It all started in 2015: planted right on top of Santa Bárbara beach, the first eco-beach resort in the Azores opened. A project that was not just another hotel unit, but the realization of an old dream of João Reis, a businessman and also a surfer passionate about São Miguel, the island that today serves as the home of Santa Barbara.

The starting point was the passion for that black sand beach, which contrasts in an almost magical way with the blue of the Ocean and with the various shades of green of the mountains that serve as a backdrop.

However, there are many other passions that come together in this common dream: the passion for the art of hospitality, for nature, for the sea and, above all, for the Azores. Maximum respect for the land of São Miguel and its unique characteristics led João Reis to think from the ground up of a resort that could integrate itself into its surroundings, in a perfect symbiosis. It is, therefore, not surprising that the materials used, the architecture and the setting in the landscape were the three main concerns of the project matrix.

The result is a resort where you can breathe the island in its fullness, with a total of 30 Villas & Studios that provide stays in perfect harmony with nature.