Miguel met us at the airport to give us the key, as well as a gift of fruit to welcome us. We have stayed in 5-star hotels, and some beautiful AirBnbs, but this was the pièce de résistance, a 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom designer home easily twice as big as our large home. All geometric angles at times with dizzying effects, with 16 foot ceilings, there was a terrace for three of the bedrooms and a large yard that overlooked forest and sea. Warm mahogany floors, stark white walls and drapes, beautiful ceramic and stone tiling, carrera marble, a huge contemporary fireplace, and top-of-the-line fixtures and dishware--this is how we were meant to live. Cleverly designed, we had total privacy despite being a home with 10-foot high glass walls that opened up in all directions. We took the opportunity to wash our clothes and let them dry in total peace under a warm sun and a blue sky, with a lively breeze keeping us perfectly comfortable. The UNESCO designated early 15th-Century, Angra do Heroísmo, the first European City in the Atlantic and the festival in nearby Praia da Vitoria, would have to wait. Fresh pineapple and espresso for breakfast, it was PERFECTION.
Airbnb | São Mateus da Calheta, Açores, Portugal