UD Rating - 3 Stars

Year Round

5 Hours

All Levels

From £1365

Hotel Horta

A modern hillside hotel with panoramic Atlantic and Pico Island views.

Hotel Horta is a modern hillside hotel overlooking the marina and Atlantic Ocean in the charming town of Horta on Faial Island in the Azores, Portugal. Surrounded by panoramic sea views and overlooking the neighbouring island of Pico, the hotel enjoys a peaceful setting while remaining within walking distance of Horta’s marina, restaurants and historic centre. Combining contemporary comfort with warm Azorean hospitality, the property offers a relaxed atmosphere ideal for both leisure travellers and island explorers.

The hotel features comfortable and spacious rooms, many with private balconies offering views of the ocean, harbour or Pico Mountain. Guests can enjoy an outdoor swimming pool, restaurant and bar serving regional and international cuisine, as well as welcoming lounge areas designed for relaxation after a day of sightseeing or outdoor activities.

Conveniently located near Horta Marina and the island’s main attractions, Hotel Horta provides an excellent base for whale watching, hiking, diving and exploring the volcanic landscapes of Faial Island. With its scenic location, friendly service and relaxed island ambience, the hotel offers a comfortable Azorean retreat with spectacular Atlantic views.

Board Basis

Room Only No meals included
Bed & Breakfast Daily breakfast included
Hotel_Horta_single_garden_view

Single Garden View

Designed for solo travellers, these comfortable rooms overlook the hotel’s peaceful gardens and feature a private balcony, offering a relaxing base for exploring Faial Island.

  • Hairdryer
  • En-suite Bathroom
  • Air conditioning
  • T.V.
  • Internet
  • Balcony
  • Telephone
  • Wake Up Service
  • Bathtub
  • Wi-Fi
  • Safe
Hotel_Horta_double_sea_view

Double Sea View

Featuring stunning frontal Atlantic Ocean views, these stylish rooms offer a private balcony and a bright, comfortable setting perfect for unwinding in Horta.

  • Hairdryer
  • En-suite Bathroom
  • Air conditioning
  • T.V.
  • Internet
  • Balcony
  • Telephone
  • Wake Up Service
  • Bathtub
  • Wi-Fi
  • Safe
Hotel_Horta_suite

Suite

Spacious and elegant, the Suite features a separate living area and panoramic views of the sea and Pico Island from its private balcony, ideal for guests seeking extra comfort and space.

  • En-suite Bathroom
  • Air conditioning
  • Living Room
  • T.V.
  • Internet
  • Balcony
  • Telephone
  • Wake Up Service
  • Hair dryer (On request)
  • Bathtub
  • Wi-Fi
  • Table and Chairs
  • Sofa
  • Safe

Map

Available Experiences

Itineraries available in this destination

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What Our Customers Have To Say

Reviews from our Clients, Journalists, Photo Pro's and our own Experts

Our reviews and blogs are an additional guide to evaluate if the holiday is exactly what you are looking for or not. Some love an Eco-Resort, some love air-con and a flat screen TV, we aim to ensure you get what you are looking for, at great value for money.

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Haliotis Dive Centre

Marina da Horta, Shops A5 & C5

Haliotis Faial is a professional dive centre located at Marina da Horta on Faial Island in Portugal's spectacular Azores archipelago. Ideally positioned in the heart of Horta, the centre provides access to some of the Atlantic's most exciting offshore diving, including the iconic Princess Alice Bank, Condor Bank and the underwater sites between Faial and neighbouring Pico. The nutrient-rich waters attract an impressive variety of marine life, with regular encounters with manta rays, blue sharks, tuna, large groupers, jackfish, moray eels and colourful schools of reef fish.

Haliotis is a PADI Career Development Centre, holding PADI's highest rating and offering recreational and technical diving education from beginner level through to professional and instructor training. The Faial team includes experienced PADI instructors and divemasters, with marine biology expertise among the staff. The centre offers guided single and double dives, night dives, freediving, blue shark encounters and specialist trips to offshore locations such as Princess Alice Bank.

The dive centre features a fully equipped dive shop, equipment rental and compressor facilities, supported by the Lioti, a 12-metre semi-rigid boat powered by twin 300hp Yamaha engines. Equipped with navigation, sonar, radar, oxygen and first-aid equipment, the boat provides both safety and comfort on longer offshore excursions. Princess Alice Bank, in particular, lies around two and a half hours from the marina and can offer visibility of up to 40 metres, making it a spectacular destination for experienced divers seeking encounters with pelagic marine life.

