Terra Nostra Garden Hotel

On the advice of previous reviewers we booked a garden - facing room. It had a beautiful outlook, was spacious and clean with an excellent bathroom. We find Portugal has high standards in this respect compared to the rest of Southern Europe. The reception staff were very helpful. The food was good and just as good value as the 2 local restaurants we tried, including wine prices. Had I had known I would have booked half board. There are quite a few nice public areas in the hotel. After dinner we would retire to a plush bar/llounge for an... more

Very nice hotel built in the Art Deco Style. Our room was in the old part of this hotel with views over the restaurant roof. If you get room here, make sure you bring ear plugs because the air conditioning units are working 24hours. With ear plugs we slept fine. There are wonderful gardens with free access to the natural warm pool for hotel guests - you can bring your own towels or hire one in the reception for 1 Euro (towels can get very dirty). We had problem the first day with a group of 12 screeming children staying above us... more

A very competant hotel, with pleasant staff and very good service. I brought my 87 year old mother in a wheelchair and the hotel staff and even more the local people could not do wnough for us. Mother enjoyed the journeys through the park, I enjoyed the magnificent green natural thermal pool for swimming and relaxation. There are fabulous walks through the park belonging to the hotel, and the whole atmosphere is of utter peace and relaxation. We loved the very friendly white poodle who roams the gardens, waking up the sunbathers for a bit of... more

This was a lovely hotel - but we wished the country was a little more advanced in terms of banning smoking in the hotel and public places. As there were no non smoking rooms, we had to open the windows all day to get rid of the residual smell. We had a top floor room overlooking the gardens which was perfect. The only problem was that the smoke from people smoking on their balcony below wafted upwards. Next time a ground floor one! Make sure you ask for a room facing the gardens otherwise you may get a room with a balcony overlooking... more

Our first hotel on our Azores holiday. Absolutely fabulous garden for anyone who likes gardening. The thermally heated pool was unusual and much appreciated, but bring old swimming costumes - it turns them yellow!. However gardens and pool have constant streams of coach parties during the day, so hotel guests are better enjoying them outside these hours. The walking around Furnas is excellent and the caldeiras (hot springs) fascinating, so there is plenty to do. The restaurant is of a good standard for this class of hotel with a decent... more

From the outside, the Terra Nostra Garden looks nothing to boast about, but once within, you find yourself in an Art Deco "Ocean Liner" of a hotel, beautifully restored and well maintained. The rooms and public spaces are pretty stylish for a 3 star hotel. Had it air con etc it would certainly be rated higher, and would deserve it. Indoor pool, reading rooms and bar were all attractive. Treat the botanic gardens as a part of the Terr Nostra Gardens experience. I am no botanist but was spellbound by them, and swam in the thermal... more

Have just returned from this hotel. Built in the 30's it retains the atmosphere of that time. The Staff were pleasant and helpful. The restaurant and service excellent. The hotel is set in the most beautiful gardens and here is free entry to guests, the thermal pool does make you feel good, don't be put off by the colour, wouldn't recommend a white swimsuit! The rooms over looking the garden side are worth paying a little extra for. Sunday lunchtime is great for people watching the restaurant was packed. The main age group of... more

What a romantic setting!! Terra Nostra Garden Hotel is inserted in an exotic botanical park, and with the Furnas thermal hot springs flowing into the gigantic outdoor pool, it's completely different than anything I have experienced. The food there is terrific too!!

The Terra Nostra hotel was cozy. The gardens in the back were amazing and breathaking. The location is good for a few nights though I would not recommend staying for an extended period unless you are looking for a sleepy secluded town experience. The hotel food at Terra Nostra was sub-par and I would recommend heading to the town to find other venues. The beds were a bit lumpy and there was a funky smell in the lobby over the course of our stay. However, the hotel redeamed itself a bit with it's well preserved art deco decorations and... more

Something of a Jurassic Park landscape here, luckily without the dinosaurs. Bensaude Tourism's 3* Terra Nostra Hotel, built in the 1930s, is set in a large purpose-planted sub-tropical garden, amidst bubbling thermal springs and volcanic steam, to which residents have free access. Recently refurbished. the hotel has a heated indoor pool and access to a hot outdoor thermal pool, brown with minerals (a bit like mucky bath water but, presumably, better for you). Ask for a garden-facing room, which comes with a private balcony. Full... more