Principe hotels

Pros: Very nice surroundings, interesting nature, and a beautiful, black beach.

Cons: -

Pros: Location directly on beach and can walk to Praia Banana and Bom Bom

Cons: Ikea furniture in tents is completely out of place, not authentic and trying too hard within a tent structure. Simplicity and local materials should be used to use local economy. No management on site and this deteriorates the experience. Would expect better service for money paid. Breakfast and dinner set at their time, not to guest convenience.

Pros: The place has its charm and it’s nicely located, overlooking the sea.

Cons: The facilities! There was hardly any running water and electricity during our stay. Apparently it’s only available at certain times, but during these periods it failed to work as well. And anyway, there’s no information about it on their website. The Internet, as they inform, is available for 2euros/person per night. However, when we asked about it on arrival, we were informed they can only provide it the next day. Then, when we did get it, it was not very useful as you need to plug it in and since the electricity goes on and off randomly, it’s very unreliable... And our final disappointment concerned a little favour we asked. Since we were going on a tour very early the next morning, we asked in the afternoon if it was possible to get some bananas and/or a bit of bread to take with us, but apparently it was impossible. I tried asking again as it seemed it can’t be such a big deal for a place that is a restaurant at the same time, but to no avail.

Pros: One of the best places I‘ve ever been! We had a fantastic tent, 10 meter from a beautiful save and empty beach. The spacious room/tent offered everything which was needed. The food was excellent. A perfect place for a nice relaxing vacation.

Pros: Loved everything! The beach is just perfect to have privacy (running away from lots of tourists like in Bom Bom) and to enjoy it on your own. Marie is also very nice and helpful

Cons: I loved it all. Will come Back In case you don’t go straight there from airport let them know, as they have a free pick up from airport and will presume you arrive on that day to pick you up

Pros: An amazing place, at an amazing island! I didn’t know this places existed. For non Portuguese speakers it is good that there is one person that speaks English. Helps a lot. But even though the rest of the people working there spoke only portugese, they where very loving and friendly.

Cons: If you wake up easily, you might have problems sleeping. The waves noice is loud! We got used to it quickly though.

Pros: A once in a lifetime experience with perfect hosts, heavenly-like views, amazing breakfast, gorgeous dinner! If you are prepared to travel VERY long (at least 2 days from anywhere in Europe with a stopover in Lisbon/Portugal and another fuel-stop in Accra/Ghana), to have a VERY complicated hub from the main island Sao Tome (if you are lucky and get a ticket for the only day flight in a tiny propeller machine, it can always happen that the plane doesn`t take off or cannot land on Principe due to misty air - the pilots do a contact flight), to be VERY cut-off from „civilisation” (a good 5 km long dirt-track leads through the jungle to the tiny airport-village, BUT there are no shops of any sorts! The „capitol” Santo Antonio is 10 km away and suffered from power cuts and lack of anything from water to petrol, as the supply ship sank 4 weeks before our arrival) and willing to have VERY dramatic background sound-effects all through the nights from exotic birds, bugs, crickets and bats you are in for a treat and will spend your holiday on the most beautiful beach right in the middle of the African equatorial djungle surrounded by all it`s animals like giant flying bats, parrots, kingfishers, monkeys, huge land-crabs, beautiful spiders (but barely any moskitos!), stunning butterflys, and if you can coope with having the power cut-off through nighttime and don`t need any nonsense like airconditioning (the climate is very nice, though humid), Makaira Lodge is one of the last paradises on earth! The local islanders on Sao Tome & Principe do NOT speak any English, so it is wise to get a few words of Portuguese before you travel, if you don`t wanna come across like a bloody colonializing „Branco” (white man)!

