Built in the 17th Century, this aristocratic manor house is drenched in luxury, charm, and history. Each room has been updated with modern conveniences, but the historical beauty has been preserved. Our magnificent estate is nestled between the verdant green hills of São Miguel and the majestic Atlantic Coast. You'll experience the pampered pleasures of an island resort, blended with the rural charms of a European village.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Business
Romantic
Languages Spoken
English, Portuguese
Location
Estrada de São Pedro, Maia, Ribeira Grande, São Miguel 9625-391 Portugal
Name/address in local language
Solar de Lalém
66 reviews
Getting there
Car recommended
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travelers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
"Solar de Lalem" is a large guesthouse located on the heights of Maia (quiet village) in the middle of the north coast of the island. It is a beautiful mansion from 1742, with a large garden, very well renovated. It's like a museum. In this spirit, the rooms as well as the common rooms are in a vintage style (with air conditioning though), and one can park in the courtyard of the building. We have seen little or no owners, so limited interaction with staff. Breakfast, served in what must have been the old stables, is very good, overlooking the garden, quiet. The pool is very hot, it is nice to relax around. during our 4 night stay, the other guests were quiet and respectful, it is very appreciable. In negative, I regret the stated Award of laundry ( 5 euros per piece of clothing), it is prohibitive.In our room we had a duvet, but with the heat we would have appreciated the option of a sheet and duvet if necessary. So, at night, we were hot, we wake up, we put on the air conditioning, we wake up because we are cold... Finally, during our stay of 4 nights, without me finally understanding what happened, one night was impossible to sleep for my spouse (fortunately, I had good earplugs) because classical music played at very high volume, and this until a late hour of the night. Broken hi-fi? someone playing? very strange inconvenience in this type of guesthouse.
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were two couples traveling in the Azores and we spent five wonderful days at the Solar de Lalem. This is an old inn with an interesting history dating back to the 17th century. Rooms are large and each suite seems to be unique. The manager Fabio was friendly, helpful and available. We loved our evening glass of wine on the patio outside the lounge, and our server Inês was just delightful throughout our stay. Maia is a quaint little village beside the ocean with a couple of great local restaurants that we could walk to from the Inn and which we thoroughly enjoyed. There are terrific hiking trails surrounding the village and everything is very well maintained and safe. The local people were extremely friendly.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This place has a ton of charm. It’s a beautiful mansion once owned by Portuguese nobility. The location is great, near the ocean, just outside idyllic Maia, and less than half an hour from Ponta Delgada airport. Rodolfo was very hospitable, professional, responsive, and attentive to everything I needed. My room was spacious, sparkling clean and had a lovely private garden.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Tamara Saitcevsky, Other at Solar de Lalém
Responded Jul 24, 2023
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you found our place charming and enjoyed the rich history of our beautiful mansion, once owned by Portuguese nobility. Rodolfo takes great pride in providing exceptional hospitality, and we're glad that his professionalism, responsiveness, and attentiveness made your stay even more enjoyable. Thank you again for sharing your experience with us. It was a pleasure having you as our guest, and we can't wait to welcome you back for another delightful stay!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Cannot fault the historic character, location, pool and general ambience of this Manor House however we thought it was lacking in hospitality. On arrival we struggled to find an entrance and after trying two doors and ringing the bells, opening one of the doors and calling we had to phone to find someone. We were given a short tour but felt later that more information would have been helpful -eg location of swimming towels, sun lounger cushions, pool hours and history of the house would have been interesting. The tariff of costs for the rooms displayed in our room was a bit of a shock. We had no idea how much we paid for our stay here as it was booked as an island hopping package. We certainly would have expected far more for the advertised price including more than a basic breakfast (though add ons were available eg fried eggs for 5 Euros etc), higher quality picnic lunches and better quality bath towels.
