Acorsonho Apartamentos Turisticos

Having a car made this a great base for seeing the beautiful places around the island. We spent two weeks in a studio apartment at Acorsonho. The rooms felt a little dated, but were extremely clean, with a well-equipped kitchen, a large fridge and freezer, and a good-sized balcony. The bathroom was big, with a bath and shower together, though it was a bit of a high step in. The outdoor fresh-water pool was chilly, but the indoor pool was pleasantly warm. The hotel staff were lovely.

The staff were friendly and helpful, the rooms were clean, and there are two pools and a parking lot. Still, this felt below the level of a four-star hotel and apartments, closer to three stars at best. The apartments were cheap-looking, impersonal, old, and not very well equipped. The bathroom was small, the balcony tiny, and there was hardly any furniture, with no drawers and cupboards that weren't useful. The four-person apartment was awkward for four, and with five of us we were constantly in each other's way. Room service had to be requested explicitly as part of the stated “ecological culture.” For every day without it, we got €3 credit for the bar, but using the credit was bureaucratic. We've stayed in three-star places in the Azores that were much better in every respect.

The location on the island is convenient, and the private parking lot is huge. The people were nice, the service was good, and the bar served good drinks. But the facilities need an overall renovation, and rooms facing the road are noisy all the time, so I'd avoid them. Breakfast was the same each day; after two days I'd tried everything, and a bit more variety would be welcome. For what you pay, I expected more. I'd rate the hotel at around three stars.

Free parking on site was a plus, and we enjoyed our meal at the restaurant. We stayed in the apartment section, in a one-bedroom unit, and really liked the space and layout. It was very clean and roomy, with a large sliding glass door opening onto a private patio. The living room and kitchen had everything we needed to cook, and the bedroom had a great big window. The front desk was always helpful.