Pros: It's a perfect place for body and soul

Pros: There's a reason so many of the reviews use the word "paradise." There really is no other way to describe Makaira Lodge. Located right on a gorgeous beach which is empty enough that it can feel like your own, and surrounded by lush rainforest. You fall asleep in your luxury tent to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach and awake to birds singing. The food served is freshly caught seafood beautifully prepared. Staying at Makaira Lodge is the definition of a "getaway" and somewhere to go if you want peace and quiet. Being picked up at the airport on the Polaris Ranger and driven through the tropical forest along a dirt road really felt like entering the Lost World. I loved that kayak and snorkeling equipment was available to use for free. The owners and staff were very friendly and helpful despite our very limited knowledge of Portuguese!

Cons: My only suggestion would be having a wider selection of food and snacks available to buy.

Pros: If you want to escape the 'normal' life, this place is where you have to go! You can paddle towards your own private island and completely detach from the outside world. Friendly and helpful staff and a lot of birdlife to be seen. Good food and very easy because you just get served the day meal and don't have to think about 'what to order'.

Cons: Because it is quite deserted, it isn't easy to travel the island by car via the lodge (you can do it by canoe). Therefor you should organize a tour if you would like to go somewhere, what could be a bit expensive if you want to travel a lot.

Pros: Rooms are cozy, staff are eager to help

Cons: Menue could be more attractive and have more choice

Pros: Stayed in a fabulous room in the main plantation house and everyone we interacted with was very professional and helpful, amazing few days.

Cons: Nothing missing - very special place to stay!

Pros: Staff were very helpful and friendly, food was exceptional and the location beautiful

Cons: Limited activities on site and information not readily available

Pros: Everything was fantastic but what really stood out was the professionalism and quality of the staff. They were spectacular.

Cons: The only tiny thing would be to stop people smoking on the restaurant balcony please. A suggestion: with such variety of bird and plant life, some of which is unique to Príncipe, it would be great to have a little more info available for guests.

Pros: This place is just gorgeous and the staff is incredibly attentive and nice. The surroundings are beautiful with both old and renewed buildings. I particularly liked that some people still live in this Roça, so you can see the kids going to school and playing around as well as the local people gathering at night with some music. The management was very generous when our flight to Princípe was cancelled on the first day: they simply transferred our night to the Omali in São Tomé, which was really very convenient and trouble-free.

Cons: During our short stay, there was complete lack of water for 2 relatively long periods. The last one, prevented us from showering before checking-out (after we waited for 1.5h hours). Although this Was very inconvenient, one must understand that it can happen and just try to be flexible about it. We had some difficulties on the check-out as we were charged 110 euros more than we should have been. Some tours were just charged twice and it took me a while to check everything and explain what was wrong. For sure, this should not happen and the management should be responsible for accurately preparing the bills.

Cons: Check out time based on airport shuttle, it shows in the booking 10 am. They have called my room around 8:30 to say that I should leave, because normally guests leave at 8:15. But I was never asked if I was staying longer in the island.

Pros: A very peaceful setting. The historic building is beautiful, with very pleasant common areas. Lovely room. The balcony had great views over the trees to the sea. Good food and helpful, friendly staff. Fantastic to be able to use the facilities of other hotels in the group, particularly Praia Sundy which was a 30-minute walk down the hill.

Cons: The hotel is quite isolated - you need to walk or drive at least half an hour to get to the beach, and any other activities.

Pros: Nice environment

Cons: Food not so great

Pros: Beautiful old plantation house meticulously restored. beautiful balcony over trees- perfect for bird watching.

Cons: Breakfast could have been more varied - more cereal and juice choice for example. Beautiful Sundy beach was a good 20 minute walk downhill. No swimming pool at Roca. Access road pot holed and a bumpy 15 min journey although I believe improvements are planned.

Pros: Sehr schönes, komfortables Haus im Kolonialstil mit Geschmack hergerichtet und freundliches Personal.

Cons: At night the air conditioning is systematically stopped from 0-6 o'clock in the morning. As there are no mosquito screens at the windows you cannot open them and the rooms get stuffy and hot what disturbed our sleep profoundly. I would suggest to stop the air conditionner rather during the day when guests are at the pool or the beach.It would be much less of a bother. We would not return to the hotel unless this problem is solved.

