Hotel Roça Sundy

Roca Sundy was perfectly nice. The food was great but the room was only okay (it was fine, just a bit basic). Most of the staff were okay but some do go above and beyond. The one day we were there we didn’t want to do the preplanned activity, we wanted to go to Banana Beach. Initially the front desk said “no way, can’t do it” but after much pleading one of the crew took us out and it was a really special day. That’s both a good and a bad experience - it was a great day, but we did have to be persistent.

A lovely hotel set in the grounds of an old plantation complex. Fascinating architecture and history. The hotel staff were wonderful and helpful. The food is lovely and the activities on offer are interesting and fun to do. You can visit a small chocolate workshop within the grounds and also see the old machinery. It's lovely to stroll down the paths and end up surrounded by rain forest.

A small country hotel. In Spain, I don‘t like this type of Hotels because they are boring if you don‘t bring a car with you. In Príncipe it‘s not so the pleasant guides tour you around this Jungle Island every day. Them for 20 € they bring you to the Sundy Beach Camp and at 17:30 back for free. Old beautiful refurbishes colonial plantation house. No issues. Clean place, friendly staff. Food and Menu Card is afro-good for three days.

The Roca (or estate) is an old Portuguese agricultural estate. A few of the buildings have been lovingly restored as the hotel. As to the rest, local people live in them and they are very much not restored. You will see people in the area constantly (not a problem, just saying) along with chickens, roaming dogs (endemic to STP) and the occasional pig. Roll with it. The food is excellent, and the staff is helpful, if a bit unfamiliar with hotel work. If you do not speak Portuguese you will often be relying on Google Translate. There are numerous trips/excursions run by the hotel, all of which are good. Get these sorted out when you arrive. (The boat trip to the northern beaches is great.) Getting to sister property Sundy Praia is a chore. So, if it is a nearby beach you seek, I suggest you split your stay between the two. Best room we saw is #3: Big, with huge bath and soaking tub, plus private terrace overlooking the rain forest and ocean.

Os serviços associados ao hotel são de qualidade - o hotel está restaurado, ainda que alguns quartos sejam substancialmente melhores que outros. Em termos de alimentação, com um bom buffet de pequeno-almoço e os jantares não deixaram a desejar. Saliento o cuidado que têm para as pessoas com intolerâncias alimentares - foi o único hotel, quer em São Tomé quer em Príncipe, que seguiu o meu pedido em relação à minha intolerância. O hotel tem também um óptimo atendimento, com funcionários dedicados. A única coisa que falha no todo é mesmo a questão da praia - não tem das praias mais fabulosas da ilha e o transfer do hotel até lá ainda é um pouco longo e duro (dado a estrada ser o que é!). Apesar desta questão da praia, é a roça indicada caso queiram ter um maior contacto com a população local.

Que maravilha! Toda a envolvente, a casa do senhorio, os quartos, os programas diários, o cacau... o cacau : ) da fruta à boca! Onde o tempo é tempo, o ar é puro, as gentes são boas e grande parte das nossas rotinas se fazem esquecer. Para complementar... fácil acesso à praia e praia... top top... imperdível!!!

Tivemos o privilégio de ficar numa das suores principais. A Roça transpira charme por todos os recantos. Serviço impecável e atividades muito boas! Transfer direto para a Praia Sundy. Muito bom! Deixou saudades.

I stayed at Roca Sundy and enjoyed the beautiful room and good food. However, the service was disappointing. Two issuces were not acceptable in my view: 1) I was informed beforehand that an excursion per day would be included in the price. I was presented a brochure which described a 4 hour walking coffee tour. I took this tour and it was a stroll on the premises which ended after 25 minutes. It was interesting but by all means can´t be described as a "tour". It was a shopping experience. 2) What annoyed me most was the fact that I was very interested in turtle watching. The activity manager of Roca Sundy explained to me that at the moment no turtle watching was possible because the season had not started yet. She claimed that she had been in touch with the organisation which organizes turtle watching. However, I had tried to organize a turtle watching trip though another hotel and they informed me that it was possible. So I ended up seeing turtles the same evening on Principe on the main turtle watching beach organised by the respective turtle watching organisation. So the activity manager did not tell the truth: Either she had not spoken to the turtle observation organisation at all. Or she did not want to organisa a transfer for me to the beach nearby. Either way, that is not acceptable. If you are looking for a beautiful room, this is a good place to stay. In case you´re interested in nature and activities I´d recommend to avoid this hotel.

Fomos muito bem recebidos. A recuperação do edifício da Roça manteve os traços originais. A simpatia das pessoas e a proximidade à comunidade foram os pontos chave, assim como os passeios oferecidos pelo hotel. O gerente, Paco, sempre muito atencioso. O nosso guia Guilherne foi uma excelente companhia. A cozinha é deliciosa. Comida bem confecionada e com produtos frescos e locais.