I've stayed in Residencial S. Francisco in 2006 while traveling on business (not my choice) and now in 2008 with a group of people ... so I had the chance to see more than one room. The only positive thing I can say about the place is the view, outstanding! Staff was nice.

But ...
1. the furniture was extremely old, the beds small and very uncomfortable
2. the carpet was disgusting with spots all over it and it smelled terrible.
3. the door to the varanda on my 2006 room didn't close well ... it was cold at night (April).
4. the bathroom had such poor light that I can't be sure about cleanness
5. breakfast very poor
6. One of my colleagues saw a cockroach wondering in the room

There cannot be too many hotels in the world where you can watch the sunrise over a volcano from your bedroom. The seafront rooms in this hotel have a great view over the pained marina walls to Pico. The rooms themsleves are spacious and clean (although when we were there there was a very odd smell, but just one sunrise or sunset puts it all back in perspective.

For those of you that are planning on whale watching trips the departure points are about a 10 minute walk away.

This is a very old hotel, with a historic feeling, right in the middle of Horta's bustling downtown shopping area. The rooms are fairly small and sparse, but the bathrooms were right on par with other 3-star hotels we visited on our trip to the Azores. Front desk personnel were very gracious and accommodating of any requests. We were traveling with two noisy teenagers, and the front desk wasn't miffed or upset at all by a few late night incoming telephone calls to their room. The halls were rather dark and smoky smelling, but just what you'd expect from an old hotel in this part of the country. No elevator, but there are only three floors. This hotel offers basic accommodations with a real taste of the old country.