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11 Best Eco-friendly Stays in the Azores, Portugal

11 Best Eco-friendly Stays in the Azores, Portugal

Azores, Portugal, is one of the dreamiest places in the world and makes you forget heaven. With vibrant green rolling hills, bright blue skies, and nine volcanic islands, the Azores archipelago is definitely one of the best places to be.

But that’s not the Azores’ only charm; to preserve the environment and ensure its ecosystems stay safe, many hotels and lodges in the Azores have adopted an eco-friendly approach. If you’re planning on visiting the Azores archipelago, you can stay in one of these sustainable destinations:

What are eco-lodges?

Eco-lodges are accommodations in undisturbed, remote natural areas where both construction and operation have the lowest impact possible on the environment. They are not only part of the local community, but they are active participants in protecting nature and culturally sensitive areas.

Eco-friendly stays in the Azores

Here is a map to see where these eco-lodges are located:

TradiCampo Eco Country Houses

Photo credit: Emese Maczko, Eco Lodges Anywhere.

TradiCampo Eco Country Houses lie on San Miguel, one of the most popular Azores destinations. TradiCampo isn’t your ordinary hotel; although the country house offers everything you’d expect from some of the grandest hotels, it provides a more secluded and private accommodation so that tourists can rest and explore at their own pace.

Tradicampo offers a combination of country houses, villas, and studios; some overlook the island, while others share a pool. All homes are heated naturally and use a natural ventilation system; and the hotel uses energy-efficient equipment. It also encourages guests to participate in environmental responsibility by sharing resources and giving them insight into the hotel’s operations.

READ ONHow to Spend the Best 3 Days in TradiCampo

Octant Furnas

Photo credit: Emese Maczko, Eco Lodges Anywhere.

Situated just a short distance from Furnas geothermal pools, Octant Furnas offers guests a chance to celebrate nature without disrupting the environment. With naturally heated indoor thermal pools, Octant Furnas is an excellent retreat to soak in Furnas’ warm waters and let go of all worries.

Octant Furnas offers a modern combination of rooms with the finest furniture and luxurious amenities. It even has an adult-only section, so tourists who are honeymooning or are seeking a mature destination can relax without worrying about anything. Octant Furnas offers an onsite spa and has impeccable gastronomy. Since it lies in a sensitive environment, Octant Furnas is eco-friendly and regularly practices sustainability.

READ ONHow to Spend the Best 3 Days in Octant Furnas

Solar Branco Eco Estate

Photo credit: Solar Blanco Eco Estate.

Solar Branco Eco Estate offers a delightful combination of suites designed and adorned according to a specific theme. Solar Branco is strictly adults only, so it’s perfect for honeymooners on a romantic mission or a group of friends seeking raunchy adventures.

Solar Branco Eco Estate prioritizes minimalism; all suites are furnished with luxurious basic amenities, but you’ll love the minimalist design. It is also one of Portugal’s most eco-conscious and sustainable hotels; Solar Branco uses 100% electric transport and is part of the Ocean Azores Foundation, which is dedicated to protecting the marine environment. The hotel is also plastic-free and sources 80% of its energy from solar panels. It’s also actively working with the community to protect wildlife and nature.

Sensi Azores Nature & Spa

Photo credit: Sensi Azores Nature & Spa.

We’ve all wanted to escape into the middle of the Atlantic and spend a few days in pure bliss. Well, you’ve got the perfect chance if you stay at Sensi Azores Nature & Spa. The eco-resort is located in a protected sanctuary overlooking the ocean.

The hotel offers multiple villas equipped with beautiful amenities that will make you swoon. Sensi Azores is one of the finest spa resorts; it has a sauna, a hammam, massage rooms, and even an interior pool. While its location does increase its social responsibility by tenfold, Sensi Azores is doing a remarkable job. It uses energy-efficient heating and natural lighting and practices sustainable measures.

Terra Nostra Garden Hotel

Photo credit: Emese Maczko, Eco Lodges Anywhere.

A remarkable project hotel by Bensaude Hotels, Terra Nostra Garden Hotel, was designed to maximize guest pleasure and enrich the environment. The hotel has been running since 1935, allowing guests to interact with Mother Nature and become zen with her without worrying about potentially harming the environment.

The boutique hotel provides luxurious bedrooms, each offering a different view and overlooking the best landscapes of Sao Miguel. The family-friendly hotel is a short walk from the magnificent Terra Nostra Botanical Garden and Park, allowing guests to embark on a glorious nature as soon as they’ve had their morning coffee. The Bensaude Hotels Collection is dedicated to sustainability, so Terra Nostra Garden gives back to the environment despite being one of its oldest projects.

