Amenities

Although the hotel’s official check-in time was 2 p.m., the staff made our room available at 8 a.m., when my husband and I arrived from our red-eye flight, so we could restore ourselves immediately with a nap. The room had no phone, but a Samsung tablet was provided both for using the free Wi-Fi and, if needed, contacting the front desk. The minibar featured No Fork brand pretzels, cashews, peanuts, gummy candies, chocolate crinkles and butterfly puff cookies (2.60 to 3.60 euros). Drinks on offer were local Laranjada Melo Abreu and Kima passion fruit soda, along with Fever Tree soda water and Coke (all 2.50 euros). Morning beverages were available for, surprisingly, an extra charge: Gorreana teas from one of the island’s own tea plantations for 1 euro, along with Nespresso coffee pods for 2 euros.

Dining

Exposed black volcanic basalt rock is to the Azores, what exposed brick is to many other cities, and the intimate 14-seat restaurant Cardume dramatized itself with a full wall of it. Dinner featured typical Azorean flavors in elevated dishes — fish confit with passion fruit sauce (26 euros), slow-cooked pork shoulder with caramelized local pumpkin and sweet potato (32 euros), and a sweet potato brownie with lime ice cream (12 euros). I indulged in a tall, thick glass of passion fruit juice, while my husband had a gin and tonic made extra-spicy with local Azor gin. The complimentary breakfast the next morning included yogurt with granola, fruit and six other small jars of toppings like a seed mix; local cheese and meat; Portuguese biscuits; scrambled eggs; banana pancakes and fresh mango juice.