Santa Clara Eco Resort

The resort looked beautiful and was well kept, with a great atmosphere. We liked our spacious, very clean room, the comfortable bed, and the excellent shower with good pressure and a large bathtub. The gym was also very good, with top of the line equipment and plenty of variety. We enjoyed several activities, and staff made a decent effort to help us gringos despite our lack of Portuguese. The price makes a few shortcomings worth mentioning. The afternoon temperature was 22-25 Celsius, but the pools felt too cold for that weather, so we barely used them. Our private pool was warm when we arrived and cooler on the following days. There were no activity instructions in English or Spanish, whether on the map, schedule, website, or TV, and no one at reception spoke either language. We understand we're in Brazil, and as Europeans who speak five languages we got by with Google Translate and guesswork. Still, basic translated maps or a welcome letter seem like a minimum for a resort of this size and five star price. A video in our room showed the activities, including wake boarding, so we were excited about that. When we enquired at reception, we learned it was only offered at another location. Bowling was the same. The food came in generous amounts, but the quality didn't feel like five stars. The chef's fish was dry, and much of the food lacked flavor and seasoning. There were lots of families, making it hard to find a quiet place in the dining areas. Perhaps one could be for adults only. A toddler screamed beside us through several meals. I have a few smaller complaints too, though I know I may sound hard to please. I hope this feedback helps future guests.