Santa Barbara Eco Resort
Mellow by nature
Surfside São Miguel
Santa Bárbara Eco Beach Resort is a boutique stay that whispers rather than shouts. Take its fuss-free design that melds effortlessly into its coastal setting above Santa Bárbara beach, aided by low-profile studios and villas well spaced around the manicured grounds, which are planted entirely with native species. Interiors are subtly coastal-themed in soothing blues and greens set against polished concrete, warm timbers and bamboo screens (not a nautical cliché in sight). Its eco-friendly ethos is executed with quiet confidence, too; organic produce from the on-site farm supplies the restaurant; spa treatments are organic and seaweed-based (natch), and pay enough attention and you’ll notice that its furnishings are frequently made from salvaged finds.
Facilities
Rooms
30, comprising studios, one- and two-bedroom villas.
Checkout
Noon; earliest check-in, 2pm. Both are flexible, subject to availability.
More Details
Rates include breakfast.
Fitness Center
Free Internet Access
Laundry
Pet Friendly
Pool
On-Site Restaurant
Room Service
Spa
At the Hotel
Beach club, wellness retreat, gym, outdoor yoga platforms and classes, organic farm, gardens. In rooms: free WiFi, cable TV, minibar, Krups coffee machine, kettle and tea, free bottled water, Voya bath products.
Our Favourite Rooms
Rooms vary by location rather than (generous) footprint and are all dressed in a soothing palette of blues, greens and browns that nods to the hotel’s coastal setting. The studios appeal with access from your private deck to a photoshoot-worthy lap pool. For a Jacuzzi to call your own, opt for a Retreat studio or villa.
Poolside
Overlooking Santa Bárbara beach, the main saltwater pool has built-in, submerged loungers and is fringed by a wooden deck dotted with metal-framed sunloungers and thatch parasols. A paved path takes you up to a wooden platform above the pool with wooden lounge chairs and views over the beach. Blue & Green studios and villas share access to a sprawling saltwater lap pool; Retreat studio and villas come with a private Jacuzzi. The plunge pool at the wellness retreat is your indoor option.
Spa
What resembles a plant-strewn greenhouse is in fact the hotel’s wellness retreat, comprising a gym, curtained treatment sala and raised plunge pool. The gym comes with free weights, a rowing machine, exercise bike and treadmill and personal training is available. Between the main pool and the beach, an additional massage hut sits on the cliff.
Packing Tips
Surf gear, beach kit and laid-back threads for dinner.
Also
As you walk on by the pristine garden beds, reserve a little admiration for the fact that they’re planted with 4,000 trees and plants that are native to the Azores. In-room spa treatments or breakfast in bed are both available on request.
Children
Welcome; those aged 11 or under are charged as children. Cots can be provided free and the hotel can arrange babysitting (at extra cost). Villas are ideal for families with either two bedrooms or a sofa bed in the living area.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
At a restaurant facing the sea, the best tables are all about the finest views – on the terrace on balmy evenings, or beside the window on cooler nights.
Dress Code
Longs and a T-shirt or shirt for Mr Smith; a flowing dress or hippy-chic top for Mrs Smith (crochet, beading, chunky jewellery will all fit right in).
Hotel Restaurant
Dinner at Santa Bárbara is a local affair: Azorean meat, Atlantic fish and seafood and vegetables, fruit and herbs from the hotel’s 4,000-square-metre organic garden inspire a seasonal, changing menu that celebrates farm-to-table fare. Chef André Fragoeiro’s cuisine is pan-Asian, often fusion, including curries, ramen and salads that take you from India to Japan, via Korea and Thailand – although as his signature dish, Tuna Wellington, suggests, you can expect the unexpected. The dining room itself makes the most of stellar sea views across the resort towards the beach through floor-to-ceiling windows with tables indoors and out on a covered terrace. At lunchtime, a selection of sandwiches, pasta and salads are available. Down by Santa Bárbara beach, the Beach Club is a casual spot for snacks or lunch and serves salads, sandwiches and poke bowls.
Hotel Bar
A free-flowing space that leads to the restaurant and the terrace, the resort’s bar is a panoramic spot for a light lunch, snacks or evening drinks. Here, canvas chairs are lined up to take in the sea view through floor-to-ceiling windows, and wood-framed sofas with calico upholstery beckon you to sink into them with an apéritif under the warm glow of pendant lights fashioned from repurposed oil containers. The cocktail menu includes all the classics, a good choice of gins and a handful of original concoctions with an emphasis on rum that befits its Azorean setting. On the wine list, you’ll find tipples from the Azores, Portugal and a good selection of organic bottles (wine tasting can be arranged through the concierge).
Last Orders
Breakfast is served in the main restaurant, 8am–11am; an all-day menu is available from 11am until 7pm; dinner is 7pm–10pm.
Room Service
A selection of dishes can be ordered to your room either from the all-day or dinner menus, depending on the time of day (see last orders, above).
Planes
Ponta Delgada airport is a 20-minute drive away. The hotel can arrange private transfers from €40 each way.
Automobiles
There’s a free open-air car park at the hotel.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
The forested mountains, riverine valleys and Atlantic coastline of these wild islands lend themselves to adventure, and none more so than São Miguel, the archipelago’s largest. Hiking, horse riding, cycling and off-road tours can all be arranged through the hotel; order a chef’s picnic to take with you. Thrillseekers can make a date to go kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, surfing or canyoning; surf lessons are available through the hotel’s beach club, and the concierge team can arrange Scuba, snorkelling or whale watching (April–October). The island offers less energetic pursuits, too: regional wine tasting (through the hotel), a day at organic farm Quinta dos Sabores (culminating in dinner), or a trip to Parque Terra Nostra gardens, home to an avenue of Ginkgo Biloba and a vast camellia garden. Finally, an Azorean rite of passage – thermal baths come in many guises on São Miguel: beside the sea at Ferraria; in bucolic bliss at Poças da Dona Beija, and (possibly our favourite) forest-fringed at Caldeira Velha.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
