Location: Horta Island, Azores

The Pousada da Horta - Forte de Santa Cruz is set in a 16th century fortress built over the Horta bay and is classified as a National Monument since 1947. With a magnificent view of the Pico Island , you can also admire the famous Marina and its yachts.

Accommodation: The Pousada has 26 rooms and 2 suites. All the rooms are equipped with air conditioning, mini-bar, telephone, cable TV, hair drier, safe, bathing gowns, internet (for PC).

Pousada History: The Fort of Santa Cruz, like most others in the Azores, was originally built for protection against Moorish pirates. It was started in the year 1567, and a 2 per cent tax was placed on imports and exports and on harbor dues for financing the work. Some gunners and cannon were sent to the island to man the Fort but construction went slowly owing to the lack of funds, and in 1572 an additional tax on meat, olive oil, wine and salt was decreed to speed up its completion. In 1580 the Spaniards occupied Portugal but the Azores remained loyal to Dom António, Prior de Crato, and it was only after some difficulty (particularly in Terceira where the inhabitants brought down semi-wild bulls against the invaders who were forced to retire before returning with a stronger force) that the Spanish subdued the Islands. They attacked Faial with a squadron of 12 galleys, 4 smaller vessels and 12 pinnacles, with a total of 1500 men, landing 2 miles to the south of the town in order to be out of range of the fort of Santa Cruz. In September 1589 the Earl of Cumberland attacked Faial (both England and France at this time supporting the deposed claimant to the throne of Portugal ) and partially destroyed the Fort, throwing the guns into the sea and demanding a ransom from the town. A careful description of the Fort and town was made by one of Cumberland 's captains: this appears in Hakluyt's Voyages and shows that the walls and gun emplacements of the Fort were the same then as now. In 1597 the Fort (repaired and now jointly manned by Spanish and Portuguese) was attacked and captured by Sir Walter Raleigh who was second-in-command of a large English fleet under the earl of Essex.  It's interesting to note that Faial supplied more volunteers to the Constitutionalist cause than any other of the Azorean islands – a fact remembered by the King in 1833 when Horta was raised to the category of City. Faial had also set up a maritime arsenal. The city's coat of – arms, granted later, bears in the scroll carries the stylized castle, commemorating the Fort, while the carries the words “Very loyal city of Horta ”. The entrance to Santa Cruz was rebuilt in 1847 and, very misleadingly, this date appears over the gate of the hundred – year old Fort: it is now, alas, called a pousada – a word hardly appropriate for a pleasant hotel with such an historic past.

Meetings & Conferences: Room with natural light,  internet, AC and other specific characteristics.
Audio and visual material available: screen, data show, TV and video, flipchart e microphones.