Country House in Azores - S. Miguel

Location, quietness and stunning views.

Old furniture, fixtures, lighting (too few and cold light neon like) and the whole kitchen and its fixtures are sub standard for a villa of this kind. New hobs, pans and cutlery/dishes - all different - would be needed. The washing machine is old and in part rusty, internally it had collection of dirt that we removed. Pool water treatment seems to not work properly so that water was always stagnant and not transparent.

Le logement en general

Les gens du village ne sont vraiment pas accueillant. J'ai même eu un peu peur. Il étaient agressifs.

Villa en position magnifique, avec une fabuleuse vue sur l’océan. Très spacieuse, la véranda est un vrai plus : pouvoir observer le coucher su soleil depuis la SPA c'est un vrai régal ! La piscine est grande et le jardin très beau, dommage en n'avoir pas pu en profiter plus vu la météo. On a aussi apprécié les panier d'accueil à notre arrivée.

La maison mériterait un renouveau de l'équipement, (eg. couverts, poiles, plaque de cuisson, étendoir, etc.), ainsi que de nouveaux lits (ou matelas) car ils ne sont pas très confortables. Il manque aussi la couverture de la SPA, qui éviterai d'avoir trop d'humidité. Un sèche-linge et une lave-vaisselle auraient étés un plus (mais le rapport qualité/prix reste bon).

We were met by Filipe who was helpful during our stay. The house is in a fabulous location for summer holidays but is isolated with a difficult access that should not be underestimated. Lovely walks nearby and a panoramic sea view. Once we got the hang of it, it was lovely to have wood burning heater in the living room and plenty of firewood but it could do with a better door and grate.

We were staying for Christmas so the facilities in the house were just as important as the surroundings. Unfortunately the reality did not live up to the expectations, created by the photographs. The house has the potential to be truly lovely but suffers from neglect. There were too many machines that did not work (microwave, coffee machine) or worked badly. The gas cooker was old with only two of the three gas rings working, a handle that fell off the oven when you opened it, and a dirt encrusted shelf inside. The cooker hood steel grill was hanging loose and needed a good clean. One of the sinks in the master bedroom leaked over the floor. The cupboards and shelves were full of old bits of electrical equipment, pans with the non stick surface worn off and a lot of unneeded, unwanted clutter needs to be removed. All the windows need a good clean so guests can enjoy that wonderful seaview. Previous reviews mention the dirt access road to the house which in winter is particularly rutted by tractors and rain streaming downhill. There is also another problem and that is the cement access ramp going up to the garden parking and the driveway itself. Both are bordered by single stones which are hard to see when driving in and out. After being left with my hire car suspended on the edge of the ramp going out of the house I believe that the owners are going to do something to improve the situation.