We have just had an 11-day stay at Casa Criptomeria and from being picked up at the airport by Sergio, whose focus on customer satisfaction is second to none, we had an amazing holiday. The house is only a short drive from the airport and São Miguel’s traffic is very light so there were no problems in getting anywhere. Casa Criptomeria was spotlessly clean on our arrival and we were greeted by a welcome pack including bread, butter, milk, cheese, ham, fruit and a bottle of wine.
The house is kitted out with everything that could be required, including laundry facilities (detergent provided), a generous supply of towels and a lovely coffee maker. Fresh bread can be delivered daily if required and is extremely reasonably priced. The house is quite small but doesn't feel at all cramped - there was plenty of room for four - and the lovely criptomeria wood interior makes it feel very cosy. The garden is beautiful and a lovely place to relax, although the pool was a little on the cold side at the end of March (only our 10-year old son was brave enough to try it)!
Sergio's famous buggy tour around the rim of the caldera at Sete Cidades more than lived up to expectations from previous reviews, and having a car provided as part of the package was brilliant. On the morning of Easter Saturday Maria brought us some delicious freshly baked sweet bread, still warm from the oven. Both she and Sergio were really helpful and friendly, and Sergio went out of his way to encourage us to see as much of the island as we could. The other member of the family who contributed to our holiday experience was Lord the dog, who loved playing with the children.
We had several day trips, including one spent whale watching from Ponta Delgada (amazing), a drive around the eastern coastline visiting places such as Nordeste and Povoação and a day at Parque Terra Nostra in Furnas, where we enjoyed the lovely gardens before swimming in a wonderfully warm geothermal pool which turned our son temporarily orange! Here, we also had the opportunity to experience the local speciality dish, Cozido das Caldeiras, which is a mixed-meat dish cooked for several hours in Furnas volcano. The location is ideal for visiting all the western coast including the volcanically heated tidal swimming pool at Ponta da Ferraria, as well as the famous crater lakes at Sete Cidades. There's still much more we could have seen so the only thing for it is to return for another visit - in summary, fabulous!