Pousada Encantos do Mar

Terrible guest service. My Booking reservation said check-in was from 2 pm to 11 pm. After the owner contacted me to confirm, she said my room would be ready from 2 pm and asked when I’d arrive. I told her I’d be there in the late afternoon after the beach. She then asked me to message her 30 minutes before heading to the pousada because she only does check-in by appointment. I found that strange, since I’d never had to give notice before checking in somewhere. I messaged her on WhatsApp 30 minutes before leaving. Traffic after the beach meant I arrived 50 minutes later, just 20 minutes behind schedule. The pousada was closed, and there was nobody at reception. The owner said on WhatsApp that she’d waited an hour, which wasn’t true, and explained she’d left because she had an appointment and was starting a class, so she couldn’t speak with me anymore. I think it’s absurd for a pousada booked through Booking, with check-in listed until 11 pm, to have no one available to receive a guest. She treated it like an Airbnb booking. I travel about five times a year, and this has never happened to me, even at simpler, more remote places. There has always been someone to welcome me, show me the room, and give me the basic information. That’s the minimum I expect from a pousada, to have a reception. I was left outside with my bags after the beach and had to find another place at the last minute. Arraial D’Ajuda was full, there weren’t many options, and the new lodging cost much more. I told the owner she should change how she handles this. She replied, “THAT’S HOW WE WORK, EVERYONE WORKS HOWEVER THEY WANT.” Based on my experience, I definitely don’t recommend it, and I’d urge anyone reading this to think carefully.

The owner was helpful when we had questions, and I have no complaints about her. The hot gas shower was really nice on a day that wasn’t very warm. Breakfast was simple, but I can’t complain about it either. The location is the best part, very close to both the center and the beach. The room was old and could have been comfortable, but it wasn’t. The bed creaked whenever we moved, and the mattress was extremely thin, worn out, and sagging. There was no full-length mirror in my room, just one in the bathroom for your face. The mattress and noisy bed urgently need improvement.

There’s a calm, affectionate feel here, and you feel at home from the start. It has the simple charm of a little house in Bahia and a real sense of local identity. The whole place feels welcoming and connected to its setting, giving you a genuinely Bahian experience.

Stay away, this pousada is in terrible shape. The photos do NOT match reality, and it was the worst stay I’ve ever had. The beds were awful, with mattresses thinner than a comforter, and the old frames were in bad condition. Tiny flies were all over the uncovered food at breakfast. The pool area was dirty and neglected, and the owner wasn’t there to give us any support, so it felt more like an Airbnb. There were exposed wires in the old, moldy-smelling room. It was a horror show. We had to rent somewhere else because this place just wasn’t fit to stay in.