Stepping off the plane at 21.00 hours in Ponta Delgada, on Sao Miguel in the Azores the humidity hit me. WOW. It was hot, I was tired and hadn't expected this level of humidity. Thankfully we quickly collected our cases and didn't have any passport control to queue in, as we had flown in from Lisbon. Our tour operator was waiting as we came into the arrival hall and whisked off to our destination.
Twenty minutes and many bends and bumps later we turned a corner and saw a large hotel block, lit up and sparkling against the dark sky, standing beside the Atlantic ocean, with a high tree covered backdrop or should I say side drop! The long driveway through the gardens with lovely trees and flowers prepared us for the serene and calm entrance to this otherwise pink concrete block. There was a plaque saying when the hotel was opened, the date I can't remember but it was only a few years old, and everything still was in good condition.
The hotel is decribed as a superior 4 star hotel in a magnificent location at D'Alto Bay, near Vila Franco do Campo.
*The Entrance Hall*
A marble covered entrance with bench seats, which I discovered was a popular place to sit out of the sun, lead into the huge hall area. The Reception desk, complete with a large glass bowl of sweets was close to the door, and usually there were two members of staff available to help. On the far side of the hall there was a small table and chairs near the selection of Tour Operators books, but these were nearly all Scandinavian, so not much use to us! Also, there was a computer and Internet access - which was charged. The large lounge area with settees and armchairs had huge windows overlooking the gardens and Atlantic, this area was also used for meetings by travel companies. . The one window opened onto a balcony connected to the Bar, where people sat at night. The beautiful wooden staircases led up on one side of the two lifts and down on the other side of the Americano Bar. The hall was overlooked by a splendid wooden balcony on the first floor, giving extra height to the area. There was a corridor off the Hall leading to the Presidential Suite, Library, Games Room and toilets. The other side of the main entrance was a small shop. Displays describing Whale watching trips and the Melon evening were by different pillars.
Or should I say suites, as this was a Suite Hotel. There were 101 suites, 95 Junior, 5 Senior and 1 Presidential. All had a balcony with panoramic sea view, we were on the fifth and top floor at the end of the building, giving us a beautiful view of the 17th century tiny chapel in the gardens and the sea and beach. There was a table and 2 good moulded plastic chairs with metal legs, and a light for night time. The room opened into a hall with a door into the dressing room area, but you could walk on into the lounge area. The lounge had a comfortable settee and arm chair, coffee table and two tables with huge lamps and a television. Also a writing desk and lamp, on which was information about the hotel facilities. The beds were large and placed together, covered with an enormous fitted green brocade type cover. This was removed after our first day and stored on a shelf in the wardrobe, as it was too heavy and hot to be needed overnight. The typical Portuguese white bedspreads covered the sheet. There were two bedside tables, one with a drawer and the other housed the radio. There was a telephone with direct outside link. The air conditioning controls were on the wall above a large chest of drawers. The dressing room was through an arch and had another table, which as it had a large mirror I used as my dressing table, the hair drier was on the wall beside this table and there were lights each side of the mirror. The hair drier could also be use as a hand/nail drier! There was a large sliding mirrored door, revealing a huge walk in wardrobe, drawers and a small fridge, plus the safe. A door opened into the bathroom from the dressing room, and was much, much larger than my bathroom at home. There were two large washbasins set in marble, with mirrors all around the bathroom. A socket for razors and magnifying mirror, were useful for my husband. The bath had a hand held shower, which would reach the one wash basin for hair washing. There was a large towel rail over the bath where the large white towels were hung. There was a walk in shower and hooks beside this for towels. The toilet and bidet were in a separate room within the bathroom, complete with the necessary towels, and there was a separate air conditioning unit in the bathroom. The usual toiletries were in a little basket on the marble shelf, and were replaced as needed. Clean towels were supplied each day, and the sheets were changed often.
*Eating and Drinking*
The main dining room was on a lower floor to Reception, but was ground floor for that side of the hotel as it opened out onto an outside dining area, and the swimming pool, pool bar and gardens. Called Restaurant O Jardim, it was built on two levels, and was fairly compact. Mostly wood lined walls and ceiling, but light came in from one wall of windows. There were several tables set for two or four people, with nice linen cloths and napkins, and on a raised area where several rows of tables for about 10 people. There was a serving area, with water for tea, coffee, milk, fruit juices, cereal and a toaster. Plus cutlery for the staff, and a till was near here and the entrance to the kitchen. Dividing the lower and upper parts of the dining room was a long, low cupboard area, with a display of wine, flowers and fruits and very unusual lights - made to look like lava rocks. There were huge ceiling fans, which were quite effective. The buffet table was set in front of the cupboard room divider. Outside were lots of tables and chairs and large umbrellas, with a view of the Atlantic.
