“The Portuguese island known as the Hawaii of Europe is supremely cool and so close. (…)

There are so many reasons I loved staying at Octant Ponta Delgada — the location, less than 10 minutes from the airport and within walking distance to the main town center, the abundant included breakfast buffet with local cheeses and unlimited bolo lêvedo (a touch more sweet Portuguese cousin to the English muffin), the sweeping views of the harbor — but my the best part was the Family Suites.

I’ve written before about sparse, expensive, and broken family travel options, and Octant’s Family Suite was none of those. Two spacious rooms connected via a small private entryway, each with its own separate bathroom, to accommodate up to six people. It was perfect for our family of five, and the girls loved the little turndown treats like chocolate chip cookies and printed bedtime stories. (They also loved the kid-sized bathrobes and slippers.)

A few other things to note: the hotel has a rooftop pool (the temps were beautiful during our stay, in the 60s, but it was sadly not quite warm enough for us to take a dip), and also an indoor pool in the spa we reserved for the kids to swim in the evenings. While they were splashing around, the adults took turns sitting in the on-site sauna and steam room.

The property also offers a robust roster of experiences like a whale watching excursion, beekeeping lesson, and a visit to Octant’s sister property, Furnas, for a day of geothermal pool dipping. Unless you opt to spend a night or two here (which would be very nice!) a day trip to Octant Furnas is a must. You can purchase a spa pass and use the indoor and outdoor pools heated by geothermal springs in this area of the island.”