Pros: splendid historical location

Pros: We got a promotional price for one of the villas which was a really good experience: plenty of space, nicely decorated and not least an amazing sea view. In general the atmosphere was very pleasant with good facilities, helpful and friendly service. The food was nice as well: not a huge choice, but tasty with interesting use of local products. There are plenty of opportunities to explore the wonderful nature of the island.

Cons: Wifi didn’t work everywhere eg in our room, but you could always connect in the reception area

Pros: A small boutique hotel with old world charm, faded splendour set in a lush tropical landscape.

Cons: The bath towels were too small!!

Pros: The setting of the plantation villa was very nice on the top of the hill overlooking the bay and the ocean. There is nice museum and exhibition about Principe as part of the property. The house and common spaces are nicely furnished and designed. The junior suite in the main building is very convenient, nicely decorated with the best view over ocean among all other rooms. The higher personnel and the management speak very good English, it is much better than in other places. The shuttle to the Banana beach is always ready, not only at certain times, what is definately the advantage. The Veronica and the manager Mr. Myles and other people around are very nice, helpfull. We were able to extend our stay, when we needed. The hotel provides a good variety of services and activities incl. trips, advices, transports to the town. The tap water is dinkable, what is exceptional at STP. The overal feeling is very good and people try to make your stay as best as possible. Banana beach is very nice. The bottles with the water are available during the day.

Cons: The price per night is high, could be a bit lower compared to the other places and the overal quality. There might be improved breakfast offer, more local and natural food, fruits in order to make it more attractive compared to requested price. The property, garden, restaurant, patios, and other common outside space is very generous, nice, but the attention should be put on proper, regular restaurant floor cleaning, maintenance of background garden towards sea, painting, vaxing of outside furniture in order to keep overal quality high.

Pros: If you stay at Roça Belo Monte you could expect a full pack of activities, extraordinary meals, very kind staff, excelent views and pool, and also a private route to Praia Banana (can be done by foot or hotel car at any time). Everything is prepared carefully to give the best experience to their guests! The price is quite high, but it’s similar on the rest of the Principe island. Our room was ok, but it was an double economy room, so we couldn’t expect anything amazing. Do not hesitate to choose Belo Monte for you stay in Principe Island!

Cons: The room, even a double economy one, could be better.

Pros: Amazing location, beautiful and well looked after place, good food and incredibly warm and helpful staff.

Cons: The price!

Pros: Food is great

Cons: The transfer to the city had a cost of 30€ per person.

Pros: just about everything terrific customer service. great food, lovely grounds

Cons: nothing really

Pros: The location is amazing. The staff can be a bit shy at start but they are incredibly friendly and get more comfortable with time. We liked everyone but Ana - one of the waitress was fantastic, funny and easy going. One of us got sick and she managed to get us some tea from a wild plant. The drivers Joaquim and Jose Luis were also fantastic specially Jose, we laugh a lot together about silly jokes. Francisca one of the cleaners was a really sweetheart very concerned about our health. Puqui (?) one of the cooks did some delicious traditional food for us even cooked something special for us to try. If you travel don’t be afraid of trying the local cuisine, it enrich your travel experience and you learn so much about the people thorough the food it’s just a miss opportunity when you stuck with the western food style. The new assistant manager Veronica, is a true people’s person, firm but very kind with the employees, which was really nice to see in place like this where sometimes the managers don’t treat their employees with the respect they deserve. These are only the names I can remember but over all everyone was incredibly nice ready to take care of you and fulfill any wish you have. Having the lunch served for us on the beach was really something even if it was just the 2 of us, they did it without a blink. We truly felt a sense of community and happiness here. I wish we will be able to return to Roça Belo Monte again.

Cons: The road access to the property is not great, I guess it deters the day visitors and keeps it a bit more secluded.

Pros: Extreme contact with nature and local communities, haute cuisine, exceptional service quality and very good value for money. Wonderful and spacious tented villas, top-of-the-edge restaurant design, with a surrounding tropical forest, by the blue&green sea.

