Cantos da Mata

Fantastic!

I really recommend this place, as long as you arrive with an open mind and come to enjoy the scenery, relax, and have the kind of experience we had. There’s so much nature here, and all the plants are extremely well cared for. This is a place to switch off from everything. We did find a spider on the room wall, but the room itself was spotless and tidy. We just removed it and got on with relaxing. We’re in the MATA, after all, in the animals’ home, not the city. We’d also read complaints about a musty smell, but we disagree. The stone rooms have a different scent, like wet stone, which we actually liked. Still, if it bothers you, bring a scented candle like we did, or just open the windows. As for the poor service mentioned in reviews, this is a family home rather than a setup like other inns. The things prepared for guests are things the family already uses. They may not be at the front desk all the time, but just call out and they’ll come, or message them on WhatsApp and they reply quickly. And their homemade bread is from another world, so crunchy and delicious.

The pool photo is misleading, it was dirty and disgusting. The rooms themselves are quite nice, in a beautiful setting, and the place has potential, but the service and welcome were terrible. No one seemed available to give guests proper attention. Breakfast also didn’t match the price: just eggs, ham, cheese, hard bread, and sliced bread, with the number of eggs controlled to an absurd degree. For those reasons, I can’t recommend it.

This was a complete letdown. The place could be simple, but it should at least be clean and organized. Our area was dirty and clearly hadn’t been cleaned, the pool was unfit to use, and the shared leisure area was dirty too. Breakfast was a poor improvised affair. I couldn’t eat anything, the bread was stale and there were ants on the table. The cleaning and organization were bad, and it wasn’t worth it. I found it disrespectful. They should be ashamed, I’d never recommend or return. Don’t be fooled by the photos, it looks nothing like them.