The hotel’s greatest strengths are undoubtedly its exceptional staff and fantastic location. Every member of the team, from the front desk to housekeeping (special thanks to the wonderful housekeeping ladies - we appreciate you!), was incredibly helpful and welcoming. The location couldn’t be better: right across from the marina and within easy walking distance to downtown Ponta Delgada’s shops, restaurants, and attractions. Despite the downsides, we would stay again - the staff and location make it worthwhile.

The room itself felt quite dated and could really benefit from renovations. We stayed in a family room with a connecting layout, but the design didn’t make good use of the available space. The single bed in the smaller room was uncomfortably small - while I love my wife a lot, it's not quite enough to have us sleep basically glued together for 9 nights straight. Sound isolation was also poor - we could hear guests and activity in and around the hotel at all hours, and I’m pretty sure our neighbors didn’t enjoy my snoring either!

I was traveling in Portugal and the Azores for about 20 days. Hotel Gaivota was our last lodging, and by far it was the best! The location is perfect as a base to explore Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores. Right on the harbor and in the center of the waterfront, it's a perfect base. The staff is truly exceptional, friendly, helpful and full of information. Don't hesitate to ask any questions about Sao Miguel! They have a very helpful 3-day itinerary for island exploration, so do ask! The room was excellent, spotless and comfortable. The included breakfast was good and very complete. This may just be the best small hotel in Ponto Delgada! Also... you really should visit the Jardim Botânico António Borges which is a spectacular botanic garden in the center of Ponto Delgada. It is over 150 years old and just amazing for its variety and unique design. You won't regret spending a couple of hours there. It's close to the capitol building as well.

The WiFi could have been stronger, but that's a small item. Enquire about parking if you rent a car (you should rent a car to see all of Sao Miguel).

Every staff member we spoke with was extremely helpful. The view towards the harbor is fantastic. So much to see ! When we were there, a Spanish training vessel tall ship was in port. Breakfast has lots of fresh delicious choices. They even offer a cook to order menu. Room was impeccable and well appointed. If you need anything, they have it. We stayed here at the beginning of our trip and then again at the end. Otherwise we visited Pico. They arranged for a private tour guide twice for us. Exceptional and don't hesitate to ask for Rodrigo as your guide. We went to Sete Ciadades one day and Furnas on a different day. Gorgeous countryside and Rodrigo's commentary enriched the experience tremendously. This is the second year we have stayed here and we will absolutely make it a part of every visit we have to the Azores.

The hotel is very well located, one step away from the main highlights at the historic district. The room had a good size and all amenities we needed. Breakfast was very good, with some optional free extras that we could ask the staff for and every day they had something different (eg: different eggs, different cakes, different fruits etc). All the Staff was very gentle and extremely polite and respectful.

The only thing we didn't like was the size of the bed. Nowadays, having a double bed with 140cms width is just not enough. We don't ask necessarily for a king size bed, but it would be nice to have at least 160cms width bed. Our room had a really small window facing an ugly terrace. Would be good to wash the white curtains and the blackouts soon, they are a little grey.

We had a very last minute reservation for our crew, who were delivering a yacht to the island. The crew were soaked, cold, and wet, and the hotel kindly allowed a very early check in, packed lunch breakfast, and went out of their way to be flexible with them. It was really appreciated and a good example of going beyond expectations in the name of customer service. Johnathan on reception, exceptonal.

nothing. the bigger issue is with booking.com that they dont make it easier to talk directly to the hotel. We wanted to ask several questions prior to booking, but the booking.com site doesn't allow it. We found the hotel anyway, called them, and they answered all our questions. We then booked it.

We absolutely loved the hotel and ended up extending our stay for two more days. Everything was perfect — especially the front desk staff, who were incredibly helpful, kind, and professional. I really wish I had taken their names to thank them personally. So, thank you from the bottom of my heart! The only small note is that the breakfast could use more variety, but overall it was still fine. As an experience, I truly enjoyed it and would definitely consider coming back again.

Wonderful breakfasts, big room (like 1 bedroom apartment), helpful staff, great location. In the winter season (low for tourism) we could easily to find an available spot for parking near the hotel along the shore (free from 7pm until 8am)

At the backside of the hotel there are abandoned buildings or ruins and this is what we saw from our room but we almost didn`t spend time in the hotel so it didn`t bother us that much. Only at night, it was slightly uncomfortable.

Super friendly staff. Very clean. Room and buffet and common areas. Great breakfast. We had a "Junior Suite with Balcony and Sea View." The balcony looked out over the water. It had a huge bathroom with a giant tub. Short walk to the Portas da Cidade (city gates) of downtown. Water, Nespresso, and tea in the room, and they stock it every day. Pingo Doce convenience store next door. They have some parking passes for the underground garage. If you have a car, ask when you check in to see if one is available. It's €5/day, but it's much more convenient than dealing with street parking or paying for a different lot.

Our room could use more plugs, especially next to the night tables. More places to hang things would be good. Towels, robes, wet clothes. It can be a bit noisy. You can hear people in the next room, or even on the street outside.

Our stay in the hotel was fabulous and exceeded our expectations. The spacious apartment was beautiful with a nice view over the guest harbour. We ended up extending our stay for eight more nights! Everything was perfect. Perfect location and housekeeping kept our room super clean. Buffet breakfast was great. Especially we liked the possibility of additionally ordering from a separate breakfast menu which was available on every table. We enjoyed our stay and can highly recommend this hotel to all visitors!

The hotel is well located by the waterfront in Ponta Delgada and easy walking distance to all city attractions. The staff were responsive before and during my stay. My room was adequate for my needs, but I would consider a larger room next visit. The breakfast was limited with both egg options being overcooked, but there are a la carte options that I only noticed the second day to make a fresh omelette, toastie or yogurt, fruit and granola. The coffee was great!!! Overall I enjoyed my stay.

The over-sized pillows were of no functional use and just ended up on the floor, and the garbage in the washroom was flimsy and just fell over when you tried to use it/open it with the foot pedal, became annoying to always stand it back up or have to dispose of garbage elsewhere in the room.