This a short review of the hotel Azores Faial Garden, in Horta, on the island of Faial, in the Azores, Portugal.
Travelling in a kind of package tour “Whale watching and marine ecosystems in the Azores Islands: Portugal“, the hotel was included. I’m not sure it was the hotel I would have book had I been travelling independently.
Booking gave this 4-star hotel a 7.9 (Good) from 1,652 reviews, but with also a 9.3 for location. Tripadvisor gave it a 3.8 (Good) from 506 reviews.
I think the following review summary posted on Tripadvisor is honest …
Resort Hotel is often commended for its cleanliness and prime location in Horta, with guests frequently mentioning the stunning views of Mount Pico and the convenience of being close to the harbour and restaurants. While the historic hotel exudes charm, especially in its central courtyard, some travelers feel that the value does not align with its 4-star claim, pointing to outdated amenities and inconsistent service. The rooms receive mixed feedback for comfort and upkeep, and while the pool area is neat, the dining experience and limited amenities have room for improvement.
Reception
We arrived quite early, so it was logical that the rooms were not yet available. We checked in, and they store our bags until the rooms were ready. They also delivered our bags to our rooms.
The main reception-foyer area was light and modern, and there was a notice informing everyone that the façade of the hotel was being repainted. First impressions were positive.
The excellent location in the town meant that we could walk out and spend the morning and early afternoon visiting the port, etc.
The room
The above photo is from a website, and the room looks clean and modern. However, the corridors and my room just looked a bit dated.
On the positive side, the room was big, well equipped with a large double bed, a side table with two solid chairs, a desk, TV, mini-bar, complementary water, a bed-bench, floor-lamp, etc. I think the overall “dull” dated impression could easily be changed with just a little decoration to reduced the impression of dark wood, etc. The room just appeared a little impersonal.
I’ve seen this type of room with this type of decor, totally transformed by simply painting the furnishing in white.
There were French windows out to a terrace (however the weather was not perfect), and a second full-length window had a nice view over the port.
In addition to the uninspiring decor, negatives were that the mattress was hard (a good thing) but there was no “topper”, and the wall-safe was too small for a laptop. Some people might think the TV was too small, but I never looked at it. There was bedside lighting, but not really adapted to reading, and more generally, I found the lighting options a bit dull.
Overall, a decent 4-star hotel room, lacking a bit in “star quality”, but otherwise perfectly functional when considering that we were on a small island isolated in the Atlantic.
The bathroom
Again the bathroom was big, functional, but a bit dated. I would certainly have preferred a walk-in shower, and I hate plastic shower curtains.
As with the room, everything was clean and well organised. The towels were decent quality, but one day the bath/shower mat was missing, and another day a hand-towel was also missing.
Again a decent 4-star hotel bathroom, a little dated, but totally functional.
Breakfast
Again we can see that the breakfast room was a little drab, but otherwise functional. And what was on offer was very complete, and included a few local-style products, etc.
I was a little surprised that the coffee machines delivered automatically sugared milk-coffee options. I had to pick just coffee and fill the cup four times, then add cold milk used for cereals to get something decent, without sugar. You could also ask the waitress for an expresso.
Dinner
We dined in the restaurant twice. The first time the meal was average, but excessively “heavy” as an evening meal. The second time the meal was better, but still there was too much on the plate. They need to learn “less is more”.
The service was impeccable and very attentive, but a little too formal. I would not recommend eating there in the evening. There are numerous options within walking distance. Options with more choice, better atmosphere, and good prices.
For example, Restaurant Atletico, Genuíno Restaurante, Gastro Bar Príncipe, Peter Café Sport, or even Bar Do Clube Naval.
The Bar
During the day the bar appeared very quiet, however in the evening they were very professional in preparing cocktails, etc. And the prices were very, very reasonable.
