How $708 can buy you a week in paradise

Cash is tight and it is hard to justly travel these days. Unless there is a destination that is close, real, affordable, and allows a total escape from all the disheartening economic news.

Enter the Azores.

Azores Express is offering a seven-day/six-night air and hotel package to Sao Miguel for just  $709 per person (before tax) for travel through June 15, 2009, with six nights at the Hotel Ponta Delgada.

Try this: from the east coast of the U.S., a four hour flight will take you to São Miguel in the Azores, a string of green jewels sitting in the middle of the Atlantic just waiting for you to explore.

You'll land in Ponta Delgada, the capital and largest city in São Miguel, where you could spend the entire week exploring the historic sites and shops, walking narrow streets past colorful chapels and open-air markets. But then you'd miss some of the most stunning scenery on the planet.

The Hotel Ponta Delgada (www.hotelpdl.com/) is a quick 10-minute cab ride from the airport. It is set in the center of the city. All rooms are air-conditioned with phone, Internet connection and cable TV. There is a pool, solarium, Jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, gym, restaurant, poolside cafe, private garage, and yes Wi-Fi in the public areas.

Walk out the hotel door, and you are in Ponta Delgada. The city offers plenty of places to dine. Prices are reasonable and the meals tend to be large, with generous portions of grass-fed beef and fresh ocean fish. The city is easily seen on foot. Its historic sites, colorful chapels, shops, open-air markets and narrow streets make it a favorite among visitors.

A tourist trolley called A Lagarta takes visitors to all the main sites. The city's numerous gardens burst with the diverse vegetation that blooms in the Azores unique climate, making it a hot spot of interest for green thumbs.

Then, rent a car and head west to the Sete Cidades (Seven Cities) region, where a short hike rewards you with breathtaking views of volcanic crater lakes, lush hillsides that sweep down to deep blue-green water. (The Azores were formed by volcanic action and the remnants of that activity is evident everywhere.) You'll be traveling on a long and winding road that leads around São Miguel, where every turn rewards you with views of the ocean, rolling hills, and occasional cattle wandering down the middle of the road.

From Sete Cidades, continue on to Ribeira Grande, where you'll find the beautiful Logoa do Fogo (Lake of Fire). Ribeira Grande is also home to two tea factories and a plantation the only such plantation in Europe, courtesy of the island's balmy climate. (It rarely gets below 50°F or above 80°F in the Azores.) Walk the fields, tour the factories and have a cup of tea in a stone-walled tea room.

Nearby, visit the Mulher de Capote (Cloaked Woman) liquor factory and sample liquors made from passionfruit, pineapple and other island fruits. (In the Azores the word "factory" generally means "quaint building surrounded by trees where local woman sort tea leaves or paste labels on liquor bottles.)

Stop for lunch at the posh Terra Nostra Garden Hotel, where the restaurant's menu features cozido, a combination of meats and vegetables cooked in the ground by volcanic steam. If you're not a meat-eater, try the fish, it's always astoundingly fresh, thanks to the deep waters that surround the islands.

After lunch, take a dip in the hotel's naturally heated pool, which was created by an American expatriate during the time of the Revolution, or walk the English garden planted by a French viscount to honor his parents.

A bit further east, you'll come to the Furnas region, where geysers hiss from the ground and mineral water (in 23 different flavors) pours from taps as you walk the cobbled streets. (Note that some of these flavors are strong; raspberry-lime isn't one of them.) The Furnas region is famous for its natural spas where travelers have come for decades to soak away their cares.

Running through the center of Furnas is a bridge with eight arches, one of São Miguel's many architectural wonders. The Azoreans are a religious people and innumerable churches, chapels and cathedrals adorn the island. These range from the colorful little Holy Ghost chapels to magnificent cathedrals. If you're lucky, you'll land on the island during one of the many Holy Ghost festivals a kind of "old home days" and religious holiday. These events vary from island to island, but invariably involve music, dancing, and free food.

On your way back to Ponta Delgada, be sure to stop in Villa Franco do Campo, the first city founded on the island and its original capital. Here, as elsewhere on the island, you'll find San Miguel to be rich in cultural artistry, with weavers, potters, basket-makers and other artisans plying their trade

For dinner, you'll have your pick of the many restaurants in Ponta Delgada. Prices are reasonable and the meals tend to be large, with generous portions of the world's freshest grass-fed beef and ocean fish. Azoreans like to eat late and linger over the meal with wine and an after-dinner drink (or digestivo).

Also, plan to spend some time in the great outdoors on-land or on the ocean. The Azores are prime pots for whale and dolphin watching, practiced in an environmentally sensitive fashion. Scuba enthusiasts will find plenty of sites to explore, or try your hand at deep-sea fishing. The Azores were named one of the top 10 whale-watching sites in the world.  But whale watching in the Azores doesn't involve sitting on a dock with a pair of binoculars. Instead, you'll hop aboard a small, semi-inflatable motorboat that will zip you through the seas in search of Willy and Moby. It's not for the faint of heart, there's definitely a thrill to this chase!  While an experienced guide pilots the boat on water, on-shore spotters, situated high up on the seaside cliffs,  keep an eye out for whales while directing him on where to go.  The good news is, sightings are almost guaranteed considering species in these waters include sperm whales, northern bottlenose, finned, humpback, pilot, Sowerby's beaked whales and, occasionally, orcas. One of the best times to see any of them is in the spring, when they tend to congregate in the Azores

For landlubbers, there are self-guided hiking and biking trails that range from easy to challenging. And don't forget to bring your camera São Miguel is a paradise for flowering plants, trees and colorful birds. Or, try the Furnas golf course that was built in 1939 and designed by architects MacKenzie Ross. The par 72 course takes advantage of the vistas at 1,700 feet above sea level and has the added attraction of the occasional cloud passing through, not over, the fairways.  The newer Batalha by Cameron & Powell takes advantage of the island's natural features. Guidebook writer David Sayers described as, "one the world's most intimate and exquisitely beautiful courses, given its mountain setting with sheltering forests and numerous elegant tree ferns." The Batalha course is just a few miles outside of the main city of Ponta Delgada.

By the end of the weekend, you'll feel at home in São Miguel. Of course, São Miguel is one of only nine islands in the Azores, each with their own unique flavor and charm. You'll just have to come back another weekend.

Azores Express, a US based tour operator and SATA International, both members of the SATA Group, offer year-round direct service from Boston to the Azores. All packages depart from Boston, include roundtrip air, six nights lodging and breakfast. Flights depart and return on Tuesday and Fridays, and, passengers can upgrade from coach to SATA Plus Business-Class just a few hundred dollars each way. Kids under six stay free, and pay only a child's airfare. To book travel, call 800-762-9995 or visit www.sata.pt for more details.