Santa Bárbara Eco-Beach Resort

Photo credit: Santa Barbara Eco-Beach Resort.

Head to Ribeira Grande in Sao Miguel, and you’ll find Santa Barbara, an eco-resort offering many accommodations, all dressed in magnificence and simultaneously supporting the environment. At Santa Barbara, you’ll find 9 two-bedroom villas, 14 studios, and 7 one-bedroom villas, each offering amenities and facilities you’d expect from a five-star hotel.

Amazingly, each villa and studio tried to minimize its carbon footprint and was designed and constructed to minimize environmental distress. The eco-resort uses energy-efficient lighting, a rainwater harvesting system, and practices waste management. It’s also one of the few eco-resorts participating in regular beach cleaning.

Quinta da Meia Eira

Photo credit: Quinta da Meia Eira.

From the inside, you won’t even be able to tell Quinta de Meia Eira apart from a 5-star hotel; that’s how luxurious and good the resort is. But don’t take this hotel’s love for luxury lightly; the resort is one of the most eco-conscious in Portugal and frequently comes up with ways to minimize energy consumption and maximize sustainability.

It offers a one-bedroom apartment, so tourists can even make food themselves. It prides itself on being an agro-tourism lodging, offering tourists food made from farm-grown produce. It maintains a small ranch and farm and only uses wood from commercial forest plantations to facilitate nature. From waste management to ecological measures, Quinta da Meia Eira takes great care in protecting the environment.

Azul Singular

Photo credit: Azul Singluar.

Azul Singular lies on Faial Island, which boasts the Capelinhos Volcano at its westernmost point. Azul Singular offers a variety of accommodations, including yurts and a main house with tents surrounded by trees. The tents and yurts are all equipped with the finest amenities and facilities, but don’t worry about the environment; Azul Singular delivers the finest accommodation without affecting Mother Nature.

Azul Singular is surrounded by over 30 years of vegetation, purposely leaving it untouched to protect the ecosystem. All tents are hybrid, built entirely from scratch to integrate with the ecosystem. Even the food served is freshly grown by Azul Singular.

Caparica Azores Ecolodge

Photo credit: Caparica Azores Ecolodges.

About 870 miles off the coast of Portugal lies Terceira island, right in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. While Terceira Island has many beautiful hotels and resorts, Caparica Azores Ecolodge is one of the finest. With an outdoor swimming pool, Caprica Azores Ecolodge is set in the middle of a forest, surrounded entirely by trees, blending perfectly with the environment.

Caparica Azores Ecolodge might be set in the middle of nowhere, but its design mimics the finest architecture and stays eco-friendly, too. Even its main house is set close to nature, allowing tourists to explore their surroundings without disrupting them.

Lava Homes

Photo credit: Lava Homes.

One of Pico Island’s most prized hotels, Lava Homes, lies in the heart of the village of Terralta, Santo Amaro, and offers tourists a chance to let go of life’s mundane and exhausting routines completely. Sporting a modern design catering to the environment, Lava Homes are perfect for travelers who want to stay close to mother nature without giving up on luxury.

Lava Homes offers a variety of semi-modern houses, all perched high up on the hills, each a little distance from the other, overlooking the stunning blue waters of the Azores. Designed to mimic a village, Lava Homes offers an eco-friendly stay and even hosts a variety of activities like massages, yoga classes, dolphin watching, deep-sea fishing, and boat trips. It even has an all-natural pool.

Aldeia da Fonte Hotel

Situated on Pico Island, Azores, Aldeia da Fonte Hotel is a gorgeous collection of volcanic stone houses lying just a stone’s throw from the central volcano. Aldeia da Fonte’s unique stone houses make you feel like you’ve traveled back in time; with simple architecture and interior design, they are designed to complement their surroundings.

The eco-hotel offers 40 rooms distributed through suites and houses, but despite providing lush amenities, it practices sustainability to reduce environmental impact. It also offers dolphin-watching tours and has an Atlantic pool. Its efforts to stay eco-friendly have earned it a place as the fifth most ecological hotel in Portugal.

More eco-lodges in other regions

A woman sitting on a mountain. Behind her is a lake.
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Emese Maczko is a travel blogger behind Eco Lodges Anywhere. Having explored several destinations around Europe, the US, Indonesia, and Australia, and resided in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Luxembourg, Emese possesses a keen understanding of diverse cultures and an appreciation for the beauty of each destination she visits. She advocates for sustainable travel and ecotourism.