Atairu Pousada

Breakfast was good and the room was very basic. The location is great, but the live music next door gets very noisy and goes on until 1 or 2 a.m. The internet signal was very weak, and it was too expensive.

Our room felt very dark because it was on the ground floor at the end of a dim corridor, with a brick wall directly outside the window. The room itself was very basic and didn’t feel worth the price. The pousada is conveniently near the river, main restaurants, and shops, and the staff were really nice and ready to help.

The staff were friendly, and it’s close to the tourist dining area. Beyond that, I found the place horrible and very overpriced compared with the much better value just a five-minute walk away. Our tiny room was meant for three people, but struggled to fit the two of us and our board trolleys. The rooms are squeezed into a narrow, dark side alley next to a Subway shop, with no natural light and a stuffy feel. The bathroom was only about 2-3 square meters. The electric shower had almost no water pressure, and a suffocating chemical smell from drain treatments spread into the bedroom. The windows don’t open, so we had to put up with that smell at night. Sleep was impossible before early Lençois Maranhenses tours. At least three nearby venues played loud live music at the same time, from 6 p.m. until 1 a.m. every night. The first-floor lounge with river views is just a tiny balcony. Breakfast is served only from 7-9 a.m. After 24 hours of travel, we felt overwhelmed by being pressed at check-in to order exactly what we planned to eat and when. The breakfast itself was a very basic buffet. Don’t be fooled by the good reviews.

The room was clean and roomy, and the bed was really comfortable. I stayed four nights and loved it. Staff were excellent with all my tourism questions, and there was always someone available who spoke English, which I appreciated. Breakfast came with tasty local fruit and fresh juices, and the kitchen staff made whatever omelette I wanted, plus tapioca each day. The breakfast area has a great river and waterfront view. There was nearby live music on Wednesday, but it ended at 11 p.m., so that was fine.