Pousada Nova Agarça

Awesome!

Service was poor, though the location is great. We had to ask about everything. Nobody told us the breakfast or restaurant hours, or even that there was a restaurant at the inn. The shower water was a little cold, and when I complained, they checked and found that something only the staff can operate hadn’t been turned on. The shower isn’t electric, and I don’t know where they adjust it. The place is very old. There was a sign outside saying the restaurant was open from 11 to 10, so we went at 8:30 in the evening, but they were closing and wouldn’t serve us. They said the hours ended at 8:30, not 10. We were told room cleaning would happen when we left the key in a wooden box at reception, but I left it there for two days and nobody cleaned the room. The electric garage gate only opened if we shouted for someone. Staff didn’t seem to pay attention to anything, so that’s what we had to do whenever we arrived or left by car. Breakfast had no protein. It wasn’t the worst, but it needs improvement. A tour group arrived during the weekend, and the guests were inconsiderate, shouting “Samara” and “Daniela” outside the room over and over. When you travel, you want some peace, not to be woken at 7 by someone yelling for the person next door to let them in. The staff were responsive when I needed them.

The only good thing about this inn is the location. Even with a decent price, I wouldn’t recommend it. It might once have been a good place, but I think that was a long time ago. It’s for people who don’t care about basic comforts or cleanliness. Our first room was on the ground floor near the breakfast room. Its small, high window opened onto the street and was stuck open, so we spent the night with it open. Mosquitoes and street noise came in, and after 8 in the morning it was impossible to sleep because of the breakfast room above us. I asked to change rooms when we got up, and they moved us right away. The second room was a little better, with no street noise or mosquitoes, so we stayed. The bed and air conditioning were okay, and the towels were clean. The sheets were okay too, although we had to ask for them. The internet was unreliable. The bathroom was filthy, with grime that looked long-standing and a strong smell from the toilet. The shower stall was badly stained, and there was construction dirt behind the sink that a quick sweep could have removed. It didn’t seem like the room was really cleaned between guests, beyond changing the sheets and sweeping the floor. On our last day, a tour group arrived. They shouted in the corridors and on the upper floor, and the noise echoed through the ventilation shaft by our ground-floor room, making it impossible to sleep. Smoking wasn’t allowed at the inn, but that night our room filled with a strong smell of cigarette smoke. Breakfast was very poor, the sandwich makers were always dirty, and there was rarely anyone around to wipe the tables or replenish the food.

Great!