Hotel berhampiran Maria dos Anjos Melo House Museum, Ribeira Chã

I just returned from a three night stay at this hotel with my girlfriend and our teenage daughter. We have been countless times in S. Miguel as we consider it such a pleasant and beautiful island. This time we opted for a hotel outside the main towns and in fact we managed to do just that. At the same time it is only 20 minutes away from the airport and 15 minutes away from Ponta Delgada or Ribeira Grande, the two main towns. We already visited the nine islands of the Azores archipelago and always get a rental car at the airport (exception at Corvo Island). If you are staying in this hotel, it is paramount that you do the same. As to the hotel itself, we booked it only four weeks in advance on high season, thus we had to pay the full rate of the stay at that moment. Upon check-in on room 206, we were given two identical cards without any distinctive element, one to open the door and the other to insert into the slot for lightening. That is odd, generally, hotels give two identical keys to open the door and one of them, if necessary can be left on the slot when we are out. We were assigned a spacious accommodation with living room, bedroom and bathroom. We did not have sea view and the living room had lots of glass walls overlooking the adjacent condo. All those glasses made it very hot on the sun shining days and we had to keep the AC on during the day. The décor of the room was unstylish and lacking attention to details. The bedroom had a big closet but no clothes rail or hangers. Besides that, one of the doors of the closet could not be opened fully, because it bumped into the shelves that are installed as bedside tables. The safe was old style, that is to say, it closes with a key that we had to ask for at the reception at no charge, along with a cumbersome key ring that we had to take with us whenever we were out of the room. The living room had a well equipped kitchen, that we did not use but it was constantly patrolled by half a dozen ants. We had bought previously some good looking fruits and had to fill a big dish with water and in the middle of it we put a small dish with our fruit so that the ants weren’t able to cross the water in order to get to fruit island. The bathroom was very spacious and pleasant looking even if the washbasin was more stylish than efficient. This room lacked tremendously of a place to put one´s belongings (toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, electrical razor and so on). Amazingly no one foresaw the installation of a shelf. The social areas of the hotel such as the lobby are, again, unstylish, corridors have shabby carpeting. The room where breakfast is served has a view to an outside wall and lacks natural lightening. Breakfast itself has a reasonable variety of items, but by no means is it worth 12 euro per person per day, that in our case we were asked to paid in advance, precisely at the same moment we made the reservation. There is a restaurant at the hotel, called Dragoeiro but it features mainly sushi. It is in

Menghadap Lautan Atlantik dan terus ke laut, tiada halangan di hadapan. Bilik ini mempunyai balkoni, yang sangat selesa dan mempunyai pemandangan yang luas. Anda boleh melihat laut terus dari katil. Bilik mandi dilengkapi dengan tab mandi. Boleh mandi sambil tengok laut. Memang selesa! Hotel ini sangat bersih, saya sangat menyukai gaya hiasannya, ia mempunyai rasa reka bentuk, padanan warna sangat sesuai untuk pemandangan tempatan, dan perinciannya dibuat dengan baik. Perkhidmatan ini sangat baik, restoran bufet sarapan pagi boleh melihat laut dan makanannya banyak. Hotel ini mempunyai kolam renang infiniti luaran. Anda boleh berenang sambil melihat laut. Jika anda tidak mahu berenang, anda boleh datang dengan malas untuk berjemur di bawah sinar matahari. Terdapat juga sebuah bar di sebelah kolam renang. Jika hujan, terdapat juga kolam renang dalaman yang dipanaskan, jadi anda boleh berenang sambil menonton laut. 【Pemandangan Tepi Laut】 🧹Kebersihan: 🍃Persekitaran: 🔔Perkhidmatan:

