Pousada Aruana Praia

It was okay.

The neighborhood was peaceful, and the inn was nicely presented. It’s a little far from downtown, but calm, safe and easy to reach. I came by car, so the distance didn’t matter to me, and there are plenty of free places to park on the streets. I asked for a room with a balcony, and they sorted that out right away. We arrived to a very warm welcome. The staff explained from the start that breakfast wasn’t offered and suggested some places to eat. The room was clean and airy. As others have mentioned, the double bed is actually two single beds pushed together, but I didn’t notice a difference from one continuous mattress, and we’re a very much in love couple, haha. The air conditioning and hot water worked perfectly, and bringing our pet caused no problems. Housekeeping only comes if you ask in advance, which worked great for me because we didn’t want anyone entering while our pet was alone in the room. One issue was that the showerhead in my room sagged, so the water ran toward the wall and made showering awkward. I fixed it with a bottle cap, but that might bother someone who doesn’t know how to improvise. I mentioned it when checking out, and the receptionist apologized and said they’d take the room out of service to fix it. I also missed having a cold-water spray beside the toilet.

I made a reservation with Sérgio Araújo, who was good on the phone. When I arrived, Wesley was on duty. He didn’t even say good evening. He had his phone in his hand and stayed focused on it, giving the phone content more attention than the guests. I asked to see the room. He handed me a key without much to say, then kept looking at his phone. When I came back after viewing it, he was still on the phone. He barely spoke three words to us. The reception service was cold and unpleasant. My wife and I were going to pay 360 for two days, but we left quietly, got in the car and went elsewhere. We ended up paying more, 560 reais, but didn’t want to stay after that reception. I think he may still be on his phone at reception and having coffee at his white country house. It’s a shame to treat tourists and guests this way. I messaged during his shift to say I was arriving, and he only saw it hours later, after I mentioned the time. The inn itself is fine for sleeping, but the service was the worst in Aracaju. I’ll never even go near the place again.

The quiet and cozy atmosphere at Aruana Praia makes it a good choice for a peaceful break away from the bustle. It’s especially convenient if you have a car, which makes getting to nearby beaches and shops much easier. I did miss having breakfast included, since that would have made the stay better. Even so, the comfort and quiet made it worthwhile.