Cons: Could be a bit too isolated, if you often want to go out of the premises.

Pros: Luxury in the jungle! Sundy Praia is one of the most charming places I've been to. The location, the friendliness of the staff and the comfort of the room are unique. The restaurant is out of this world. Highly recommend!

Pros: The food is amazing using mainly local produces with vegetables and fruits that most people have never tasted before. This is Africa where luxury meets sustainability.

Pros: Everything was outstanding! All amenities are clean and beautiful. Since we arrived we’re treated so good. Lot of things to do if you want to explore a bit the island. The “private” beach in front is blue crystal water. People are kind and very helpful. I mean, once there you just don’t wanna leave!

Cons: To leave

Pros: Everything os amazing!

Pros: Príncipe Island is a complete paradise! This was my second time visiting the Island and I have to say I loved it, and a lot was due to Sundy Praia Lodge. It’s a paradise inside the paradise that is Principe itself. When you think the island couldn’t get more special, with the Lodge, it does. The service is fantastic: the staff is very nice and extremely professional. The room is sumptuous! I woke up early in the morning, entered the bedroom’s pool and then dove into the ​​beautiful sea of the Sundy beach, all in a couple of minutes. I recommend the Sundy Praia Lodge to all those who seek a haven of nature, tranquility and a great service. I will certainly repeat the experience, this time with my family as well as it is also suitable for the younger ones. The lodge is very spacious, the rooms are far from each other so no one is bothered. The beach is almost private. I loved it! See you soon, Sundy Praia Lodge

Pros: This was 3rd visit of Principe island. We avoided this hotel as we thought it would be more touristic place with too many people. But I was totall wrong! This is the best place for beach lovers. Very easy to access to beach, where even small children could enjoy. You can easily find fish around the beach. Very quiet and no one disturb you.... They are keen on eco-friendly policy which I like. You don't see plastic bottles at the hotel. You could enjoy beautiful milky way at night from the bridge between restaurant and lodge.

Cons: It would be nice if you have more people at the reception. We had to queue for a while during checking in and checking out as there was only one person who dealt with several customers.

Pros: Amazing location and liked the eco-friendly approach

Cons: The food wasn’t of the standard you’d expect from a hotel that expensive

Pros: Extraordinary beahes, all is beautiful including the bungalow and gardens.

Cons: Would have stayed longer if it wasn't so expensive.

Pros: The natural beauty of the place is stunning. Staff is friendly and helpful, but as they speak hardly any other language than Portuguese communication is difficult and prone to misunderstandings.

Cons: The price of 600 euros a night (sea view bungalow half board) is exaggerated considering the condition of the bungalows. They need refurbishing especially the bathrooms that are in poor hygienic conditions (see photos). A problem is the water supply as they do not provide free bottled drinking water as it is usual in most African hotels even budget ones. They charge 4 euros for a most basic drinking water out of a plastic bottle even during meals when you are on half-board. Instead they offer water out of an open bottle that is refilled with water of uncontrollable origin and condition. Be careful! Compared with other hotels in Africa and around the world this is uncommon practice and a very miserly attitude considering the price per night.

Pros: Great food, wonderful service and a beautiful property.

Cons: Nothing

Pros: Beaches were beautiful and the food was tasty

Cons: Staff especially Elton at Reception. Told us he needed our room and moved us into...wait for it...a dirty / used room for our shower in the interim! Could not believe this happened for such a resort!! It’s not exactly cheap staying here. This place really is style over substance

Pros: Great golden hours organized by management team, also for families. Very kind and attentive staff. Very good restaurant.

