Senhora da Rosa

The Azores are so stunning a destination as to not need much help from hotels, but that doesn’t seem to have discouraged the extraordinary Senhora da Rosa. It’s the work of an experienced Portuguese hotelier who returned to São Miguel to transform her family’s farm into a truly spectacular boutique hotel. “Tradition & Nature Hotel” is its subtitle, and it’s well earned, its clean modern lines accented with local crafts and objects and surrounded by soothing greenery, inside and out.

Its rooms lean toward the “nature” side of things, with their rich, dark hardwoods, their forest tones, and their photographic murals depicting the local flora. They vary from cozy-but-comfortable single rooms all the way up to a junior suite, a family suite, and the ultra-private free-standing Tranquility Lodge, whose atmosphere is still contemporary but remarkably rustic as well.

An impressive spa and swimming pool add to the hotel’s considerable resort-style appeal, and there’s a well-equipped Pilates studio; the Restaurant Magma, meanwhile, serves traditional Azores flavors interpreted through a modern lens, and in addition to the neighboring Bar Magma there’s the Mirante Rooftop, a spectacular place for a sunset cocktail.