Porto Formoso Holidays from £733

It was well situated, so close to the city that we could easily walk to different restaurants, car rental, excursions and sights to visit. It cost 5 euros per day to park our car in the hotel’s parking lot that was operated with a closed door so no risk of vandalism. You could also come and go all day. The pool and area was really cleaned and well maintained. The staff were all friendly and helpful. I like that they had a bowl at the entrance full of complimentary apples every day. The only negative think I could say was the mattress in our suite with the king size bed. It was not think enough so I could feel the springs on one side. I asked to change the mattress or put a mattress topper but they couldn’t help. We are breakfast there every morning and it was just perfect to start our day with a lot of variety from hot to cold. We ate lunch just once at the hotel and it was good, but the rest of the time ate elsewhere since we had a lot of variety. The dinner they were serving was buffet style and opened only at 7pm which was too late for us.

The pool is not heated and even the kids had difficulty swimming at the end of June. Beach is nice to walk on. Did not go in the water. Jellyfish on the beach. The food is ok, not many options for kids and strong on fish (with lots of bones still in). Water is not included with dinner, so a minimum of 5 euros for a bottle. Hotel is a bit dated. Music in the hallways on speakers start at 7am. The grounds are nice and well maintained. The check in staff was nice and the kids enjoyed the flavored water at the desk. Parking was easy and free. Good location for activities nearby.

My husband and I enjoyed our stay here. I appreciated being able to do my laundry easily with the machine in the garage and the estendal in the closet. It was very close to universidade do Açores, which we needed. But also close to other more tourist things like the seaside and the beautiful church. Really the only thing I didn’t like is the bathroom doesn’t have a fan for ventilation, but very small since you’re not in a bathroom for very long anyways.

Overall a great experience. The check in process was not. The link to leave the security deposit had expired and it took 2h to get in touch with the company. Once we did though it was smooth sailing. The breakfast was great and the head staff was awesome. She made sure that we had everything we needed. For anyone who gets motion sickness this is NOT for you. The boat is constantly moving and rocking.

If you love birds and gardens this is the place. Very charming and not too many guests. Hot tub was relaxing.