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Holiday time is precious and finding a place for swimmers that also works for non-swimming family and friends can be tricky. Our recipe for a family holiday was sunshine for my mum, somewhere safe for my niece to swim, and somewhere a little unknown for me. With only a few days available, long flights and jet lag were to be avoided. São Miguel – part of the Azores, Portugal’s volcanic archipelago – ticked all our boxes. A mild climate with geothermally warmed water was a winter antidote, forest springs and sea pools would be sheltered swimming spots for my niece, and an island wrapped by the Atlantic Ocean sounded great to me.