Casa do Avô José Alves

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay with Armanda. She is a genuinely kind and good person. I injured my left ankle while hiking and thought it might be more serious than it turned out to be. She immediately offered to take me to the hospital, even though my partner would’ve certainly taken me for medical care if I asked. Now, back to the accommodations…we stayed in her smaller unit for two. A charmingly restored house, separate from the main house, plenty of room. Open-plan style…kitchen with all the necessities, expresso maker with a coffee supply, dining table, sofa, TV. Big bathroom, large shower. Small clothes washer in kitchen area. Outside there's a private patio with a table and an umbrella where you can have breakfast and be serenaded by the sparrows. Armanda met us upon our arrival midday. I’d asked if we could drop off our luggage early and Armanda instead offered us early check-in. She also told us that she’d like to prepare us lunch. A sumptuous lunch spread was brought to us after Armanda showed us her museum-like display depicting her family’s history and a showcase of the restoration of the tourist accommodations. Breakfast was wonderful and plentiful as all the other reviewers have mentioned. Breakfast often became lunch too! Not only did Armanda offer us early check-in; she also offered to us late check-out because she could! when I asked if we could leave our luggage the last day. She didn’t have guests the following day so Armanda permitted us to remain in the house until 530pm…we had a late flight back to São Miguel. So stay at Armanda’s place if you can. (And it’s conveniently located close to the airport.)

Everything was wonderful

The owner, Armanda Parreira, I now consider a personal friend and friend to my family. I went alone for the first week and stayed in the smaller apartment before my wife, two brothers and their spouses joined me for our first trip to the island where my grandfather was born in 1886. Unfortunately, other accommodations were already made elsewhere on the island for our group for my second and third weeks there, so we didn’t get to stay in the beautiful big house, but Armanda gave us all a grand tour of the entire property, culminating with a tour of the museum she has created of her grandparent’s place and the her amazing ordeal of designing and making it into the awesome place it is now. And we even sat and had a feast on the museum of treats she made for us! The property was beautiful. I enjoyed sitting in the herb garden in the morning with an espresso, listening to the birds, watching the lizards come out to sun themselves one of the old volcanic rock walls that are found everywhere on Terceira. The grounds were amazing. The owner Armanda’s son, Guilherme, is quite the arborist with a passion for the environment and a great knowledge about trees and their effects on it. They gave me and my family a tour of the property and Guilherme explained about all the tropical trees he has been planting.

Absolutely nothing.

Armanda lovingly restored her ancestral home with a nicely appointed, comfortable and modern apartment on the second floor, and on the first floor a reception area and museum of rooms filled with family heirlooms and artifacts for which she offered a wonderful private tour. The rooms throughout the residence are decorated with curtains bordered with exquisite, delicate lace handmade by Armanda. The house overlooks a large backyard bordering tranquil hillside pastures giving it a country atmosphere. Location was convenient for area sites and restaurants. Every morning Armanda provided us with an immense basket filled with freshly cooked scrambled eggs or crepes, jams, rolls, yogurt, juice, fresh fruit salad, sliced ham and cheese, cake, cookies, etc. in addition to breakfast items already in the apartment. When our inter-island flight was delayed, arriving after midnight, she steadfastly remained at the airport to welcome us and drive us to the residence. Such a delightful and kind hostess who made our visit to Terceira so pleasant and memorable.

A anfitriã, o acolhimento, o conforto e autenticidade da casa.

Nada a apontar.