Thermes de Carapacho

Thermes de Carapacho draws chlorurated geothermal spring water on the island of Graciosa in the central Azores, where volcanic hot springs flowing directly into the ocean at the Carapacho shoreline have been incorporated into a small thermal spa complex using the island's geothermal resource in a setting of dramatic Atlantic coastline, basalt cliffs, and the pristine natural environment of the least populated inhabited island in the Azores. Graciosa, at 62 square kilometres the second smallest inhabited island in the Azores, was designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in recognition of its exceptional state of ecological preservation, its traditional windmill culture, its Verdelho wine cellars carved into the volcanic tuff, and the Furna do Enxofre, a massive lava cavern with an underground lake and a sulphurous volcanic chimney that constitutes one of the most remarkable geological features in the Atlantic archipelago. The coastal springs of Carapacho, long appreciated for relaxation and well-being, flow in an island environment of extraordinary quietness and ecological integrity, where the low-impact approach to tourism and the maintenance of traditional Azorean agricultural and viticultural practices give the visitor an experience of Atlantic island life far removed from the commercial intensity of the main Azorean tourist circuit.