Casa das Arcadas

Our stay at Casa das Arcadas was awful, and I don't recommend this hotel. The first room was infested with termites, which were on the bed and wall and got into our luggage. We told the staff, but they said they couldn't move us, so we spent two nights in that room. We had to pay for another hotel ourselves during those nights. Only afterward did they offer us another room, and they refused to refund or discount the two nights we spent with termites. This did not feel like a safe experience. If you're visiting Ponta Delgada, I'd avoid Casa das Arcadas.

The room was perfect, and the air-conditioning was divine. Pedro was an awesome host. Locals on the street helped point us toward the property, and a shout-out to Ruben, who owns the jewelry and candle store near the church!

The rooms are quite nice, and the hotel/hostel is right in the city center, handy for restaurants and other places in Ponta Delgada. Communication with the remote reception was fine. Parking takes some figuring out, but there's a paid garage about 300m away. Our main problem was the lack of reliably warm water. We also noticed a little mold in the rooms. Breakfast came in a basket, which is a nice idea, but some plates hadn't been cleaned properly. For the price, this hotel/hostel is far too expensive, even with the central location. We asked for a partial refund because of the hot water, but didn't get one. They said they'd never encountered the problem, although other reviews have mentioned it multiple times.

The sheets and towels were stained, and there was mold in our room. On arrival, the room was at 16°, with a notice saying it had to be kept cold because of termite risks. Then we found there was no hot water. We contacted staff on WhatsApp since there is no on-site reception, just a sign on the wall. They said the tank readings were fine and everything should work, but it didn't. For half our stay we had no hot water, with the room at 16°. Every day we were told a technician was coming and things should improve. They also said they'd look for alternatives, but when we asked them to actually do that, they replied that everything was booked. We'd checked booking when reserving, and it looked fine, but after the problems started we checked Google and saw the hot water issue had come up over the past couple of months. It was a known issue they hadn't fixed, yet the room cost a lot. The manager eventually told us we'd be compensated for the hot water problem, then ghosted us until the stay was over. We were never compensated. I've stayed in €20 hostels with better amenities and service. This is a very expensive hotel that doesn't provide the service or amenities it claims to. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.