We stayed here for a night in the last week of April 2023 - though we booked this hotel because it mentioned 24 hour access to the park, when we went after the park closed it was not lit up, was quite dark so frankly we would not have been able to enjoy even the large main geothermal pool (we changed and went there, but didn’t even get in when we realized it could be dangerous due to the depth and lack of light), instead opting for a morning dip before the park opened. The rooms smelled a bit musty, and the bathrooms would get wet constantly because the shower “door” was glass that didn’t extend enough to prevent water splashing out so the bathroom mat would constantly get soaked - a pet peeve of mine. Keep in mind the restaurant there shuts early with the last order at 9, so when we got back from the town by 9:20 and wanted to have dinner, we were told to order “room service” - which meant we had to go down to the bar to order the food, pay and wait for it there, and bring the cart up to the room ourselves when it was ready. Not sure if this is the case also for room service order before 9pm. Though the Terra Nostra gardens are worth a visit, in hindsight I would have done it as a day trip, as there are other geothermal pools close by as well that are open until later ( 10:30/11 ), so no need to stay at this particular hotel unless you want access jacuzzis and geothermal pool before other guests can arrive. When we visited the jacuzzis were under scheduled maintenance work until June 2023 so perhaps this access in addition would have made the stay worth it.

The team at White made us feel instantly at home, we were welcomed and well taken care of for the entirety of our stay. We’ve fallen in love with Sao Miguel and it’s all thanks to each person at White. Every day we’d get personalised recommendations on where to go, what to see and what to avoid to make the most of our time on the island. Communication was effortless as the team gave us a phone to talk to them with - very responsive and helpful every time we spoke. The suite was beautiful and uncluttered with rich details and textures - a real calm retreat after a day filled with lots of sites and scenery. Every person that works at White are friendly, helpful and accommodating even our airport pickup created such a wonderful impression. This was by far our most favourite part of our holiday. Thank you to Sandra (for helping us arrange a rental car and welcoming us to white), João (for personalised tips on where to go on the island), Rodrigo (for making a proper martini and chatting to my husband for hours while I was resting and recovering from a flu) and each and everyone of you for treating us so special during our stay. Highly recommended for amazing service and incredible suite.

This apart-hotel complex is absolutely beautiful, flowering bushes everywhere with a lovely scent. Our apartment was large and airy and had a great private terrace on the first floor (2nd floor if you’re North American). It really was a home from home with a full dining area with table and chairs and lounge area with sofa, soft rug and tv. The main double bedroom was upstairs with an anteroom having a sofa/pull out bed for children or guests 3&4. Lots of storage in the bedroom but there was a distinct lack of hangers in the wardrobe but loads of drawer space. The kitchen is adequate enough for simple meals (no oven) with a twin hob and microwave, kettle and toaster, and a selection of pots and pans. We managed really well. The hotel provides breakfast 8am - 10am if you want it at 12euros per person. We didn’t try this option. Housekeeping are amazing and come every day! Everything is clean and beds are made. Towels can be changed daily if you like. For a self-catering holiday we found that a lot was provided in the apartment for us: washing up liquid, washing up sponge, washing up cloth and a tea towel. These are replenished and changed as needed. There is also toilet roll, shower gel and hand wash provided in the bathroom which was lovely - again, replenished when needed or on request. The complex gardens are beautiful and well-tended. The pool looked lovely and well-cared for, however we didn’t try it out. There seems to be a hot tub in a wooden building off the pool area - we took a look but it was grubby and the water had floating debris. I’m sure they would have sorted it out if we had asked, but we were out and about discovering the island every day. You definitely need to hire a car for the duration of your stay here as there isn’t any bus route nearby and taxis would be very expensive to get around the island. HANDY TIP: If you’re picking up your hire car on landing at the airport and driving to Quinta da Santana - to get into the complex there is an electronic gate that requires a remote control. When you first arrive, drive past the big metal gate and find the next smaller (pedestrian) gate. Put the hazard lights on in the car and get out to ring the bell. This alerts reception who will come and open the gate for you or just give you a remote straight away so you can drive into the complex. We had a horrendous time of looking and looking and going around and around the roads trying to find the entrance!! We didn’t know about the need to ring the pedestrian gate bell (face palm!) The reception staff are lovely and very accommodating and speak English very well. I’m not sure what other languages they can speak. The area that Quinta da Santana is situated in is the one fly in the ointment….it seems really run down and the road they are situated on is all full of industrial buildings and commercial businesses. Further exploration within Santana uncovers the grubbier side of agricultural life with its local working class community.

