Monte Horizonte

A festive Mardi Gras celebration is just four hours away if you aim to mark the holiday on the Mid-Atlantic Islands of the Azores. Azores Express/SATA, is offering travel packages starting at $699 per person (air and hotel plus tax, double occupancy). In the Azores, Mardi Gras is known as “Carnaval” a celebration starting on Saturday, February 17, 2012 and continuing through Tuesday, February 21, 2012. Parades and pageants are at the heart of the Carnaval festivities. There is lively music, colorful costumes, hand-made masks and floats. On the island of São Miguel, known for its mild weather, you can chose from several hotels in historic Ponta Delgada, the Azores’ main city. Carnaval has a sweet taste of São Miguel, with street vendors selling fried sweet dough, called Malassadas. The festival on the Azores largest island starts of with a black tie grand ball, and heats up with dance music at the restored Coliseu Micaelense. There is a children’s parade in the streets of the capital, Ponta Delgada, with children in costume from each school district on the island. Then, a massive Carnaval parade fills the streets into the wee hours with music, costumes and dancing. All packages are per person, and include roundtrip airfare between Boston and the islands, six nights lodging, and all breakfasts.

Azores Express/ SATA offers direct flights on wide body A310 aircraft to São Miguel, the main island in the Azores archipelago. Connecting flights from São Miguel are offered to Lisbon and the island of Madeira. Azores Express has connected New England with the Azores and mainland Portugal for more than 20 years. The carrier is part of the SATA Group, which connects the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal, with the world.

For more information and reservations, contact Azores Express at 800-762-9995, www.sata.pt.