Welcome to Pensão Francisca – Our beautiful B&B on Santa Maria Island, Azores
Discover a little-known tucked-away gem in the middle of the deep blue crystal-clear Atlantic Ocean.
Spend your holiday off the beaten track on the island of Santa Maria in the Azores. Experience the spirit of Santa Maria and enjoy its natural abundance.
Our small island of volcanic origin with its diverse landscape invites you to explore above and below the water level.
Santa Maria
The scenic abundance of the Azores archipelago is echoed in its weather. An Azorean proverb says: “If you don’t like the weather, wait for half an hour.”
We are blessed with sunshine all year round, interrupted only by occasional rains. Often a deep and quiet calm precedes a raging storm.
Our crystal clear waters are sometimes calm, steeped in deep blue and turquoise hues, stretching as smooth as glass to the horizon, and then wild and boisterous, with roaring and thundering surf, crashing and foaming white against black rocks.
Set out on a hike across fields surrounded by ancient stone walls or climb narrow serpentine paths in the steep vineyards of Maia and São Lourenço Bay.
Allow yourself a moment to pause and breathe, and marvel at the fantastic views from Pico Alto over the vast expanse of the Atlantic and the picturesque little villages at the foot of the hill.
Enjoy a coffee in one of the many small, traditional cafes.
There are a thousand reasons to visit us.
At the heart of Santa Maria
Pensão Francisca is located in the heart of the island: on the edge of the village of Almagreira, above the sweeping black and golden beach of Praia Formosa on the south coast, and right at the foot of Pico Alto, our local mountain.
From our central location you’ll reach Praia Formosa beach with its three restaurants within a delightful 35-minute walk or a few minutes drive. The nearest grocery store is only 600 metres from the house, in the village of Almagreira, where you can also grab a pastry and a coffee.
A small café-bar in the old mill of Almagreira invites you with friendly service and inexpensive local dishes and drinks.
The main town of Vila do Porto, with its selection of restaurants, is just 5 km away, and the marina and ferry terminal are about 1 km further on.
Impressions of Santa Maria
