I visited the 'Hawaii of the Atlantic,' an island chain only 5 hours from Boston. It felt like an unspoiled paradise.

The Azores are an archipelago of nine volcanic islands in the North Atlantic.

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The trip I took to the Azores — an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean, less than 1,000 miles from mainland Portugal — had been a long time coming.The nine islands span approximately 370 miles and operate as an autonomous region of the European country. My boyfriend's family is from São Miguel, the largest one, so the Azores have been on our "must-visit" list for some time.After learning that their beaches, lush landscapes, and unique flora and fauna have earned them a nickname as the "Hawaii of the Atlantic," I knew I had to go.Even as the Azores have experienced an uptick in visitors since the pandemic, the two islands we visited, São Miguel and Flores, felt unspoiled. At multiple moments of our 10-day trip in March, my boyfriend and I felt like the only people for miles.

One of the best parts about the Azores is how accessible they are from Boston and New York.

The Caloura Resort is one of the accommodations on São Miguel.