Hotel do Colégio — Hotel in Ponta Delgada

Summary: air conditioning issues, average food, disingenuous description, but great service.

This hotel advertises itself as a 4-star hotel with free parking on-site, air conditioning and queen beds. I don't need 4-star details, but the latter three items are exactly why I booked this hotel for our late August stay. Upon arrival at 3pm, our room was above 80 degrees and humid, and the "queen" bed was two twin beds pushed together and made with separate sheets, blankets, etc. (we are a married couple in our 40s). We paid for metered parking initially until we could find the supposed free on-site parking, which turned out to be exactly 7 very tight spaces in a garage under the building, accessed by a drive-on lift/elevator.

The air conditioning was very slow, so the room did not come down to a comfortable temperature until the following morning. The following two days we left for many hours to hike and explore the beautiful island, to find upon returning that our air conditioning had been off for many hours, and the room was hot and humid yet again. On day 3 I asked for a different room, which was accommodated. The AC was off in this room when we switched to it (hot and humid again) and we found it switched off upon our return on one of the two days we used it, but it hadn't fully warmed at least.

The provided breakfast is decent, offering machine-made coffee drinks, basic breads, two sliced fruit options, some deli meats, and jellies. Nothing delicious or special, but it was fairly good and well stocked. We visited for dinner one night (which is not complimentary), and that was very good.

The staff here were friendly and made efforts to help us, which we appreciated very much. However, it seems the ownership is keen to advertise this as a 4-star hotel with amenities such as parking and large beds, while not fulfilling those promises with integrity. We would not stay here again. A hostel would have been a better...

The location is very good: It only takes about 10 minutes to walk to the waterfront. Another plus: It’s very close to the pickup point for van tours of the island. There’s a step at the entrance of the hotel. After that, ramps and elevators are available. The lobby is stunning with stone arches, moody lighting and plenty of seating. The staff are friendly and speak English. We had a superior room in the old part of the building on the second floor. It’s a large, attractive room with one big bed (not two pushed together), a sofa, a coffee table and two large windows with a view of rooftops. Despite facing the street in front of the hotel, which can get noisy because there’s a popular pizza place near the hotel, it is very quiet. We appreciated having an empty mini fridge to store water. A few minor disappointments: The room is carpeted (less sanitary that a bare floor); the safe is too small to fit a laptop and there are no instructions to on how to use it; the hangars are the annoying type that are permanently connected to the railing. The bathroom was large with plenty of counter space around the sink. The shower has a handheld option. Water pressure is good and the temperature is hot. Unfortunately, the shower is in an exceptionally deep tub that’s hard to climb into. The tub is also slippery in spots not covered by a bathmat. There is a bidet. Washcloths are provided. Bath towels are large but quite thin. Everything was very clean. The buffet breakfast was OK. It’s probably best for those who like eggs and bacon. Some local cheeses and breads are served. The small interior courtyard pool is very clean, but, sadly, is unusable because it’s very cold. I hope the hotel considers heating it. That would...

Due to the power off happened two days ago, my flight got cancelled. Since I'm not able to check in I was asking if they could compensate something. I understand it is not their fault but they decided to provide nothing (or even credit for hotel, even though most travellers might not come back). In the email they told me it is out of their control so not their problem. Passed by the hotel and asked if I could sit on their restaurant to get a coffee. The restaurant is almost empty but the manager told me politely to get out. He told me to sit either in the lounge (a group of 5 ppl there and super noisy; no more room) or sitting beside the pool! lol I was laughing since this is getting ridiculous. I left... I have to say the location is not bad but the way this hotel is treating ppl is not impressive. I guess they know most travellers won't come back so they just don't give a shit. However, I really like this island and would come back later on since all my other experience is amazing! Everywhere including hotels, bars, tours & gallery ppl are just so nice and this island itself is super beautiful! I would recommend everyone else to come to this island but never use this hotel unless u r sure ur flight won't be messed up by TAP which happened twice on me...