Pousada Arcobaleno

Fantastic.

I stayed in one of the small, cozy individual houses, which felt like having a comfortable, practical place of my own. Breakfast is served in the main house if you want it. Pousada Arcobaleno is surrounded by the mountains of Praia do Retiro, and a lovely, peaceful beach is just across the street. Getting groceries was easy for me: I took public transport, which stops right outside, went shopping, and got off at the inn when I came back. By car, the trip to the supermarket takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and there are several kinds of products there. I had a great time, and I think you will too. Give Pousada Arcobaleno a visit and see what the experience is like.

My only happy moment was when I left. The mold was terrible, both in the chalet and in the main building, and the published photos did not represent the awful reality of the place at all. The yellow chalet floor, including the loft, was so slanted it made me dizzy. The bathroom was horrible, with a toilet seat that looked about 200 years old and an equally old little bin. They dried sheets and other laundry on lines right in front of the chalet doors, perhaps to give the place a rustic look, though honestly there was no need. Parking was cramped and poor, and the beach was across the street. I couldn't stay in that environment with my family for even an hour. I lost R$ 300,00 of the R$ 492,00 deposit I had paid in advance, which the attendant said was for a “no show.” I was so disappointed with everything that paying that much to avoid staying another minute felt cheap. They seemed used to this kind of situation. I'd advise checking the property, facilities, and route in advance before paying a deposit. Use the longer access road that passes in front of Colegio Naval, because the other one is, let's say, more unsettling.

We paid for eight nights but could only stand seven at the inn. I don't recommend it to anyone. The chalets smelled of mold, the old mattresses had foam showing through, the sheets made us itch, and the hammocks in the chalet patios were filthy. Breakfast didn't start until 9:00 in the morning, which got in the way if you wanted to head out early. The floors and stairs had been waxed and were very slippery. My girlfriend fell down three steps. We told the owners, who rubbed something on the wood to reduce the wax, but didn't offer any help. She was in a lot of pain, so we tried to get medical care in Angra, without success. The restaurant by the beach is run by a third party, and the inn doesn't get involved in anything that happens there. The man running it served customers without a shirt; the kitchen and utensils brought to the table were filthy, and the food was bad. We also paid R$ 600 for the New Year's Eve party, expecting dinner and drinks included. They served roast chicken and a few slices of pork, didn't mark the new year, and then the man tried to charge us extra for the drinks. Absurd. It felt like they thought we were idiots. On our seventh day, the inn's neighbor set a fire at the foot of the hill behind the property, I think to burn trash. Smoke poured into our chalets and made it hard to breathe, so we decided to leave. We didn't argue about the night we were giving up because we were already at a loss and didn't want more trouble with the place.