Pousada Cavalo Marinho

Such a nice place.

Pretty good.

The rooms are simple, but comfortable and in keeping with the style of an inn. The place is beautiful, pleasant, well looked after, and peaceful, with a good standard of service. I’d recommend it. There’s a lot of potential here, and a few changes could make the experience better, especially breakfast and how the shared space is managed. Breakfast was the main letdown. The cakes were covered in syrup and condensed milk, so sweet that they lost their homemade flavor. Calling pizza a regional breakfast item didn’t convince me either, even though I’m a nutritionist and have studied regional cuisine. I’d have preferred familiar hotel breakfast options like fresh orange juice, cheese bread, and plain homemade cakes. They could also highlight local food with coconut, cassava, tapioca, and cornmeal cakes, or couscous, which suits the region. A regional cooking course for the staff could be a good way to improve breakfast and add something to the inn. I also found it odd that there’s no staff member on site after 7 p.m. Guests arriving then or later have nobody to welcome them. On one day, the inn hosted a cycling event and provided an area for massages and group activities. I didn’t think that was appropriate, since the space should be for guests. Visitors from outside also make the place feel more vulnerable in terms of security. I understand the owners are cyclists, but I think an event like that should be held somewhere else.

Breakfast was very poor, and the mattresses left a lot to be desired. Everything costs extra, even a basic sheet or a pool towel, and they only change the bed linen and towels every 3 days. There’s no flexibility with check-in or check-out. Their strict policy only benefits the business: check-in is at 3:00 p.m. and checkout at 11:00 a.m. That makes the paid days feel like a trap, since you don’t get 24 hours, and they showed no common sense or willingness to help guests. It feels focused on quick money rather than keeping loyal customers. I’ll never return or recommend it. A really poor experience.