Just to complement on what Bill said. In Portugal, because all the banks were Government owned in the 1980s when ATMs started to show up, they decided to create a separate company to run the ATM network. As a result, all the ATM machines in Portugal belong to this network, so the concept of "charging for widthdrawals" is simply alien to the Portuguese. There's no such thing, period. As a side-effect, these machines are also the best ATMs I've ever found in the world (yes, the average ATM in the deep Azores will probably be a lot better than the one from your US bank in the midst of SIlicon Valley). However, you'll probably not notice it, as all the advanced features require a Portuguese bank card. Foreign cards will probaly allow you to widthraw money and maybe charge your phones (and also maybe to buy train tickets - I highly doubt it will allow you to buy concert tickets). I highly advise against AMEX. Don't bother bringing one if you're coming to Europe. Make sure your card is Visa or Mastercard and you should be OK with our ATMs and in-store payment terminals.
As to SATA, the delays are really not their fault. Those are islands in the middle of the North Atlantic, if the winds go above a certain level, for your safety and theirs, they will simply not take off. Have some flexibility in your plans, and make sure that you make it to the island of your US return flight a few days in advance. Flying to and from Terceira is easier as the runway there is one of the largest in the Azores (it was designated as a Space Shuttle abort landing site), but do account for possible delays in your São Jorge / Pico connections. João Ventura On Wednesday, 22 April 2015 06:03:37 UTC+2, want2beunique wrote: > > Lisa, > > I took my first trip to the Azores last year in July. We went to Graciosa > (home island) and Terceira. Here are some of my tips: > > Finances: > Get a credit card that does not charge foreign exchange fees. One that > has a chip is also advisable. I got the Chase Saphire VISA and have been > happy with it ever since. We did not use travelers checks and I would not > recommend them. Also, do not buy "Euro" loaded VISA cards (pre-paid VISA). > I researched them and found them very poorly reviewed (unable to be used > and drained of funds). Be sure to talk to your bank. Ask them if your ATM > card can be used in Portugal. Give them your travel dates to ensure you > have no problems when traveling. Also do the same for your credit card. I > found agriculture credit unions on Terceira and Graciosa which did not > charge for withdrawals. Your bank or credit union may be able to help with > ATMs which you could utilize without charge. > > Phone: > We got our iPhones unlocked by Verizon. With them being unlocked and > enrolled for global usage, we could use them in the Azores. This would, > however, be expensive. We ensured data was turned off (cellular data off). > Upon arriving, we went to a Vodafone store in Angra. We were able to buy > a pre-paid SIM card and put it into one of our iPhones. This gave us a > phone in the Azores with a local number from which we could call a taxi (we > had our favorite drivers) and relatives. In many cases, you can call > someone and hang up after one ring and they will call you back. This > worked very well in Terceira. > > Accommodations: > We used Home Away to book a great house on Terceira. It was only 70 euros > a night. Here is a link to the house ( > http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p1309665?flspusage=fl ). It was > a great location out in the "country" in Porto Martin. Not the center of > activity, but we liked the quiet and access to the water. > > Sata: > Schedules are simply concepts of when a plane might arrive or depart. Be > flexible and be sure to contact Sata directly checking for delays. The web > site and phone can give quite different results. We were delayed on > arrival and missed a connecting flight. We were then delayed by more than > a day on departure. It all worked out, but staying flexible is key. > > Hope this helps! > > Bill in Northern California > > ------------------------------ > *From:* lisahbskt via Azores Genealogy <azo...@googlegroups.com > <javascript:>> > *To:* azo...@googlegroups.com <javascript:> > *Sent:* Tuesday, April 21, 2015 8:39 PM > *Subject:* [AZORES-Genealogy] Azores Trip > > Hello, > > I am planning my first trip to the Azores in mid to late August for about > 8-10 days. I am planning to go to Terceira for research and to visit the > ancestral homelands on Sao Jorge (Calheta and Topo areas) and Pico (Lajes > do Pico areas). > > I'd love to hear any suggestions on places to stay, places to eat, drivers > to hire, renting a scooter, not to be missed sights or events, research > tips, using the archives, wifi connection, cell phone tips, use of > travelers cheques vs credit cards, gifts to take with me and recommended > items to bring back etc. > > Also, if anyone else on the list is planning a trip around that time, it > would be fun to meet up. > > Please feel free to post to the list or email me privately. > > Lisa Caetano Harley > Southern CA > LisaHBskt at aol dot com > -- > For options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail > (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the > right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my > membership." > --- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Azores Genealogy" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to azores+un...@googlegroups.com <javascript:>. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/azores. > > > -- For options, such as changing to List, Digest, Abridged, or No Mail (vacation) mode, log into your Google account and visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Azores. Click in the blue area on the right that says "Join this group" and it will take you to "Edit my membership." --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/azores.
