Solar de Lalém

Oh what a grand house this is! It met all expectations of a relaxing and comfortant holiday. Everything about Solar de lalem is a five star rating. The rooms, the environment, the host and his staff were exceptional. Breakfast was always filling and pleasurable. The rooms were spotless and comfrtable.

This place has a ton of charm. It’s a beautiful mansion once owned by Portuguese nobility. The location is great, near the ocean, just outside idyllic Maia, and less than half an hour from Ponta Delgada airport. Rodolfo was very hospitable, professional, responsive, and attentive to everything I needed. My room was spacious, sparkling clean and had a lovely private garden.

Solar de Lalem is a gem located in a small coastal village on the island of Sao Miguel in the Azores. It is an old manor house with a limited number of rooms. Our room -- actually a suite -- included a sitting room with a view out to the Atlantic, a separate bedroom, and a spacious bathroom. It is a short walk to two of the sweetest restaurants we visited in the Azores -- Fim de Seculo (awesome octopus stew) and Bar do Praia (the best triggerfish we have ever had in our lives) -- and only a short drive to a couple of others. The breakfast on the outdoor terrace was delightful, as was the bar which, while limited in its offerings, was a great outdoor venue for drinking some wine. We highly recommend it!

Beautiful old property, authentic and full of history. Nice garden, with cute tables to sit outside for breakfast. Rodolpho was the best host - always cheerful, quick to respond and really went the extra mile to help all the guests with their enquiries and recommendations. Thank you!

Cannot fault the historic character, location, pool and general ambience of this Manor House however we thought it was lacking in hospitality. On arrival we struggled to find an entrance and after trying two doors and ringing the bells, opening one of the doors and calling we had to phone to find someone. We were given a short tour but felt later that more information would have been helpful -eg location of swimming towels, sun lounger cushions, pool hours and history of the house would have been interesting. The tariff of costs for the rooms displayed in our room was a bit of a shock. We had no idea how much we paid for our stay here as it was booked as an island hopping package. We certainly would have expected far more for the advertised price including more than a basic breakfast (though add ons were available eg fried eggs for 5 Euros etc), higher quality picnic lunches and better quality bath towels.

" Solar de Lalem" est une grande guesthouse située sur les hauteurs de Maia ( village calme) au milieu de la côte nord de l'île. C'est une belle maison de maître de 1742, avec un grand jardin, très bien rénovée. On se croirait dans un musée. Dans cet esprit, les chambres comme les pièces communes sont dans un style vintage ( avec de la climatisation cependant), et on peut se garer dans la cour de la bâtisse. Nous avons peu ou pas vu les propriétaires, donc interactions limitées avec le personnel. Le petit déjeuner, servi dans ce qui devait être les anciennes écuries, est très bon, avec vue sur le jardin, au calme. La piscine est bien chaude, c'est appréciable de se détendre autour. lors de notre séjour de 4 nuits, les autres clients étaient calmes et respectueux, c'est très appréciable. En négatif, je regrette le prix affiché de la laundry ( 5 euros par pièce de vêtement), c'est prohibitif.Dans notre chambre, nous avions une couette, mais avec la chaleur, nous aurions apprécié l'option d'un drap et d'une couette si nécessaire. Du coup, la nuit, on avait chaud, on se réveille, on met la clim, on se réveille car on a froid...Enfin, lors de notre séjour de 4 nuits, sans que je comprenne au final ce qui s'est passé, une nuit a été impossible à dormir pour mon conjoint (heureusement, j'avais des bons bouchons d'oreilles) car de la musique classique passait à très haut volume, et ce jusqu'à une heure avancée de la nuit. Chaine hifi cassée ? quelqu'un qui jouait ? désagrément très étrange dans ce type de guesthouse.