Pousada de Angra do Heroismo Castelo de S. Sebastiao

One week vacation here in May 2025, package from Azores Getaways (an excellent travel operator, my sixth trip with them). Direct flight (once a week) from Toronto to Lajes (or Praia da Vitoria, or Terceira – I've seen all three names used for the same airport). Landing before 7 AM – transfer to hotel maybe 30 minutes; I’ve purchased the early check-in too (CAD 150 at the time). The fortress complex is very interesting, and the modern hotel building (I believe 28 rooms in total, four could be in an old building) is perfectly integrated. Rooms are large-ish for Europe, very well maintained and cleaned. There is a modern safe, no extra charge. The TV is quite small; you also have a fridge mini bar. Bathroom is nice, with a full bathtub (careful when in or out). Air conditioning was probably seasonally activated on May 15, not that warm yet but quite humid. There is an outdoor pool, rather small and expect people roaming around you (the outside interior area is a local touristic attraction – probably #1 human-made on the list for every visitor to Angra). Breakfast is included and it’s reasonably good, go early to have all selections ready at the same time. The restaurant was daily open for dinner, and on weekends for lunch. Not an extensive menu but good options in the local market range (had dinner twice: alcatra regional, and grilled octopus). There is a bar in another building (entrance across the hotel entrance), most of the time it was empty (low season) - ask at reception for service. They do offer some good drinks / coffees. City centre is quite close, with many restaurants and grocery stores in walking distance. Yes, if having mobility problems it might no be the best choice but Angra itself is not the best destination in that case. Overall, highly recommended, happy travels!

I saw this in my guide book and thought "Wow, staying in a castle, definitely!" It is quite modern, the room we had was a good size with a small balcony and sea view. The only thing that was a little annoying was that the doors that would have offered direct access to the pool area were locked. Breakfast was very good, a lot of choice. We had dinner once as well, which was also really nice.

We enjoyed our stay. The people were very nice and helpful. The room was a good size with robes and slippers, an ocean view, hardwood floors and a good sized closet. The bed was okay but dangerous for toes. The shower/tub had lots of hot water but was slippery and hard to access (big step over). Bathroom amenities were plentiful and good quality. The heating system was adequate but slow to respond to changes in temperature. Breakfast provided eggs, fruit, yogurt, bread and lots of coffee. The walk to town/restaurants was 15 minutes. Anyone with mobility issues should seek another location.

The hotel is in a beautiful ancient fort where pirates were fought in the 16th century. The surrounding property has a gorgeous view of goat Island. The most impressive part of the hotel is the historical nature of it. We stayed in the modern side of the building and the room was fine, not fancy, bathtub was great, bath amenities were fine for us and it was clean and housekeeping was excellent. Bathroom lighting is a little dim if you're into makeup. They even dried our clothes for us after we got stuck in a huge downpour and came into the hotel drenched. Breakfast was typical, we wish they had had some of the Portuguese specialty pastries. They did have cakes,eggs, beans, bacon, cereal, croissants toast coffee and tea. Service was nice and it came with the price of the room. Special tip: you can rent a car right from the desk of the hotel. The rental fee is $35 a day for a standard to try and, automatic vehicles are more expensive. It was very convenient and we enjoyed renting a car for a day. Carlos was very helpful. Second important tip: if you arrive from Boston on a flight arriving at 6 AM you will arrive at the Fort when it's closed and it's dark outside. You'll have to ring the bell and they will check you in, but you will not have a room till three in the afternoon. So the management recommends adding one night of room rental to your package. You would need to ask for this upfront as nowhere on the tour or in the hotel is it suggested. It's a great location for walking the city but it's uphill a good bit. You can tour the grounds of the fort which is fascinating and you can see whales out in the ocean during the right season. This is a UNESCO world heritage town, so there is much to see. Dinner was as good as any of the other restaurants we went to in town, but we only ate here one night. We were in room 108 and had a good view. Best room for views is 111 in the old part of the building. The time of year that we were in Terciera , it was around 65° most of the time lovely for walking and seeing the sites. A little chilly for swimming in the natural pools, and several things are closed after October 15, so you might want to select a date before then if you go in the fall.

We spent two nights at the hotel, in the suite which is in the old part of the hotel. The room was very comfortable and there was plenty of room. The bathroom is great and the view was Also good. The breakfast was typical and adequate but not great, but I was not expecting great. The service and grounds were both great. Would return.