The Gardener Terrace & Bar (Terra Nostra Garden Hotel)

The true boutique hotel in São Miguel. Located in Furnas and in one of the richest botanical gardens in Europe, it is a place par excellence to spend quality time in contact with nature. It has excellent conditions for thermal spas and spas, great facilities, a dedicated and extremely professional staff and a central location in the Furnas volcanic caldera. It's one of my first choices for an invigorating retreat in São Miguel. I highly recommend it!

Service: 5

Loved every minute of our stay...we will be back! The rooms are nice, the service is outstanding and accessing the park after hours is delightful. The free breakfast offered many options and dinner at the restaurant was top notch. The spa services were also top notch.

Service: 5

It's just heaven on earth. A nature reserve with a hotel inside. Hot water 24 hours a day. Fine

Service: 5

Magnificent place.

Late arrivals can get something to eat at the bar until 11 p.m.! Great warm water pool to relax after long hikes. The breakfast buffet is great. The beds are very comfortable, not too hard but no sagging either. And the heating works, which is necessary at the beginning of April. Safe in the closet.

Service: 5

I am specifically reviewing the restaurant at this hotel. The 4 of us dropped in for lunch to try the traditional Azorean “Cozido”. The service, quality of food and experience was5stars! We were so glad we tried this meal and it’ll be a fond food memory!

Service: 5

Went to the restaurant to eat and were very impressed by the upscale ambience and the courteous service.The cuisine is excellent and the cozido is sensationally delicious.

Service: 5

We did not try the hotel but the restaurant with evening service for a cozido for two. The dish was refined and very good. The wine (40€) is superb and the service is very professional. We clearly want to go back to try other dishes.

Service: 5

GOOD...

Service: 4

If you’re going to Furnas, it really doesn’t make sense to stay anywhere other than here. The garden and the thermal bath are *the* things to do in town, and if you stay at the hotel you have 24/7 access to both. Otherwise access is limited and you need a ticket. The rooms are pretty standard hotel rooms, but the location really can’t be beat. The garden is so beautiful, one of the best botanical gardens I’ve visited, and the thermal baths are such a neat experience, and it’s nice to just walk back to your hotel room shower instead of having to use the communal ones. The restaurant was also great!

Service: 4

We LOVE this hotel and always stay between the US and trips to Europe. The staff (everyone from the door man to the reception, the waitress staff and housekeeping) is exceptionally friendly and goes out of their way to make sure your stay is amazing. The breakfast is the best in Portugal (and we have stayed in many Savoy hotels). The juice is fresh squeezed, the fruit is fresh with good presentation, there are many savory hot dishes and the pastries are plentiful. There is something for everyone. The rooms are clean and comfortable and we have stayed in both the older section of the hotel and the newer section and we like both. The mineral pool is amazing and having the wonderful robes helps when you get out. We liked the robes so much we ordered some. The indoor facility with the pool, Turkish bath, sauna and massage is clean and well kept. The botanical gardens are out of this world and will take you awhile to walk through. Don’t miss these because they are exceptional. We love coming to Furnas and we have stayed in other hotels here but now we will only stay at this hotel. Don’t miss it, you will not be disappointed.Nearby activities: When in Furnas go to Queijaria furnense for some excellent cheese (they make it themselves from their own cows) and get the cheesy garlic bread but everything they serve is excellent and homemade. You won’t be disappointed!Safety: We walk around Furnas at all times of day/ night and feel safe. Portugal in general but the Azores in particular is extremely safe.Walkability: Furnas is very walkable and it’s fun to get out and walk around everywhere.Noteworthy details: We are a couple in our 60’s and we are very well traveled having stayed in 61 countries. It is noteworthy that every single person we have encountered at this hotel, as an employee, has been friendly, kind and concerned that ‘everything is good’. In today’s world… this is rare. It is obvious to me that this hotel has very high standards.

Service: 5

This hotel means a lot to us and it is with pleasure and impatience that we come back very regularly.The setting, the gardens, the pools, the staff...Everything is perfect, keep it up.

Service: 5

Excellent restaurant and service.Attentive and friendly staff

Service: 5

I did not stay at this hotel, but booked lunch here, and we visited the gardens and hot springs. The reception staff were helpful, and the waiting staff were polite. If you can avoid the vegetarian option on the menu, please do avoid it. The chef is capable with all things meat, but my main course which was the vegetarian option was appalling, completely tasteless apart from dollops of sour purée of some sort. We mentioned this to the waiter, who hopefully relayed this through to the kitchen, so hopefully the feedback is acted upon. When a restaurant in this day and age is still so meat heavy in its menu choice, the kitchen should understand the importance of creating delicious vegetarian plates to move with the times. The hot spring that was operational when we visited was the large central pool. The change facilities were dirty and of a very poor standard, clearly, the cleanliness of the change rooms, showers and toilets were poorly monitored when we visited. There are no signs around to guide visitors on personal hygiene. As this is a communal space, I think much can be improved on guiding the patrons about personal hygiene to make the hot spring experience more enjoyable for everyone. The gardens at the hotel are remarkable and should not be missed on a visit to Sao Miguel island. Be sure to allot enough time to the gardens as there is so much to see here.

Service: 4

All very good. But special thanks to Mr. Humberto and Chef Pedro, who were very professional and friendly.I loved Humberto's recommendationsas well as chef Pedro's food.Best sushi I've ever eaten, as well as the Japanese meat I've tasted, which I'll think about for a long time as to why it's so tender.Having said that, I have to emphasize that everything was perfect. Thanks.

Service: 5