Pestana Bahia Praia Nature & Beach Resort

Lovely holiday hotel in fabulous nature reserve. Peaceful and quiet with great views of the ocean and volcanic sand beach nearby. Hotel needs some updating but pool and gardens just perfect. Slightly overpriced , food was average. Staff excellent throughout.

Wonderful beach resort hotel. This is a phenomenal value with breakfast and dinner included, unreal sunsets, great location for day trips, a beautiful pool, a nice beach and beachfront restaurant you can walk to (we did every night for sunset + ice cream), a spacious room (we had a sea view junior suite and it was MASSIVE) with a great view, and phenomenal staff. Beds weren’t the most comfy but I’d stay again without a second thought. The staff was so friendly and incredibly accommodating. My daughter has an egg allergy, and they went out of their way to make her egg-free pancakes (on the fly!) at breakfast. I also had my monthly “friend” visit and was not prepared, so I went to the front desk to ask where I could purchase accouterments, and they gave me some from their own personal stash. They were also so accommodating with a later checkout (thank you Carolina!), which we really appreciated. Those little touches made us feel genuinely cared for throughout our stay.

Fabulous hotel. It seemed it was pretty full but the whole experience was relaxing, never feeling busy or noisy. We could not find any faults with location, access, facilities, staff or food. Especially thankful for attentiveness and kindness when child came down with stomach flu, and we were consequently in the hotel room for much longer than planned - again always confortable and quiet for child to recover, while we were also promptly supported by the staff with whatever we needed. Very thankful for the amazing stewardship of the great place that is Azores that we experienced in the hotel and with the hotel staff, and we will surely be back.

This is a very nice hotel/resort. The staff is amazing. A great place for families, as you have the pool, spacious grounds, a billiards table & the Agua d' Alto beach right next door. Agua d' Alto (beach) is a surfing location, so it is very convenient for surfers (when the waves are working - which was unfortunately only 1 day while I was there). You are only about 10-15 minutes from Populo (another surf break) and about 25 minutes to the surfing beaches on the North Shore. So, for surfers, this is a good place to stay (I had three nice days up North & one at Agua d' Alto). The Agua d' Alto beach can also be flat, and the undertow isn't very strong, so it is a nice bathing beach if the surf is down. There is ziplining on the smaller beach next to Agua d' Alto, which was fun. The access to the highway is very close by, so it is easy to get out and about to explore the island (road-tripping in Sao Miguel is a must). Breakfast and dinner were included in my package, and they were very good. As a vegetarian, I found there were always options but would've liked a few more (not a game-changer for me, as there was always pasta, rice-based dishes, and salad). The rooms were nice. Everything was quiet at night, so it was easy to go to sleep (and I go to sleep early). The mattress was a little bit hard, but not a game-changer either. All in all, it was an excellent experience and worth the money (especially for families). I would 100% return to this hotel in the future.

My cousins and I stayed at the Pestana Bahia Praia for two nights. The staff at the front desk were very friendly and helpful. The hotel has a very nice pool and a walking path to the beach. You definitely need to rent a car to stay at this hotel and to see all the different sights in Sao Miguel. The breakfast was fantastic. Beautiful views from the restaurant. Also, parking is complimentary.