Cons: Highly overpriced. For this amount, i expected much better than a somehow rundown bungalow and much better equipments. There are not enough seats along the beach. Nearly no water equipment for the kids to play (kayaks, surfing or body boards...) compared to other places on Principe. It is worth maybe half what we paid. Pictures on the website don't do justice to the condition of the place. Food and drinks also overpriced, twice the price of other hotels such as belo monte and it gives a bitter feeling of being milked as there is no other option around. No hangers in the room for towels or wet clothes, safe and tv out of order. Poor information on excursions which are equally overpriced. Even with these amounts, we were picked up almost with one hour delay from the agreed point as management forgot us... Security is an issue around the swimming pool as our snorkelling gear got stolen. Security also needs to be improved on the beach as currents can be dangerous. Bom bom, no doubt you were great some time ago but with the years, either you invest seriously to keep the place to its top or you revise your price accordingly. We were actually very disappointed regarding the accommodation and equipments quality we got for what we paid.

Pros: Great golden hours organized by management team, also for families. Very kind and attentive staff. Very good restaurant.

Cons: Highly overpriced. For this amount, i expected much better than a somehow rundown bungalow and much better equipments. There are not enough seats along the beach. Nearly no water equipment for the kids to play (kayaks, surfing or body boards...) compared to other places on Principe. It is worth maybe half what we paid. Pictures on the website don't do justice to the condition of the place. Food and drinks also overpriced, twice the price of other hotels such as belo monte and it gives a bitter feeling of being milked as there is no other option around. No hangers in the room for towels or wet clothes, safe and tv out of order. Poor information on excursions which are equally overpriced. Even with these amounts, we were picked up almost with one hour delay from the agreed point as management forgot us... Security is an issue around the swimming pool as our snorkelling gear got stolen. Security also needs to be improved on the beach as currents can be dangerous.  Bom bom, no doubt you were great some time ago but with the years, either you invest seriously to keep the place to its top or you revise your price accordingly. We were actually very disappointed regarding the accommodation and equipments quality we got for what we paid.

Pros: Location: Fantastic location and landscapes, nice secluded beach and nice sunset but... Service: Local staff tried always to be helpful doing its best to please us but some were lacking of training and/or supervision. Food: The food was good and well presented but having dinner in a small folding table where there is not enough space to put the bread basket and a bottle of wine at the same time does not help appreciate the experience.

Cons: Bungalow: Our beachfront bungalow was quite basic (I would no give it more than 3 stars), partially furnished with furnitures from a famous Swedish brand, some furnitures damaged, no effort for the decoration and the bathroom was very tired really needing refurbishing (see photos). Furthermore, the AC was quite noisy, we had to switch it off at night to be able to sleep. Safe was not working, reception said none of them in the entire resort are operational. Scuba diving: A big problem we experienced and that ruined our stay was related to scuba diving and more precisely to the hotel PADI diving center. The goal of our trip to Bom Bom was scuba diving, and this activity was recommended by the reservation team in Lisbon sending a nice map of the diving sites. Our disappointment was huge when we arrived and discover that compressor was broken and boat out of order... so no scuba diving. We experienced the same problem at Sundy Praia (same hotel group) as the resort is dependent on Bom Bom PADI dive center. My recommendation is if you are thinking about scuba diving with one of this resorts, you better think twice. Stand Up Paddle: The boards were quite tired some broken and none of them had a keel making navigation quite difficult. Management: General Manager was inaccessible (hiding from guests/complaints?), he promised to discuss the situation with us but never showed-up. When I returned home I sent a complaint about the scuba diving fiasco to Booking.com. Bom Bom Principe had the nerve to state that its snorkelling and scuba diving activities were fully operational during my stay. Based on another guest review here-below, I was not the only one experimenting problems related to water sport activities at the same period. I let everyone make his/her own opinion about the resort's management ethics.

Pros: The place is wonderful. The setting with the 2 beaches you practically have for yuorself the staff is wonderful and nice and very accommodating. The food is excellent too (some people have been complaining of the quality of the food and o totally disagree it was gorgeous!)

