NINE DOTS Azorean Art Boutique Hotel

Set inside a carefully restored building in the old quarter of Ponta Delgada, this hotel keeps its original Azorean stonework and layout while adding rooms and interiors themed on the nine islands of the archipelago. The address sits on Rua dos Mercadores, a historic street at the centre of the city. Room categories run from Studio to Premium Patio. The Studio takes its yellow tone from centuries of maize farming on the islands. The Deluxe carries what the hotel calls the building's old manorial character, with views over the street below. The Premium Patio opens onto a private courtyard planted with Azorean greenery. Each floor reads differently, but the stone walls and timber details recur throughout. On site, ETC. Osteria Bar serves Italian dishes made with Azorean ingredients, cooked partly in a wood-fired oven, with a garden view from the dining room. The bar keeps the same original walls and adds a rotation of cocktails made with local ingredients. A wellness centre sits under arches cut from basalt and ignimbrit stone, bordered by a garden. It is a compact stay, built for walking the old streets rather than driving them. The hotel also arranges bike rides, hikes and whale-watching trips around São Miguel, and stands a ten-minute walk from the Carlos Machado Museum, opened in 1880.