A fairly new and clean hotel, but the staff really destroyed our experience unfortunately. The pros: - New large rooms - Small but clean bathroom - Free breakfast - Free parking - Central location (not a huge city) - Comfortable bed The cons: - Staff there to do bare minimum and make you feel like you're annoying them - No breakfast left half an hour before it's meant to finish - Line ups for coffee at breakfast - You can hear everything through the front door to all the rooms being cleaned above, below and next to you, good luck sleeping without ear plugs - No water or anything provided in the room except tea Arrived on a 6am flight sleepless from Toronto to be looked at and in one glance told rooms won't be ready till 2pm, no exceptions. I ended up asking every few hours as we were freezing on chairs in the lobby, and were only told it's full and that a lesser noisy room would be available if we want to take it (smaller, smaller bed and facing the street) to which we said no, as we're light sleepers. You would think they would tell us when the room was ready but no, after falling asleep in a chair under the blasting AC, I woke up sick, stiff and the room was available but the lady at the front desk had better things to do than tell me. She could at least have offered us breakfast with warm coffee but no, zero effort made. At breakfast the next day, half an hour before closing there was no bread left or scrambled eggs. When we asked they said it was over, meanwhile we could see two cooks in the kitchen making scrambled eggs but obviously not for guests... this was the general experience throughout the stay. The best was at checkout being asked if we drank the bottle of water in the room. Firstly, there wasn't one, ironically, were they going to charge us for that too? Stay somewhere else, there are nicer hotels and inns, some near the waterfront and restaurants.

Overall, I did enjoy my stay here and I would return. The staff was exceptional and really bent over backwards with a smile to ensure you were happy. The spa was lovely and I enjoyed having private hot springs as part of the hotel experience. The hot springs are 24 hours, so that can’t be beat. I also appreciated they let you do two nights (other places wanted three night minimums) so I could split my time on the island. The breakfast was a nice spread. They actually provided champagne with the drinks, which is more generous than other hotels. I did a dinner with them too that was good. The rooms themselves were modern and clean. My negatives were that it’s off a busy- ish road and, while I grabbed one of the last rooms, I didn’t appreciate that there would be rooms looking into a parking lot in what I was expecting to be a very serene/remote spot. I’d pay extra for a better view/side when booking. A couple notes: I was surprised that this small town is not very pedestrian friendly. There are very narrow sidewalks and a couple roads where drivers are whizzing by. The town needs more crosswalks and speed bumps. You’re better off with a car here. I was also told that if you tip on the receipt, the money goes to the hotel, which I’m hoping they disseminate, but not directly to the person helping you. I’d have some cash for tips … That said, no one ever appeared like they expected tips.

Mixed bag Pros: * Maria B. at the front desk was professional and helpful * Fast elevator * Great hot water in the shower * Overall the hotel and hotel room was clean * Complimentary breakfast had good options * Small outside balcony with a table and two chairs Cons: 1- Hardest mattress ever- I have traveled the world and slept on hundreds on mattresses. This one was not only extra firm, but it had zero padding. You could feel each and every bed spring. Awful. 2- No working safe in the room. Technically there was a safe in the room, but it didn’t have the typical code setting device. It’s was just a non working safe that wouldn’t open. Odd. Every hotel room should have one. 3- No refrigerator in the room 4- No free parking. You can park outside the hotel and feed the meter and it’s free after 5pm. The hotel offers limited under ground parking for $8 euros per day. The hotel is about a 10 min walk to the best areas of downtown. It’s not in the prettiest section of town but it didn’t feel unsafe either. There is noise from the airport, but it didn’t take away from the room. We checked out a few days early to go to a quieter area of the island with a more comfortable bed. This hotel is in a decent location at a reasonable price for a single night IMO.