Quinta das Giestas

Quinta das Giestas has its ups and downs. The biggest UP is truly the host and his housemaid. Manuel and Mrs. Cidália exceeded our expectations. We were personally welcomed with a small present. Mrs. Cidália took care of our clothes that we hung outside to dry. When it started to rain and the clothes were already dry, she took them off, folded them, and put them aside. She helped us multiple times. Manuel provided us with local tips and took great care of us. We've never had a better host experience. The Quinta is centrally located in São Miguel, making it perfect for exploring the island. You can reach the north or south in less than 20 minutes, and the east or west in less than 45 minutes. There’s a large supermarket about 2 minutes away by car, with easy access and a covered parking lot. The property features a nice, clean pool (shared with other guests, but we never saw anyone else using it), a barbecue area (which we didn't use), a large garden, multiple outdoor seating options, a lava stone wall with cute lizards, and parking facilities. The premises are surrounded by a mid-height lava stone wall and secured by a remote-controlled automatic gate. The house is spacious with 2 bedrooms on 2 floors, each with an en-suite bathroom. One has a bathtub/shower, and the other has a spacious shower. The main room is a combined kitchen, dining, and living room with seating for 6 people and a large sofa next to the TV. The Wi-Fi is fast enough for private use, streaming, and standard home office tasks, though it did drop out three times over our 9-day stay. In São Miguel, there aren’t many sidewalks, which makes walking around a bit challenging. Also, the drivers can be... let’s say "very fast".

The high humidity (the house, like most on São Miguel, is built from porous lava stone and is inherently quite damp) unfortunately took a toll on the furniture. Some of the pressboard furniture were swollen and some veneers had chipped off. The bathroom door was also affected and was difficult and only loud to open because it dragged on the floor. To regulate the humidity and heat, we decided to run the heaters and the dehumidifier more often, which in turn led to most of the power outlets being occupied. In particular, the bedroom had only 3 outlets, 2 were used for bedside lamps and 1 for the Wi-Fi repeater. A few more power strips in the house would have been helpful. The kitchen equipment was adequate. However, the kitchen knives were relatively dull and partially damaged. There were only two small spoons. Refreshing the kitchen inventory could be beneficial. Another minor issue was that the front doors did not lock properly. Although they could only be opened from the outside with a key, we would have preferred them to lock securely. There was only one set of keys and only one remote control for the gate, which might pose a challenge for larger families. The hot water in the house took about five minutes to come through but remained consistently hot once it did and was then immediately available everywhere. The beds were relatively short and narrow (approximately 190 x 160 cm), which could be a bit uncomfortable for families with small children who still sleep with their parents or for individuals over 1.80 m. Each bed only had 1 large blanket instead of two smaller ones. Occasionally, there was an unpleasant sewage smell in the bathroom. A floor lamp with warm light in the living area would have made the otherwise very bright and cold lighting more pleasant. We used tea lights to create the necessary ambiance, which provided some romance.

the size of the rooms modern and clean the location of the house is good

fresh towels and a little cleanup after some 3 to 4 days would be welcome, we stayed one week. the surroundings of the pool could be cleaner, the pool itself had a problem when we arrived, after 3 days this got solved.

Lovely place to sit outside and have meals outside. Pool was great.

Everything about this apartment was great. Manuel the owner was very nice and friendly. He also texted us at 11:30 am to let us know the apartment was ready for check in even though it was well before check in time. The apartment is big and nicely furnished. The bathroom was spacious and it's suitable for people with mobility issues. The location is perfect as it sits in the middle of the island in a quiet neighborhood. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this accommodation.

Quinta das Giesta is a wonderful, quiet property with a beautiful garden and pool. The location is great, just minutes to Ribeira Grande, restaurants and the beach. The rooms were much larger than we expected. They are, in fact, small apartments equipped with all needed for your stay. Our host, Manuel, was amazing. He made us feel at home, showed us around and was very involved and responsive whenever we needed him. We liked the cats, the greenery, the space, the decor...everything! Highly recommended for anyone visiting the island!