Overview The island resort of Santa Maria, a fantastic holiday retreat,
lies southwest of Sao Miguel, and features an airport that was a
World War II American Air Force base which has now been
appropriated as a civil airport. The main town on the island is
Vila do Porto, which has only one hotel but several inns and
private villas for rent. There are a few sandy beaches on the
island, which offer some good scenery and walking
opportunities.