Vila Galé Collection São Miguel wins Urban Rehabilitation award

Prémio de reabilitação urbana

The Vila Galé Collection São Miguel hotel in Ponta Delgada was honoured as the best tourist development in the National Urban Rehabilitation Award 2024.

This is yet another rehabilitation project carried out by the Vila Galé group, which has been restoring historic heritage that was unused or dilapidated. These include the Vila Galé Collection Palácio dos Arcos, an old 15th century palace; the Vila Galé Collection Braga, housed in the former São Marcos hospital; the Vila Galé Collection Elvas, formerly the São Paulo Convent; or the Vila Galé Collection Tomar, which has given new life to the Santa Iria Convent and the city’s former girls’ school.

In its 12th edition, the National Prize for Urban Rehabilitation had 80 candidates from all over the country in ten categories – housing, offices, commercial and services, sustainability, among others.

Promoted by Vida Imobiliária, this initiative annually honours the best interventions in the built environment and urban fabric. The awards were recently presented at a ceremony in Matosinhos.

Vila Galé Collection São Miguel

As a result of the recovery and conversion of an emblematic building, the former São Francisco hospital, this unit is located in the historic centre of the city, in the heart of Campo de São Francisco and very close to the Convent of Our Lady of Hope, famous for the festivities of the Lord Holy Christ of the Miracles (Festas do Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres), the biggest on the island.

It features 92 rooms, two high-quality restaurants, with buffet and à la carte service, where regional cuisine stands out, two bars, outdoor pool, Satsanga Spa & Wellness with indoor pool and rooms for massages and aesthetic treatments, as well as rooms for events.

With an investment of 15 million euros, the Vila Galé Collection São Miguel is a themed unit that pays homage to the history, figures and culture of the Azores and the Azorean communities in the world (diaspora) and the evolution of aviation in the Azores.

Open since July 2023, this hotel has contributed to the urban renewal of the historic area of Ponta Delgada, bringing new features, more tourism, and attracting new audiences.