With its prime marina location, professional team and access to some of the Azores' most renowned oceanic dive sites, Haliotis Faial offers an exceptional base for exploring the wild underwater landscapes of the Atlantic. From thrilling blue shark dives to unforgettable manta encounters at Princess Alice Bank, the centre delivers memorable diving experiences for adventurous divers seeking something truly special.

PADI ReActivate Scuba Refresher Program

Update your dive skills and knowledge with a quick scuba refresher from the PADI Open Water Diver Course before jumping back into the water.

Using ReActivate Touch (for tablets or mobile devices) or ReActivate Online (for your personal computer), you’ll immerse yourself in dive scenarios and make decisions that test your understanding of important dive safety concepts, dive planning essentials and problem management. Move through ReActivate at your own pace and delve deeper into topics when you need or want to.
In the water, your PADI Professional will help you regain comfort and confidence in scuba diving. You’ll practice a few safety-related skills and then go over anything you specifically want to review.

PADI Open Water Diver (Inc Equipment)

This is the most popular dive program in the world! And can be your chance to have a lifetime of intense adventures.

The PADI Open Water Diver course consists of three main phases:

Knowledge Development ( online, independent study or in a classroom) to understand basic principles of scuba diving
Confined Water Dives to learn basic scuba skills
Open Water Dives to use your skills and explore!

PADI Advanced Open Water Diver

The Advanced Open Water Diver program gives you the opportunity to take your diving skill to the next level through three new areas of diving.
You complete your Deep Dive, Underwater Navigation Dive, Night Dive and two other dives for a total of five to attain your Advanced Open Water Diver certification.

This certification includes five dives, including the Deep Diver, the Underwater Navigation Diver and three of the following: You’ll plan your learning path with your instructor by choosing from a long list of Adventure Dives. There are two required dives – Deep and Underwater Navigation – and you choose the other three, for a total of five dives. During the Deep Adventure Dive, you learn how to plan dives to deal with the physiological effects and challenges of deeper scuba diving. The Underwater Navigation Adventure Dive refines your compass navigation skills and helps you better navigate using kick-cycles, visual landmarks and time.

The other knowledge and skills you get vary with your interest and the adventures you have – photography, buoyancy control, fish identification, exploring wrecks and many more.

PADI Adventure Diver

After your Open Water course, why not start a PADI Adventure Diver course and complete some 'Adventure Dives'? You can also take part in just 1 or 2 Adventure Dives if you prefer and these will also count towards the Advanced certification.

To become a certified PADI Adventure Diver you will need to have achieved 3 Adventure Dives with a PADI certified Instructor. These can be completed in as little as 1 day.

A choice of 3 dives of your choice out of a long list of possibilities with an Instructor

PADI Discover Scuba Diving

This course is a subset of the PADI Open Water Diver course. If you're short on time but really want to become a diver, the PADI Scuba Diver rating might be right for you.

The PADI Scuba Diver course consists of three main phases:

PADI Bubblemaker

Experience scuba diving under the direct supervision of a PADI Pro. Take your first breaths underwater in water shallower than 2 metres/6ft. For children who are at least 8 years old.

Bubble makers get a chance to:

PADI Seal Team

The PADI Seal Team is for young scuba divers who are looking for action-packed fun in a pool by completing exciting Aqua Missions. Do cool stuff in the pool, and meet friends.

PADI Underwater Navigator

Fine-tune your underwater observation skills and learn to use your compass more accurately. This course may count towards college credit, ask your instructor.

You’ll learn the tools of the trade, including navigation using natural clues and by following compass headings. During three scuba dives, you’ll practice:

PADI Drift Diver

Drift diving can be relaxing and exhilarating. The course teaches you how to enjoy going with the flow as you scuba dive down rivers and use ocean currents to glide along.

Along with drift diving techniques and procedures, you’ll:

PADI Night Diver

The underwater world changes as day creatures retire & nocturnal organisms emerge. If you've wondered what happens underwater after the sun goes down, enrol in the PADI Night Diver Specialty course.

Scuba diving at night teaches you to focus on what you can see in your light’s beam, on controlling your buoyancy by feel, on staying with your buddy and on paying attention to details you may overlook during the day. During three night dives, you’ll practice:

PADI Deep Diver

Explore deeper dive sites with confidence at depths down to 40 metres/130ft. Learn to manage your gas supply, go over buddy contact procedures, and buoyancy control.

