a waterfall and 5 historic water mills, as well as a café and gift shop.

Located right off the road, this is one of two gardens in Nordeste with beautiful views of the ocean and mountains. Bonus: cats everywhere!

This is the second garden viewpoint also located on EN1-1A, about 2 miles down from the other one. Both have parking on the side of the road and aren't usually too busy. Free to enter and also houses many friendly feral cats!