Breakfast choices were great, all sorts of fruit, my favourite fresh fruit salad and melon. Juices, cereals, yogurts, cheeses, cold meats, tomatoes and sliced cucumber, bread, crispy rolls, Danish pastries, muffins and cakes, scrambled egg, bacon and sausage. As much as you wanted, but a charge of 1.50 euros for each item you took away, not that I saw anyone being charged and many took away fresh fruit.
Dinner was one soup, in a large heated soup cauldron. Slices of lovely breads, a choice of about 10 or 12 salads, including one day a local delicacy - blood pudding, rather like our black pudding, but it was spicier and served with local grown slices of pineapple. I could have survived on the starters as I love salads! There was one meat dish and one fish dish in heated covered dishes, plus vegetables. Sometimes there was pasta, rice or potatoes, but never a choice. There was a separate table for sweets, and these were typical Portuguese, usually a flan or caramel custard as we know it. Also creamy barvois, a fruit salad, usually a sponge or pastry with nuts or toffee filling, and other light but very sweet concoctions.
Lunch was available and was soup, main meal served ready dished up and sweet. We choose to have a toasted sandwich or pizza at the pool bar if we were in, as I can't eat two large meals a day! Lunch was served at the table, where as the other meals were buffet style, except for the wine and drinks. The wine list was good, we tended to drink the local Azorean wines ranging from 10 - 12 euros but the Casa wine at 8euros was drinkable. White wines were always put in an ice bucket, and this was essential as it was warm in the dining room or outside!
The a la carte restaurant was called D Henrique, it was on the other side of the downstairs lounge area. It was very smart, in deep burgundy colours and again a lot of wood. We choose to eat here one night, and although service was rather slow, we had a beautifully cooked meal. A good choice of both meat and fish dishes, and some different sweets. They had large portions and it was nice to be waited on for a change. We had a brilliant prawn starter served on ice, the prawns were HUGE!
The Americano Bar, was on the ground floor and although advertised as being open from 11am - midnight, we discovered tended to open only in the evening. I presumed it was because the weather was good and the Pool bar was open during the day. One evening it was closed as there was live music outside so the Pool bar remained open. It was a long room with lots of comfortable settees and chairs, and there was table service. A dish of tiny local biscuits were served with the coffee and nibbles with other drinks, depending on which waiter or waitress served you! There was a large screen television for those who wanted to watch whilst having a drink. We preferred to sit outside most nights and oil lights were lit, creating a lovely atmosphere.
The Pool Bar opened at about 10.00am and served all sorts of drinks, snacks and ice cream. Meals at lunch time were ordered and brought down from the hotel, just a few minutes walk.
*Facilities*
The swimming pool was a popular place to be. Usually there were plenty of sun beds and umbrellas, but the first day we were there it was full up! Towels were provided free, 1 per person each day. A small beach umbrella was available too, to take down to the nearby beach. The pool was large and cleaned each day, there were life belts but no life guard. Usually a bar attendant was about and there was a phone at the bar. The pool was shaped in 3 joining circles and each was a different depth, it was well used and beautifully warm from the sun in July. Possibly cold in winter months! If you preferred you could follow the path down to the sandy beach, which is the best one in S. Miguel.
The extensive gardens, I believe over 70,000sq m, had several benches so you could sit and look out to sea, or walk and admire all the plants. There was a beautiful little 17th century chapel called Ermida de Jesus, Maria and José, which was lit up at night. There were 2 tennis courts beyond the parking area and a kitchen garden, racquets were available from reception. There was a table tennis room and pool table and a Library, with plenty of books, (although mostly older copies) which doubled as a reading room which had several tables for card games. I could imagine it being used for a Bridge holiday. There were a couple of mountain bikes for hire, but as the area was very hilly, they weren't often in use! There was a hotel mini bus, but we never found out when it was going into Ponta Delgada, as we had a car. Trips could be booked through Reception. The local bus stopped at the end of the drive.
There was a small Gym and sauna, but the door was locked and it meant going to Reception, as I didn't want to use either I didn't check this out further, but I did ask about the Massage as Beauty treatments were available. Unfortunately the lady only worked a Monday, so I only managed one treatment! The small shop in the main Hall, had basic things like sun cream and some magazines and sweets, plus local crafts which included biscuits, local tea (yes tea is grown in the Azores!), wine and wood carvings and delicate jewellery made from flower petals.
Laundry facilities were available but I didn't use them, as usual it was expensive! The parking was free and well used as the hotel was away from the towns and hire cars were popular.
*Conference and Congress Rooms*
There are two rooms which can seat 120 people, so they encourage business meetings. There is also a large Marquee in the grounds, near to the door from the downstairs hall and by the D. Henrique restaurant. This is used for weddings and will seat over 200.
