Hotel Casa do Jardim — Hotel in Ponta Delgada

It's a very interesting setting in the botanical garden. The basement of a manor house which might serve an a party venue. BUT the rooms are dark, incredibly hot and while the front desk staff tried, the mangement couldn't have cared less. Part of the room wiring fell across the inside doorway the first day and while we repeatedly reported it as a safety concern, it was ignored by managment. Places in the room floor were squishly because the underlying boards lacked support. The bed was hard. The toilet sear was broken. We had to buy a fan because it was so hot we couldn't sleep and the window was tiny. Room 8 had better air circulation from the open hotel front door but that guest was awakened most nights after midnight by noisy quests checking in and laughing with the staff. ||||Breakfast was serviceable with a great coffee maker and the little cafe across the parking lot served cold beer and other cold drinks. ||||Do not follow the GPS instructions to get to the hotel. Enter the botanical garden main gate and ring buzzer to be admitted after the garden closes. ||||Have no idea why the pool was off limits. The pool looked very clean. A cool swin would have been delightful in the high heat...

Firstly, the gardens are amazing, well kept and a lot of exotic trees and plants, with all the birds singing it was easy to relax away from the crowds. However (!) the hotel itself is way to expensive for the service and facilities available. The breakfast was basic, bread rolls jam, ham, cheese and stale cereal. Coffee, orange juice and herbal tea were available. The "bar" was not really a bar in the classic sense, you could get a glass of wine or a bottle of beer but the choice was very limited, you can get a good cup of coffee at the bar but here's the rub - it closes at 6.00pm on the dot. From then on there are no hot drinks of any description available - the staff wouldn't even let us use a kettle to make our own coffee!! The rooms were basic but we didn't mind that so much - luxury is not our "thing" - but the beds / pillows were not great, very lumpy. Overall I'd say Ponta Delgada is a beautiful place and a good base from which to explore the rest of the island but avoid Casa do Jardim if you like a hot drink...

You have never stayed in a hotel with such a beautiful and unique setting. Hotel Casa do Jardim is a palatial home set in an extensive and mature botanic garden, including some magnificent trees imported many years ago from the Pacific Islands, Australia, Africa and elsewhere. The hotel itself is very nicely kept with helpful staff who work hard and enjoy taking care of you -- including Maria, Erica, Ricardo, Jorge and Jessica. You could not ask for more. A very complete breakfast is included too. It is in easy walking distance of the central area and waterfront of Ponta Delgado. If there is a sour/comic note to the place, it might be the attendant at the front gate, Adelino, who has the temperament of a badly behaved, spoilt dog rather than some one working in the...