Hotel Pousada Brava Club

The rooms are okay, though I think the hotel could use a refresh and some upgrades. What made our stay really nice was the customer service and the staff. I celebrated my boyfriend's birthday there, and the team helped make it a special experience. If you're planning a beach party, check with the hotel because you need to reserve a day in advance.

The best parts were the ocean views and the setting right on Praia Brava. Watching the sunrise from an ocean-facing room was beautiful, and we could walk downstairs to a wedding at Silk Beach club, which was stunning. Make sure to book an ocean view if you stay here. The location was excellent for our wedding, though I’d choose somewhere else next time. Breakfast was included but mediocre. There was mostly bread and deli meat that nobody seemed to touch, and when food ran out with an hour and a half left in service, they stopped replenishing it. We usually ate out instead. Silk Club is attached to the hotel, but doesn’t open until 11am, so you can’t use the ocean-facing beds before then. The hotel gives vouchers for beds, but only five beds at the very top are first come, first served, so you can’t sit just anywhere. There are chairs on the beach, though I assume you have to buy from the food vendors to use them. The club has a DJ and a real party feel, so I wouldn’t count on a family-friendly or especially romantic atmosphere. The pool is tiny, dirty, and didn’t look like its water had been cleaned. Our room had a strong musty smell, apparently coming from the bathroom. We bought Febreze and Glade air fresheners at a local supermarket because it was so bad. We sometimes left the balcony door open, but people below us were often smoking, so we couldn’t get fresh air that way either. The room and bathroom also didn’t seem very clean to me. A huge wasp kept flying around the balcony, so I wouldn’t leave the door open for long or overnight. During the week we were there, the gardener often woke us around 9am with a weed whacker. I think he could wait until breakfast ends at 10am. It’s listed as a four-star hotel, but felt more like three.

We had a great weekend here during an Xterra race, me, my wife and our two kids, 17 and 5. The rooms were clean, the view was great, and the staff were friendly. We stayed Friday and Saturday nights at the end of November and didn’t have any trouble with nightclub noise, despite what others have said. The pools were clean and pleasant, and the beach service was good. Through the hotel you can get a beach mattress near the water without a minimum spend. There was a DJ playing all day, and it got a little loud later in the afternoon, but not unbearably so. The beach scene leans more toward parties than a quiet getaway, so keep that in mind. The fish dishes were great and the kids liked their meals. The rooms were a bit pricey, though that’s what you’d expect for the area at that time of year. Bring sunscreen and enjoy it.

The stay ruined our whole trip. Don't be fooled by the internet photos. We'd booked a superior suite at Brava Club for a romantic Carnival 2017 trip to Buzios after comparing hotels and seeing its 4.5-star rating. An executive suite wasn't available at first, but a few days later one opened up, so I upgraded. The price more than doubled, to over 9,000 Rs + for nights. When we arrived and saw the room, we were shocked. It wasn't a suite at all, more like a $100-$150 room with almost no amenities. The in-room Jacuzzi didn't work, there was no coffee pot or anything else you'd expect at executive-suite level, and the safe was tiny and barely attached to the closet. The hotel was old and dirty. There were empty beer bottles and broken glass everywhere, the minibar was poorly stocked, and the breakfast buffet was like something from a one- or two-star hotel. We planned to leave the next morning, but there were no other rooms available, so we were stuck. Other than the small beach, you have to drive everywhere. Walking takes over an hour, all uphill. I told the front desk we'd been misled and were disappointed with the room, but they wouldn't do anything since they'd already been paid. I'm disputing the upgrade charges with my credit card company and warning others so they don't end up as disappointed and ripped off as we felt. The room had no amenities besides the broken Jacuzzi.