Grand Hotel Açores Atlântico, Ponta Delgada, Azores

The Grand Hotel is probably the best hotel in the Azores – the Terra Nostra Garden Hotel a close second. The interior celebrates the history of the Empresa Insulana Portuguese shipping company. This is a classic grand hotel with modern amenities.

Ponta Delgada airport is a short €10 taxi ride and we arrived early 28th November evening from Lisbon on a TAP Air Portugal flight. There was already a Christmas tree in the lobby.

The check-in staff were really friendly and escorted us to our bay view room. We passed nautical memorabilia on the way.

The room was beautifully appointed, although configured as two singles. Bathrobes and slippers waiting. Chocolates on the turned-down sheets.

It was almost a shame to ask that the beds be combined. Within minutes a lovely lady from housekeeping arrived and spent ten minutes converting the bed to a king.

I think the hotel should ask guests in advance about their preferred bed configuration, but it really wasn’t an issue.

The view from the balcony was made more impressive by the huge cruise ship, docked in the harbour.

There was a safe, kettle and coffee-pod machine. Wi-Fi was good throughout the hotel.

The bathroom was extravagantly decorated with gold plumbing fittings. See the video below if you would like to view the bathroom – always hard to take a decent photo or video.

The room TV had plenty of English channels. Oddly, the name that appeared wasn’t me and I remained Mr. Hassan Baharvandy for the duration of our stay.

By the time we awoke, the cruise ship had disappeared. Hardy swimmers were taking a dip in the harbour – they’re hard to spot in this picture, but they were really swimming there every day.

Breakfast was served in the first-floor restaurant.

The breakfast selection was pretty good, although missing the classic Portuguese pasteis de nata (custard puff pastry tarts). Beverages were served at our table. For this level of hotel, I would have expected complimentary cava and a selection of cooked to order items, such as eggs Benedict. It was possible to order fried eggs and omelettes.

The pool was completely unattended – we collected towels from the front desk. The water was a temperature designed for swimming rather than bathing. Steep metal steps were the only way in and out of the pool. The pool area was a little dark. There wasn’t a sauna.

The downstairs bar was well stocked and there was also a large outside sheltered terrace. Despite being the only customer, I had to return from the terrace to ask one of the two bartenders for another drink.

The concierge was really helpful and recommended an excellent restaurant called ‘A Tasca’ – we ate there three times and review will be added soon.

Umbrellas were available at the hotel entrance – the weather was still warm enough for shorts and t-shirts, but rain showers are always likely in the Azores.

We rented a car from Wayzor – part of the Bensaude Group who also own the hotel. So, it was disappointing to have to pay €10 per day for parking, but at least that included valet parking.

The Grand Hotel Açores Atlântico is really four-star rather than five, but is more than adequate for most traveller’s needs. We really enjoyed our three-night stay and would recommend you stay here when visiting Ponta Delgada.