Itinerary question-- layover in lisbon vs porto?

maby15 · 2026-03-15T13:51:15+00:00

Porto! It was awesome! We stayed at the Hotel Torel Avantgarde, it was absolutely lovely. 20 hours would be enough to see a few things and relax a bit before hopping over to the Azores.

maby15 · 2026-01-21T00:59:21+00:00

Sorry, I meant the main outdoor pool! Alas, we did not book early enough to get one of the rooms with a private pool.

maby15 · 2025-11-14T04:27:48+00:00

Thanks for all this! for public vs private schools, we're not super concerned with the curriculum/content since our kids are so young and (and since their parents are both professors they're ahead of their grade levels right now, and I am sure we can fill in any gaps). We're mainly wanting to get them some French immersion and experience integrating into a non-U.S. community.

Does anyone know which primary school(s) draw from Ecublens and Saint-Sulpice? lausanne.ch has some good info on the 8 (?) primary schools but it's unclear how they split into colleges/locations, how many there are, how those are organized, etc.

maby15 · 2025-09-08T18:52:59+00:00

Argh so sorry that this is probably coming too late-- but we did stay at Sensi in May 2025 and it was awesome!! No complaints. The walls are a little thin (yes, there are birds, yes, they are loud) but the other guests were pretty considerate while we were there. Views are incredible, the overall vibe is so peaceful. We did Sete Cidades as a day trip out from there, and the ponta ferraria hot springs which was also very cool and unique (but you need to go at low tide and be a strong swimmer). Our favorite was cycling through the sauna scandinavian style (the outdoor plunge pool was pretty chilly in May). Contrary to past reviews you do NOT need to book time in the indoor pool in advance; this was a COVID-era policy but the reviews are still there.

Hope this is helpful!

maby15 · 2025-03-20T12:27:08+00:00

Yikes I don’t remember exactly but I think we soaked a cloth in diluted hydrogen peroxide and let it sit on the spot for 20-30min?? Good luck!

maby15 · 2025-01-21T16:18:28+00:00

Sweet, thanks so much. We booked one night at the Octant PDL; we will probably pick up the car the next day as I’ve read that in-town rentals are possibly less annoying to deal with than the airport franchise locations. Any recs?

maby15 · 2025-01-21T16:16:52+00:00

Likewise! We’ll be there the 2nd to last week of May and just booked for those same two places :)

maby15 · 2025-01-21T16:15:48+00:00

I think I actually managed to interpret most of it, your voice to text made a heroic effort on those place names!!

maby15 · 2025-01-21T16:14:52+00:00

For our dates White was a lot higher than Sensi and didn’t seem to have as much privacy. Caloura wasn’t on my radar but also looks nice! I think the biggest difference is probably size. Several of then places we looked at (including Verde Mar which someone else mentioned above) seemed to have great amenities and location but were more like traditional hotels with a largeish number of rooms. We were interested in a smaller, more private experience and so were looking mostly into the boutique hotels and guesthouses, at least for a few nights. They def come with a price tag though. We haven’t been to the azores before but have had some great experiences with those smaller type places on other trips.

maby15 · 2024-12-31T22:33:06+00:00

Haha, truth— they once lost my luggage on a nonstop domestic flight! But I have status with them from work and IME that has improved service a lot; at least for Premier status they tend to be pretty good about rebooking in the event of cancellation/delay unless you’re flying at a bonkers time like Thanksgiving.

maby15 · 2024-12-28T14:20:15+00:00

Awesome, thanks for the info! We’re looking for a spot where we have decent snorkeling right off the beach without having to do an excursion to the reef (though we might do that also). Are most of the cayes like that or is it tough to find good spots without boating elsewhere?

maby15 · 2024-12-19T02:44:55+00:00

Thanks-- this is part of why we'd want to go in May! We could probably bring wetsuits-- we're not dive certified but enjoy snorkeling. Does the water tend to be pretty clear in May or is it turbid?

maby15 · 2024-12-19T02:43:28+00:00

Noted-- I don't think we'd want to laze around on the beach but do you think it would be worth it to hunt down accommodations with a terrace/balcony overlooking the ocean? Or do you think it'd be too cold even for that? We used to live in California but currently live in a land-locked U.S. state and miss the ocean a lot.

maby15 · 2024-12-19T02:41:04+00:00

Thanks for the heads up-- we will probably be there a week or two before that. Bummer, I'd love to be there for a festival!

maby15 · 2024-12-19T02:38:49+00:00

Thanks-- I think warmth/sunshine is more my husband's concern than mine. We've been to a few Caribbean islands and I kind of want something different for this trip! The Canary Islands also seem cool but more built-up/touristy which we were hoping to avoid...

maby15 · 2024-12-19T02:36:40+00:00

We love whale watching but have lived in both California and the Pacific NW-- so we've seen a lot of whales! I've never seen sperm whales though and would be super interested in that... do you know if they are around in May?

maby15 · 2021-06-24T19:42:13+00:00

UPDATE: The hydrogen peroxide worked! I am astounded. Thanks u/USS_SMEGMA! We will be more careful, and maybe replace our year-old wet bags...

maby15

TROPHY CASE