My husband and I returned from a romantic two week holiday in the Azores. The Bahia Palace Hotel in Sao Miguel provided us with the refuge and quiet we needed, after a very cold and snowy new year in Canada.

The Bahia Palace is located on a hill overlooking the majestic Atlantic Ocean. Surrounded by beautifully kept grounds, the hotel is ideal for couples who wish to rediscover the romance of 'sitting quietly by the shore, holding hands, feeling the spray of waves kiss your face.' The spring-like temperatures allowed us to travel in shirt-sleeves during most days, and in light jackets in the evenings.

The Hotel food was very good, especially the delicious hot oatmeal porridge for breakfast, and the savoury chateaubriand for dinner. Also appreciated were the fresh fruits available daily for breakfast. Coffee, light snacks, and special Island cocktails were available in the American Bar from morning till late evening.

We had no complaints about hotel service and cleanliness. The waitresses and front desk personnel were always friendly and very helpful with information regarding the hotel and surrounding towns. When the weather turning to rain, the front desk receptionist offered us two umbrellas so that we would not change our plans.

The architecture of the hotel is outstanding. The woodwork in the lobby demonstrates superb workmanship. Walls, ceilings and doorways are adorned in solid mahogany,and light marble floors and ten foot oriental vases add color and luster.

We plan to return again to this wonderful hotel in the near future.

Only stayed two nights but was delighted to arrive at 1am to find we had been upgraded to a room larger than our entire flat!

Unlike previous guests, we found that the food was good with the only eating oddity being the requirement at breakfast to have to ask for everything beyond bread and coffee!

The location is spectacular but a bit isolated as the nearest town isn't an easy walk away. We stayed off season but were spooked at how quiet the hotel was.

nice setting - large rooms cleaned regularly nice pool nice gardens - a little bit isolated - you can't walk anywhere because theres no footpaths - but the one real complaint is the food!
anything cooked hot would remind you of the offering made by grandad in 'Fools and Horses'!! the breakfast bacon and scrambled egg was just placed in a hot tray @ 08.00 and left to stew - it was awful - the fruit and cold meats where ok - the buffet in the evening was even worse - fish placed in a hot tray that was completely overcooked and the worst lasagne i've seen since school dinners!! - the little beach cafe in front of the hotel did a roaring trade - the food and service was much better

Our family of three - 2 adults & 1 16 year old stayed here for two weeks.
We had mixed experiences with staff, some of whom were very friendly some not. We arrived shortly before mid-night and were given no help with luggage and pointed in the direction of our rooms. There was no means of getting a drink alcoholic or otherwise as the bar and room service had closed.
The food it must be admitted was dismal. I'm not sure how they managed it but it was the only place on the island where we had tough steak and over cooked fish - on more than one occasion so it was not an off night. Elsewhere on the island the problem with steak was the quantity - there was simply too much to eat. Breakfast was fine if you liked fruit and cakes. The cooked breakfast of bacon and scrambled eggs was luke warm. There was one toaster and long queues for it and the tea and coffee. Not helped by people thinking that they were on holiday and entitled to dither in front of the hot water!
We did have some nice lunches at the pool bar. A freeform pool that was meant for playing not swimming. The towel situation was annoying. One per person per day and you normally had to wait for them. You also had to coax information from the bar staff that when they said 'no more towels' they actually meant for the moment.
The bar staff in the main bar were very friendly and helpful. But you could never guarentee when it was going to close.
We had a problem with one of our rooms and they did move us after a couple of days. We noticed that someone else was in our old room and the problem had not been fixed and we met the people who had moved from the room the day we arrived.
The reception staff were fine unless you wanted to change traveller's cheques. We took Euro cheques so it should not have been a problem but it always was. Oh and that music - too annoying for words.
Other than that the island is gorgeous, the whale watching, scuba and site seeing brilliant and we did enjoy our holiday. If you stay here hire a car and eat out.