Hotel Branco II — Hotel in Praia da Vitória

I booked this hotel on behalf of my husband who flew to the Azores to see his children. He had previously lived on the island for 10 years and was not simply a first time visitor to the island or its climate. |1. The reservation & check in process was easy. Upon entering the room it smelled old, musty. The lady opened the windows to let it air out. |2. The hotel basically appears as noted and listed. |3. In mid-August it was hot & humid in the hotel. As there was no AC he opened the window to allow the breeze to cool off the room. |4. The extra blankets were removed from the bed, only the sheets remained. |5. Once my husband laid on the bed in the evening, he felt & then saw a multitude of little black bugs on his feet and legs. He immediately brushed them off, got out of bed, washed his legs and feet, dressed and went out of the room to find the management. |6. The manager saw the bugs but claimed they were only mosquitos that came in because the window was open. The manager also said it was the fault of the maid who had not cleaned the room well. |7. My husband is 47 years old, lived on the island for 10 years. He knows full well the difference between mosquitoes and jumping black bugs. They hotel at no time admitted there was a “bug” problem. |8. My husband was allowed to change rooms. He thoroughly checked the bed and found the second room was clear as far as he could tell. Had it not been near midnight he would have left. He was tempted to just sleep in his car. |9. For the next hour or so my husband could hear multiple people working in his previous room, sounds like their attempt to clean and rid the room of the bugs. |10. My husband was allowed to leave the next day without financial penalty and cancelled the remainder of his 6 days stay. ||In closing — it is not believed these were bed bugs, fleas or mosquitoes. These little bugs jumped. They did not fly. Upon additional research we believe the bugs were “springtail” bugs. They are — known to migrate indoors during periods of heavy rains, or during prolonged hot, dry spells. If there are houseplants, they may have been living in the potting soil and simply escaped their pots.||Unless the hotel & it’s management admit there is a problem and take measures to remedy the problem and bugs the facility should not continue to...

I've stayed at the Pensao Residencial Branco II twice now, having just returned from 2 nights there in August 2013. I was leading a group around the islands (for nature) and booked this hotel because of its quiet location within walking distance of a couple of minutes from the piscinas naturalas in Porto Martins and excellent restaurant. Also midway between Angra and Praia so location good for exploration.||||Rooms are very clean, nice and spacious with decent shower and white tiled flooring. They are basic with no frills but surely this hotel is a hidden gem for those looking for a clean environment where a quiet night is guaranteed. The owners are also helpful, with breakfast served 7 til 10am - only gripe I have here (apart from the cheese and bread breakfasts that are an Azorean institution) is the lack of orange juice. Had to ask and got given a rather grim squash. That aside, everyone had an excellent time here at fantastic prices. ||||Will stay here again for sure - check out the nearby restaurant Buzeu and Os Moinhos in nearby...

The Azores is probably one of the most overlooked, most beautiful places on Earth. It sits in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. There are 9 good sized Islands to Explore. It is colonized by Portugal since the 1400's. I stayed in this hotel for 22.50 Euro's a night. It was very modern and very clean and safe.||To me it would have a rating of a 4 star hotel. The owners live on the premises and speak very good English. Breakfast was 1.50 Euro, Laundry was free. It is a very close walk to the beach. It is also close to the Ferry which can take you to other Islands in the Chain. The Azores is probably the cheapest place in Europe. The people the friendliest, and probably crime free. Many Dutch tourists venture here. Many great Retaurants are close by.||Rental Car's can be booked through the hotel for 24.00 Euro a day with no mileage charges. There is much history to be explored on the Island . I highly recommend a stay here for a nice relaxing vacation in a place on Earth that has peace and harmony. Again probably the safest...