*My thoughts*
I've given you the facts, some things I liked some points weren't so good, so I'll add my feelings about the Bahia Palace.
The setting beside the Atlantic was beautiful, the noisy Cory Shearwater birds came home to roost everynight, which shattered our peace for an hour until they settled down! Otherwise it was a very quiet place, a 20 minute walk along a busy narrow road took you to the next village where there was a bar but no shops! This is a place for relaxation not nightclubbing, which suited us.
The lovely entrance hall easily accommodated a bus load of arrivals. It gave a calm and expensive feeling to the Hotel. The seating was on the far side of the Hall, so if waiting for a taxi it wasn't very convenient, but there were seats outside. It made a "4Star" luxury statement on your arrival.
The suite could be described as "elegant". There was plenty of floor space, so people needing a bed for a child, wouldn't be too cramped. The air conditioning was essential in July. The fridge was great for cold drinks, and made a nice change from a mini bar with no room for a bottle of water. There was a charge for a key for the safe, I wish all safes were supplied free of charge, by all means add a few euros to the charge of the room, but it should be part of the deal. The separate shower was better than over the bath showers, but adjusting the heat of the water was tricky as the colour coding dial slipped around! We soon became accustomed to how to control it, cold surprises certainly wake you up in the morning! I believe possibly those on the first floor at the front wouldn't see a lot of the sea because of the huge trees, but we had a lovely view and the balconies were so placed, no one was over looked. The large beds were very comfortable, spare pillows and blankets were also in the wardrobe area if needed. The air conditioning was quiet, but you needed a key in the slot to operate it and the lights, one bad point only one key card was given on checking but, a second supplied when requested. It is useful to for each person to have a key if you decide to do different things! I can't remember all the prices but it was cheaper in comparison to eating out at a hotel in this country, coffee was 2 euros, a litre of water 1.60euros.
Breakfast was great, plenty of choice and only one day did I notice they had run out of glasses for juice, bread rolls etc, but it was soon rectified, it seemed to be a very busy morning with a lot of new residents, and we were later going down.
Dinner was slightly disappointing in the main meal, the salads were lovely and I enjoyed them, but a better choice would have been good. Having had a very strong cheesy pasta with a rather bony fish one night, served with sprouts and carrots, I felt a bit disappointed! Having said that I had enjoyed the starter and had a second helping of pudding! Just one bad night out of 11, I suppose I am being a bit critical. It is a while since I stayed in a hotel serving buffet dinners, so I think I am comparing to a la carte meals. It was adequate, and for those who were only on B & B it cost 10euros a night, which was a bargain. Meals and drinks could be paid for or added to your bill, a very useful procedure.
The car park was full to overflowing on the days weddings were at the hotel, but the drive was long and people parked along the grass verge and just had to walk further! The free towels at the pool were clean, often still warm from the drier, but I heard someone complaining they were only allowed one per day, in fairness you dried quickly! The beach became very busy at weekends with local people, but there always was room for more! The lay-by soon got filled and the road blocked with cars, horns sounding was a common problem but only at the weekend! The beach facilities were good, toilets, showers and cafes. My massage was fantastic! It cost 35euros for an hour, and she was excellent. The garden was beautiful and we walked around it often, especially after dinner, watching the sunset, and listening to the birds. I got quite excited when I saw them setting up the marquee for a wedding. The tables looked beautiful, the flower arrangements amazing. We had a birds eye view as it was directly below our balcony! The fashions were interesting and watching the bride arrive was a thrill, but the disco music kept us awake until after 1.00am so we were glad that the second wedding was a smaller affair and they all left by 10.00pm! It would have been nice to be told there may be some noise.
There were plenty of toilets around the public places, well stocked and kept clean. Also showers in the cloakroom near the pool area.
There were no signs saying to only put your towels out for washing when necessary as water shortage isn't a problem in the Azores. But they did use energy saving light bulbs and in one of the toilets the lights came on when you walked in, saving power.
The staff were mostly Azorean and did speak some English, some were Portuguese and one Brazilian. Language wasn't usually a problem in the hotel, but they were pleased when you tried to speak their language and patiently helped with the pronunciation! It is slightly different to the mainland. We booked through Mercury direct but you could book online, which may be cheaper. It costs £715 each for a week in July, including flights from Gatwick to Lisbon, and on to the Azores. We had 11 nights there and stopped in Lisbon on the way back.
And to sum it all up! A paradise in the Atlantic Ocean? Well yes, it was, there was a feeling that you were staying somewhere exotic, but the food did slightly disappoint me. Would I go back? YES please, when can I go? The staff were excellent and said they hoped we would return. The tourist industry is still quite new, and I hope things won't get spoiled here, but only time will tell.