Your training starts by reviewing reasons for deep diving and how important it is to know your personal limits. During four deep dives with your instructor, you’ll go over:

PADI Enriched Air (Nitrox) Diver

The most popular PADI specialty course. Scuba diving with enriched air nitrox gives you more no decompression time, especially on repetitive scuba dives.

You’ll learn why diving with air that has higher oxygen and lower nitrogen content gives you more bottom time, along with enriched air equipment considerations. During a practical session, and two optional (or required) scuba dives, you’ll:

PADI AWARE Coral Reef Conservation

This course helps you appreciate the complexity of coral reef habitats and teaches how you can help conserve these vital systems.

Through classroom discussions, you learn:

PADI Rescue Diver

Become a Rescue Diver. A great level to be. You will have the skills to aid your fellow divers in an emergency.

The PADI Rescue Diver course prepares you to deal with dive emergencies, minor and major, using a variety of techniques. Through knowledge development and rescue exercises, you learn what to look for and how to respond. During rescue scenarios, you put into practice your knowledge and skills. Topics include:

PADI Emergency Oxygen Provider

Immediately recognize scuba diving illnesses treatable with emergency oxygen and be prepared to offer aid. There are no prerequisites or age restrictions. This course is open to everyone.

You’ll learn about dive injuries, different types of emergency oxygen equipment and safety considerations when using oxygen. Then you’ll practice:

PADI Self-Reliant Diver

Learn to responsibly engage in dives without a buddy to develop self-reliance and independence while diving.

The course includes proper dive planning using air consumption rate calculations, life support system redundancy, and independent management of dive emergencies. You will practice:

  • Performing an air consumption rate swim to gather information for later calculation.

  • Switching to a redundant air supply system during simulated emergency situations.

  • Swimming without a mask.

  • Navigating to various points, including your exit.

  • Using a DSMB.

  • PADI Public Safety Diver

    Work with local authorities, be part of a rescue team and, quite possibly, assist in underwater criminal investigations.

    You’ll be introduced to the special procedures, equipment, scene handling, communications and documentation requirements for a public safety diving operation. During four open water dives you’ll practice compass navigation, knot tying, arc search techniques, victim recovery, rope-pull communications and rescue techniques for a distressed public safety diver, plus plenty more.

    PADI Tec 40

    The PADI Tec 40 course is where you transition from recreational scuba diving to technical diving. You will qualify to make limited decompression dives to 40 metres/130 feet.

    The Tec 40 course consists of three knowledge development sections, three practical application sessions and four training dives. You'll learn about:

    PADI Tec 45

    The PADI Tec 45 course is the second part of the full PADI Tec Deep Diver program. You'll extend your depth limit to 45 metres/145 feet and learn to plan and execute repetitive decompression dives using a single stage/decompression cylinder.

    Continuing from the Tec 40 course, you will focus on the function and maintenance of tec diving equipment and associated issues. You continue fine-tuning gas planning and calculating accelerated decompression stops. Plus, you learn to think like a technical diver.

    PADI Tec 50

    Part 3 of the full PADI Tec Deep Diver program. Develop competency & have the skills to dive to a max of 50 metres/165 ft. Learn how to extend & accelerate decompression stops using up to 2 gases.

    A primary focus of this course is mission planning and execution. You also learn more about handling emergencies and how to think like a technical diver.

    PADI Divemaster

    Be a leader who mentors and motivates others. Gain dive knowledge, supervision abilities, and become a role model to divers around the world.

    The PADI Dive master course teaches you to be a leader and take charge of dive activities. Through knowledge development sessions, water skills exercises and workshops, and hands-on practical assessment, you develop the skills to organize and direct a variety of scuba diving activities. Topics and practical workshops include:

    PADI IDC Staff Instructor

    This course provides you with in-depth knowledge of the instructor development process and prepares you to shape the next generation of PADI Professionals.

    After a pre assessment of your instructor-level knowledge of dive theory, exemplary dive skills and role-model presentation techniques, you’ll participate in these sessions:

    PADI Master Scuba Diver Trainer

    The ultimate recreational diver rating. All PADI Instructors with at least 25 PADI Divers and have earned five or more PADI Specialty Instructor certifications can be a Master Scuba Diver Trainer.

    You will;