Sao Miguel, largest in the Azores group, is scenically spectacular with green pastures and forest-covered volcanic peaks. The island may be the largest, but it is still very small - just 40 miles (64km) long and 7.5 miles (12km) wide.

Its most alluring attraction is Sete Cidades, a 15 square mile (40 sq-km) volcanic crater containing two lakes, one deep blue, and the other emerald green. This island was chosen by Price Henry the Navigator as his first to be inhabited by Portuguese and ordered that a flock of sheep be put onshore in 1432 a year prior to the arrival of the first settlers.

Sao Miguel's lakes, are the inspiration behind many poems. Sete Cidades, where emerald green and sapphire blue are the dominant colours is the source of the legend of sorrowful princesses, of lost kingdoms.

Fogo lake, a dramatic landscape of lava and sea. Furnas lake, mirroring its surroundings like a fairy tale image overlooked by a chapel's gothic tower.

Then there is Vale das Furnas, a vivacious garden at the bottom of a vast crater where hot water springs run free. Within you'll find the romantic Parque Terra Nostra, where exotic tropical species blend with varieties from Nordic countries.

The fervent vapour of "Caldeiras" is reminiscent of the original volcano of the island.

Finally, visit the only tea plantation in Europe whose vantage points allow you to look out across the rolling pastures dotted with lazy Holstein cows, the dense woodlands and the inevitable riot of flowers.