The Santa Barbara Eco Beach Resort
Property perks
-
ConciergeA concierge service is available for this property
-
Baby rental
equipment partnerWe work with a carefully-chosen baby equipment rental partner in this location -
Kid & Coe
selectKid & Coe Select properties have been visited by our team and checked for their suitability for family travelers -
ItineraryWe provide a family-focused itinerary for properties in this destination
-
Professional
partnerThis property is professionally managed by a trusted partner
Perks for the Parents
This sensational 14-villa beachfront resort on the Azores offers an array of activities, from surf lessons to kayak rides and snorkelling, and has outdoor swimming pools and an on-site restaurant. With the sea as background, guests can also enjoy body boarding, SUP and swimming in the cool clear waters. Land-based activities include walk and jogging along the beach, yoga, massages and walking and bike tours. Beyond the resort, scuba diving, whale watching, swimming with dolphins, canyoning, surf and bodyboard lessons, biking tours, walking tours, and more are possible. The resort has a bar, restaurant, beach club (open in summer time) and surf school; villas have kitchenettes so you can dine in as well.
Why Kids Love it
It’s not all about adrenaline-fuelled activities at the resort (which are largely suitable for older children): with an organic farm, there are opportunities to explore, help with the seasonal activities or take cooking classes as a family. The long sandy beach is fantastic for sandcastle building. There is an outdoor pool, and villas can be set up to accommodate families with extra beds on request. There are 1 and 2-bedroom villas and they all have fully equipped kitchenettes, living room and balconies. Cribs and high chairs can be added, and the restaurant has a kids menu.
Things to Know
The best time to travel to the Azores is anytime from June to September (peak season) or during the winter time, when the islands are warm and offer winter sun. The beach club is open June-October only; the outdoor saltwater pool is unheated. Children will need supervision around the pool area, which is not gated, but is set away from the villas and accessed via steps, and also on the contemplation platform. Villas have a 'fill your fridge' service and an iPad available to make reservations for all activities and services. Pets allowed (up to 10 kg) for an extra fee. The Areais restaurant is open 8am-10.30pm and focuses on local seasonal ingredients; it also has a sushi bar. Private parking available. WiFi throughout. All villas have a tub and shower; 2-bedroom villas have a tub in the main room and shower in the bathroom.
About the Location
The resort is on São Miguel Island on the north coast near the town of Ribeira Grande. It is steps from the beach and is around 2 minutes’ drive to Ribeira Grande itself, in a relatively remote situation. The beach nearby is a surf beach and there are more family-friendly beaches close by with more gentle waves. The resort can arrange transfers and taxis on arrival/departure. There are direct flights to the Azores from various European cities, plus Oakland and Boston in the USA. Ponta Delgada is the closest airport, a 20-minute drive away.
Accommodation Details
There are 3 different types of villa in the resort. They are all available as a 1 or 2-bedroom villa. Beds are typically queensize in both rooms, with some 2-bedroom villas having 2 twin beds in the second room. Extra beds are also available. Please request the size of villa you want and note the size of your party on booking. From July 2018 there will be 14 further studio Blue&Green and Retreat villas and 2 further 2-bedroom Retreat villas.
Garden villas overlook the garden and have a living room with all facilities and a small equipped kitchenette. The terraces have wooden chairs and a view of the outdoor pool and the lake that supplies the hotel’s water needs. There are 3 1-bedroom and 3 2-bedroom garden villas. 1-bedroom villas start from €170 per night; 2-bedroom villas start from €250 per night.
Blue and Green villas have a view of Santa Bárbara beach and the Lagoa do Fogo mountain range. All villas have a large living room, with a well-kept décor and some natural motifs, and a small kitchenette. There are 3 1-bedroom and 3 2-bedroom Blue and Green villas. 1-bedroom villas start from €190 per night; 2-bedroom villas start from €270 per night.
Retreat villas are the most exclusive. One has 1 bedroom and a contemplation platform while the other has 2 bedrooms and an outdoor jacuzzi. With a small fully-equipped kitchenette and a spacious micro-cement-sculpted sofa, Retreat villas also feature a bathroom with a small waterfall that drains into the concrete-sculpted bathtub. Suspended beds offer views of the city of Ribeira Grande along with the mountain range on one side and the beach of Santa Bárbara on the other. 1-bedroom villas start from €240 per night; 2-bedroom villas start from €350 per night.
Style Notes
Modern Eco. Set up with an organic farm to serve the hotel’s restaurant, and with eco-designed spaces, it is a modern haven in the wild green island of the Azores. Views and the sound of the ocean are never far away. Villas have largely natural fixtures and fittings, with concrete-sculpted bath tubs and sofas in some cases. The restaurant has modern quirks in its decor, incorporating a bamboo screen and hanging olive oil churns as lampshades. Retreat Villas have bathrooms stocked with luxury Cowshed products. We love the picture windows in the villas, all the better for feeling at one with the astonishing natural landscape and the modernist loungers around the pool.
-
Air Conditioning
-
Baby Bath
-
Baby Monitor
-
Babysitter / Nanny
-
Backyard / Garden
-
Balcony
-
Bathtub
-
Bed Rails
-
Bicycles
-
Cabinet Locks
-
Changing Table
-
Chef / Catering
-
Children's Dinnerware
-
Corner Guards
-
DVD Library
-
DVD Player
-
Dishwasher
-
Elevator
-
Fireplace Guards
-
Game Console
-
High Chair
-
Housekeeper
-
Outlet Plugs
-
Parking
-
Pet-friendly
-
Pool
-
Pool Gate
-
Stair Gates
-
Television
-
Toys / Children's Books
-
Washer / Dryer
-
Wifi
-
Window Guards
The Azores, Portugal
Action and adventure in the mid Atlantic
This archipelago of 9 volcanic islands has been dubbed the Hawaii of the mid-Atlantic and is full of ways to stay active and enjoy the unique scenery. Sustainable tourism is at the heart of the travel industry here, and adventures begin with the ocean, where you can surf, swim, take boat rides, discover hidden beaches and see wild dolphins play in the waves. Inland, it’s like a geography lesson come to life, with mud pots, caverns and crater lakes to hike or horse ride to.
