Casa das Palmeiras

Casa das Palmeiras, the House of the Palm Trees is an elegantly restored 19^th century townhouse in the centre of Ponta Delgada.

This local landmark was originally built as a home by the 1^st Count of Cuba for his philanthropic wife Maria in 1901 – a keen importer of precious metals, silks and porcelains from the Americas and across Europe, Maria and her architect Jose Luis Monteiro (designer of Rossio Railway Station in Lisbon) combined the grandiose style of the palaces of Oeiras with late 1800s nouveau touches to create one of the city’s most-instantly recognisable buildings.

The building lay abandoned for over thirty years, before being lovingly brought back to life by brothers João Pedro and Joaquim Amaral. They’ve renovated and preserved many of the original architectural features, and uncovered the original timbers and tiles which were once thought lost. There are ten en-suites rooms in all: seven doubles on the first floor and three on the second, with interconnecting rooms for families.