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Tamara Saitcevsky, Other at Solar de Lalém
Responded Jul 11, 2023
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback regarding your recent stay at Solar de Lalem. We greatly appreciate your valuable input and are committed to addressing the concerns you have raised. We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed the historic character, location, pool, and overall ambiance of our property. Your positive comments serve as encouragement to our team, who work tirelessly to provide exceptional experiences for our guests. However, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience you experienced during your arrival and for the lack of information provided during the tour. Your feedback has been duly noted, and we assure you that we take it seriously. Improving our hospitality and enhancing the tour experience for our valued guests is of utmost importance to us. To gain a better understanding of the specific issues you encountered and to ensure that we take appropriate measures to address them, we kindly request you to contact us directly at reservas@solardelalem.pt. Our dedicated team would be more than happy to discuss your experience in greater detail and gather any additional insights you may have. Thank you for choosing Solar de Lalem, and we hope to have the opportunity to welcome you back in the future. Best regards, Solar de Lalem
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Located in a calm and picturesque place, in Maia, this accommodation is perfect for resting after a day exploring the island. Incorporated in the middle of typical São Miguel, far from the hotel clusters and with a stunning view between Campos and the sea. The host, Rodolpho, is super friendly and welcomes us as if we were at home. We loved our stay 😍
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Date of stay: December 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Traveled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Oh what a grand house this is! It met all expectations of a relaxing and comfortant holiday. Everything about Solar de lalem is a five star rating. The rooms, the environment, the host and his staff were exceptional. Breakfast was always filling and pleasurable. The rooms were spotless and comfrtable.
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Date of stay: April 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Traveled as a couple
Room Tip:Solar de lalem is worthy!
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Rodolpho Camargo, General Manager at Solar de Lalém
Responded May 8, 2024
Thank you for your glowing review! We're thrilled to hear that you enjoyed your stay at Solar de Lalém and that everything met your expectations. We look forward to welcoming you back for another relaxing holiday. Thanks again for sharing your experience!
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Beautiful old property, authentic and full of history. Nice garden, with cute tables to sit outside for breakfast. Rodolpho was the best host - always cheerful, quick to respond and really went the extra mile to help all the guests with their enquiries and recommendations. Thank you!
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What an amazing place. So stunning, and such great people. Incredible history in the building too. Easy access to the rest of the island. Easy off street parking, beautiful gardens, and the breakfast and coffee are great. Highly recommend.
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Date of stay: July 2023Trip type: Traveled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Tamara Saitcevsky, Other at Solar de Lalém
Responded Jul 24, 2023
Dear Nicholas, Thank you for the wonderful review! We're thrilled to hear that you had an amazing time with us. Your kind words about the stunning location, great people, and incredible history mean a lot to us. We're glad you found the easy access to the rest of the island and the beautiful gardens enjoyable. Moreover, it's fantastic that you liked our breakfast and coffee. Thank you for recommending us! We can't wait to welcome you back soon.
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we stayed in this beautiful old rambling house for 2 nights. <our room was lovely, wood floors and nice big bathroom. the hosts are german, and friendly. our breakfast was nice with eggs cooked to order. <however, the town its in, <maia, has nothing to do, and very little in the way of places to eat. <you must have a car here. also, there are many dogs in the area, they bark all night some of them. one across the street, sits on the roof of the house and barks at everything that goes by. now, it was cool, and we kept the windows closed which helped, but in the summer, you would get no sleep!
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Date of stay: March 2005
Value
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Out of the blue, my wife had suggested a short break in the Azores. I thought, 'why not?'. So we found ourselves very late one night at Ponta Delgado Airport, with a hire car and vague directions to reach Maia on the other side of the island in the dark, and a totally unknown hotel. Amazingly, the proprietors, Gabriele and Gerd Hochleitner, were in the carpark after midnight awaiting our arrival, and saw to all our wants before themselves retiring - after they had met yet another couple, even later arrivals. That set the tone for our entire, all too short stay. Our host and hostess could not have been more hospitable, obliging in every way, yet always unobtrusive. And the staff were just as warm, welcoming, friendly and attentive. As to the hotel, itself, it is as delightful a country house hotel as any I have known, or have wish to know, a family home, immaculate, and set in extensive, beautiful grounds, with a sheltered pool tucked away in one corner by which to relax. Incidentally, your accompanying Tripadvisor photo just does not do anything like the justice to this lovely hotel that it deserves!
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Date of stay: July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Maia area.
PRICE RANGE
$141 - $2,488 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
PortugalAzoresSão MiguelRibeira GrandeMaia
NUMBER OF ROOMS
12
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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