Rooms were large and clean but very spartan. No wifi in the hotel and no English TV on cable. Breakfast very basic, pool small. A good place to sleep but not to spend any time in.

Even though the weather wasn't great during our stay, we really enjoyed Hotel do Mar. All the staff were very friendly and helpful, and the cheerful ladies who brought us breakfast in the room (worth the extra money, IMO) made waking up a delight.

We absolutely loved the jacuzzi, a great alternative for a swim in the ocean on a rainy days. There are at least two beaches within 5 minutes walking distance of the hotel, a feature we weren't aware of at first. The nicest one is just east of the hotel: it's fairly long, not crowded and fine for decent swimmers.

Cons? The beds weren't very soft (but the staff made an effort to improve this when we mentioned it) and sometimes the yoghurt would be slightly passed it's expiration date.

Pros: ocean view, nice clean room, very relaxing jacuzzi, not huge but nice swimming pool, 360 degrees view from the tower in the hotel, beach around the corner, very friendly staff, hotel was pretty quiet (end of august), and we were surprised by the charm of the town of Povoacao.

All in all we look forward to our next stay in this hotel!

This is a very modern and clean hotel in a charming old town. The rooms were very economical. Parking is free, right outside the door. The location is by the marina and in easy walking distance to shops, restaurants, and the zoo. There are beaches by the marina, but the waves were too strong for swimming. The breakfast was great, one of the few places that had bacon and eggs. Povoacao is close to Furnas but quite a drive to Ponta Delgada.

Our first impression was that we were the only guests in the hotel for a long time. Reception, bar and restaurant are quite spacious but empty: no plants/art/anything cosy decor, that makes you normally feel comfortable without even noticing what makes it happen.

Rooms are ok, but nothing else. See view and balconys, but you don't want to spend time out there on cheap chairs and dirty balcony floor watching the small harbour in front of you. It seems that after hotel has been build, there has not been made any redecoration and it clearly needs it. This hotel rates itself to 4-star hotel and keeps the prices according to that. It also seemed to be the only one in Povoacao.

I recommend to find out a good B&B near town or take the hotel from Nordeste or Furnas.