Ponta da Ferraria — Attraction in São Miguel Island

5 stars in general for the place itself, for the surroundings, for the rocks and the waves, and all that. Less stars for jellyfish. No matter how much I tried to avoid them in my 10min dip, I still came out of there with 5 different stingy and burning spots on my body. The pain goes away in less than 1h, or at least it did for me. Do not ignore the yellow jellyfish flag at the end of the stairs. The lifeguard lady did a nice job of alerting me when one jellyfish was near me in the pool, without her I would have had no clue, it looked like a child's fistsized bubble floating around. Read about it beforehand, if you don't know it already, and do not wash it with normal water from the showers up the stairs like I did. We were there after the low tide, 1pm-ish, so the waves were super nice. The water was warm, like a comfortable bath temperature, with cold patches. If it wasn't for the jellyfishes this whole experience would have been beyond amazing. I initially planned to do a sunset in the pool and book a taxi back to Sete Citades; I'm happy I didn't do that, would have wasted money that way. Car is the best way to get there, as far as I saw. We didn't have one, so we took the bus to Várzea then walked. It's pitoresque for sure, and it's not the end of the world, but beware of the last part of the journey where you start descending; it's very steep, both for uphill...

My friend and I visited three hot springs on Sao Miguel and this was by far the most exciting, the cleanest, and the most FUN! The waves came in at a fairly calm rate and were not overbearing, the sunset was magical and the temperature was perfect.

There were ropes throughout the spring to ensure you didn't get swept away and most of the rocks had gone smooth over time - but you had to be on the lookout to not bump your knees/ankles/hips because they are all different heights.

The facilities were well maintained (could use a light in the change room for the sunset crew...), and clean. The ladders into the spring were sturdy, clean, and fairly accessible.

Some things to know:

Check the weather. While rain and clouds should not slow you down, wind definitely will. The first time we went here, the ocean was fairly frisky and we would have drowned for sure - or we would have been swept out/under the current. Check the tides - the best time to go is just before or just after low tide. At these times, even with some decent waves, you will be comfortable in the spring. Sturdy shoes are a must - the pathway ends about 50 m from the entrance and it's a rocky path there, with no clear route and lots of uneven ground to cover. Check out the spa and walk around the property while you're there. The views are amazing and unique in each direction,...

Some rocks came crushing down on the road sometimes in early June 2019 or a bit earlier. You are technically not allowed to enter the road down (only doable on foot) and there's a sign warning you that you are trespassing but people do it anyway, including myself. The facilities are currently in disrepair and abandoned. It was a somewhat windy day when I went, the waves were decently strong during low tide (check the tides status online) and people were reculant to enter the water, and everyone who entered got out again after 5-10 minutes. The water was cold mixed with some warm water from the springs, but it's not exactly pleasant, and the waves throw you around. You can hold onto some ropes so it's not really dangerous, but there is no lifeguard or anyone watching you, only other curious and confused tourists. On the way back, you have to walk up the cliff again. I just went since I wasn't aware of the conditions and had already driven all the way out there anyway, but you are honestly much better off relaxing in the hot springs of Furnas. This place is just something to cross of your Azores bucket list and then head off to your next destination. Not really worth it, even...