Cons: The main issue was the power cuts overnight. So the electricity went out practically every night between 1 and 5. As the bungalows are not designs to let the airflow that meant the rooms got really hot which meant we slept really badly. It is a shame as we had read about the power issues in the islands but the place where we least expected it to happen was here! And it ended up being the place where it happened more frequently. I feel a hotel that is charging this amount of money cannot really allow their guests to go though this. I understand where the money goes to. The upkeep of such a beautiful place the number of staff must be huge. But to no be able to sleep it is one if the basic must haves when you stay in a hotel! I feel the hotel is being a bit dishonest about not warning guests that this is an issue before hand (neither booking not their website mention power cuts)

Pros: Most of the things

Cons: The staff is never in the place, you have to call them by phone... and in my case I couldn’t call bc I had no phone, so when I needed them there wss problem. I was alwsys alone in tbe residencial.

Pros: Besides the transport failure, everything else was great. Being able to have supper wasa bonus too.

Cons: Transport back to airport did not occur as driver did not come. I had to find own transport at the last moment ... I was the last person to check-in so this was quite a bad failure by the guesthouse as missing the flight would have been a disaster.

Cons: Location wrong. It isn’t close to the beach. It’s a lie.

Pros: Breakfast was generous

Cons: It is very far out of the centre of town with nothing around. 10 min walk to centre, in such a small town best to stay in centre. Property smells very damp, no ventilation as very close to other buildings.

Pros: Perfect to living the real Principe life. Ippolito and his staff are very kind and ready to solve any problems. Ok also the trip arranged with them.

Cons: Quite far from the center of the town. But the 10 min walk is safe

Pros: The lady who works during the day is very nice and accommodating. The manager is not always around, but when available, is also very pleasant. The property is brand new which is a plus.

Cons: My only caveat is that on the last day, as I was finishing my coffee, I noticed it was full of pieces of what looked like aluminum foil. I didn't ask, but that made me a little sick to my stomach. One other thing...beware of the guy who picks you up at airport. He's a bit of a hustler. If he tries to sell you on a trip around the island, I would NOT advise it. It is very dangerous, which is why the expensive hotels will not take you. Go at your own risk and level of sea tolerance. I would check with major hotels to see what the conditions are. It is possible at some times of the year, it is safer, but not when we went.

Pros: The owner was very helpful.

Pros: Clean

Cons: Nothing

Pros: Very clean and new place. Good price and very nice employees. Always smiling. It was like a home.

Cons: A little bit walk from the city. But good and safe walk.

Pros: Staff is very nice and available (Manager gave us his number to contact him in case we needed assistance while out of the Residencial). Breakfast and airport transfer included in the price. Air conditioning in the room works well. There was always hot water and pressure in the shower was perfect.

Cons: Location: The Residencial is in a more isolated area 10 - 15 minutes walking till the center of Santo António, which can actually be a plus if you prefer to stay away from the city.

Pros: Manager very kind and helpfull.

Pros: Very nice and helpful host.

Cons: A couple of mosquitoes and cockroaches. Overall, relatively bad relationship quality-price, but all around the island places are usually expensive.

Pros: It just amazing, the room is really very clean, location is very good, helpfully manage, Mr Figueiredo is always in good mood and read to help is guests, The shower is very special, I recommend you to stay at Residencial Apresentacao. Miss you all

Cons: Staff

Pros: The location is right at the waterfront with nice views from the veranda. We actually liked Santo Antonio a lot, though it's tiny.

Cons: The breakfast was included, but the next-door restaurant where the breakfast was served didn't expect us.

Pros: The owner speaks English fluently and is very friendly and helpfull. The hotel is situated on one of the best spots on the island

Pros: In front of the sea, calm and quiet, near everything

Cons: We liked everything

Pros: Cleanliness and location are top.

Pros: Amazing location, tasty breakfast, friendly and helpful staff, good areas and facilities!

Cons: More diversified breakfast and more controllable water temperature on the shower.

Pros: Amazing place to stay, the owner is very nice, speaks very good English and also helped us to meet Mr. Domingo (great guide) and to organize the trip to the jungle. We very more than satisfied with the accomodation and delicious breakfast. Moreover, the owner took us to the airport. Thank You!

Cons: Nothing to report here ;)

Pros: well equipped apartment, nice terrace

Cons: no air condition in bedroom