🗺 Open the interactive Santa Maria map
Santa Maria is the oldest and sunniest island of the archipelago, and the only one with real white-sand bays. Terraced vineyards tumble into São Lourenço bay, the red clay desert of Barreiro da Faneca looks nothing like the rest of the Azores, and the clear water around the island makes it a favourite for divers heading to the Formigas reef.