Terceira's Newest Hotel - Zenite Boutique Hotel; An Experience.
We had absolutely no intent on coming across Zenite Boutique Hotel. We originally planned a two-night trip to Terceira but quickly realized there was too much to see and do in Terceira. We originally stayed at Banana Eco Camp for the first two nights, but after two nights we wanted a different vibe. We wanted to treat ourselves to something more extravagant.
We stumbled across Zenite Boutique Hotel on Google and after seeing they were pretty much right in the heart of Angra, and their good reviews (4.8 45 reviews) and photos we decided to give it a try - we booked it on booking.com and got it at a 19% discounted rate at €96 per night.
OUTLINE
AN EXPERIENCE
As soon as we arrived in front of the hotel that afternoon, we knew we were in for an experience. The exterior itself gives a royal, spa-like feel. Upon entering we were greeted with a smiling face.
We speak Portuguese but all of their employees speak English so communication at check-in or anytime during your stay is super easy.
Upon checking in, they realized I had booked our room for the next day, not the day we got there (silly me!). Immediately, a gentleman which I am assuming is the owner, helped us and said he would get us a room without any issues. We were very grateful for the kind hospitality and their flexibility.
The lobby is magical, the floors being a giant map of ancient Azores back when the islands even had different names - a homage to the courageous Portuguese explorers who set sea to discover more of the world. The lights warm, the chandelier bright and shining, the bar whispering your name with its classic feel.
At this point, we had only extended our stay one night to catch the next ferry, which meant we would be staying for one night.
THE ROOMS
We made our way up to the room and upon entering the room we were immediately impressed.
Everything was impeccably clean.
The room was beautifully decorated - but that giant king-sized cloud of a bed, ugghhhh don’t get me started! The bed was so comfortable that we were worried we’d just want to stay in the hotel and skip exploring the island. They even had different pillows available in case you fancied a different style - how cool is that?!
In the room was a cute little “open closet”. There, two robes hung, next to it a coffee machine with a variety of different flavoured espresso tablets, and a safe was available for your important goodies.
The washrooms were spacious, modern, and smartly engineered. It reminded me a lot of Sao Miguel’s Azor Hotel.
When we had arrived we just came from an unexpected two-hour hike, which you can read more about here, so the first thing we did was hop in the shower. Call me crazy, but my showers are never longer than 8 minutes - I mean common two songs and a half is way more than enough time to shampoo, rinse, conditioner, wash your body and then rinse it all off.
But that day I indulged - I overindulged, and it was everything I needed and more. I took at least 15 minutes in the shower just because it was so relaxing, so spacious, so perfect with that rain shower, the natural body wash, shampoo and conditioner, it was a dream.
I liked that they didn’t have little bottles of shampoo and conditioner, you know, the ones that run out on the first day and are hardly enough to wash everything properly? Not Zenite. They had full-sized bottles of a 3 in one for the shower and a full-size bottle of lotion for moisturizing when you’re done - this is a hotel that cares about the entire experience!
They had facial tissue, your standard shower cap, but take this - they had toothbrushes!! They weren’t your stellar 5-star brushes but how cool is it that they had you covered in case you forgot yours?!
And guess what? The things inside the minibar were all yours … for free! Everything that was there was for you to enjoy - only if you wanted a refill you could request it and pay the fee. I found that super accommodating - there are too many hotels that tease you with the mini-bar only to charge you more than the stuff is actually worth.
THE RESTAURANT
That night we decided to have dinner at the hotel’s restaurant.
The space was beautifully decorated with rust coloured leather sofas, cute wooden features, and romantic lighting. We sat out on the terrace where there was a small water fountain trickling in the background, the outdoor pool was lit up, and the moon was shining bright.
The service at the restaurant and the entire hotel was fantastic. They were helpful and accommodating.
We ordered the bread with their “butter tasting” plate, the tuna (not the steak, the tartare or carpaccio, I can’t quite remember what it’s called and since their restaurant has no Google listing, I’m out of luck) and we asked for the vegetarian curry. They didn’t have all the ingredients for their curry but they said they would whip up some vegetarian delight for me and they did!
The food was marvelous and enjoyed every bit of it. For those of you thinking “but it’s a hotel restaurant, they can never be that good” THAT IS A MYTH and Zenite Boutique Hotel was the one to prove it.
MORAL
After such a beautiful shower, a beautiful dinner, and a beautiful night, we woke up realizing there was still so much to discover, oh yea in Terceira too, but I was talking about the hotel.
So believe it or not, we extended our stay until the next available ferry back to Pico… which was in 5 days.
We didn’t know if there would be availability on the ferry nor if we could change our tickets so we asked the front desk if we could leave our stuff passed the check-out time because we were going to see if we could extend our stay but weren’t 100% sure. They graciously kept our room and took the chance.
7 words … We ended up staying 4 more nights.
THE BREAKFAST
The next morning we woke up and went to the breakfast which came included with our rate. We were super impressed at the variety of options from different fruits to cheeses to cake to yogurt, multiple varieties of freshly baked bread - including croissants, and much more! The scrambled eggs were amazing (which is a huge compliment coming from us considering Nathan makes the best scrambled eggs ever using Gordon Ramsay's recipe), they had different jams and granola to choose from, great coffee and they had plant-based milk options upon request - which I appreciated very much because not too many places have the option in the Azores.
As a kind note for improvement, I think they should have plant-based milk options out along with the other milk options on the table already due to many people opting for plant-based milk :)
They had freshly squeezed orange juice, the food was fresh, diverse, and tasty.
THE ROOM SERVICE
After exploring more of Angra, Terceira’s main city, we decided to head back to our hotel for another .. wait for it .. shower!!
When we got back we were so surprised at how clean the room was! We left a €5 tip on the bed for the ladies.
When we came back to the room the next day it was so clean that I actually thought we somehow changed rooms and they gave us a brand new room that was never used before. Our clothes were folded and neatly put away, my face products were all perfectly set up, they put our dirty clothes in a laundry bag!!! I mean wow.
Every single day the room was spotless and this enhanced the overall experience, so, muito obrigado.
THE POOL & SAUNA
As soon as we got a chance we headed to the sauna. We did a quick yoga sesh in the pool and then headed to the sauna. (Note: due to Covid you had to wear a head cap in the pool which they sell at the front).
The entire space was very clean and relaxing. I had one of the best sauna experiences ever.
P.s if the sauna isn’t on when you get there, just let the front desk know and they will get you set up quickly.
It’s a boutique hotel which means a select amount of rooms which means we had the space to ourselves pretty much the entire time. It was a perfect private oasis.
We tried to enjoy the Turkish Bath area but it wasn’t functioning properly at the time - I guess we have another reason to go back 😉
They also have a gym for my gym rat friends (Hi, Alessia).
Next time we go, we'd love to try the actual spa experience (which I believe you get massages), but we unfortunately only learned about that after we left.
CONCLUSION
We stayed at Zenite Boutique Hotel by a fluke and to be honest it was a highlight of our trip to Terceira that we never expected.
To feel so happy with a hotel that you want to be in it and extend your stay mostly because of it - that says something.
For €96 a night (it was on a discount rate too, which I believe it still is at the time of posting this) we made great memories, had great food, and were accommodated by kind and helpful people throughout the whole thing.
I 100% recommend Zenite Boutique Hotel to anyone looking for an extravagant stay in Terceira for great value.
I cannot wait to go back and hope you make it your first time soon too.
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