Pousada Aratu

The breakfast view was wonderful, and the meal itself was generous. The location is handy, near Vila dos Remédios, a pharmacy, and a bakery. Graça welcomed us warmly, shared tips, and made scrambled eggs for us each morning. The pousada is simple but great value, and everything was clean. The bed and little fridge were fine, the shower was good, and the air conditioning worked well. I recommend it.

We wanted a simple pousada, but simple shouldn’t mean poor. After arriving tired, we needed at least some quiet to rest, and there really wasn’t a setup for that here. There are only five rooms, all right beside either the kitchen or dining area, and the noise was unbearable. We heard it on Sunday too, after 7:30 in the evening. On Friday afternoon I asked to switch rooms and was refused. The next day Graça asked if we’d slept well. I said yes, but mentioned the afternoon noise, and she replied that if there were no noise, there wouldn’t be breakfast. It seemed the pousada couldn’t provide breakfast without disturbing guests. Calling it a hostel would have set a more honest expectation, since noise and rooms near shared areas are common there. Graça’s welcome was unfortunately awful: she was rude, ill-mannered, and seemed completely unprepared to deal with guests. There were other serious room problems too: the bathroom smelled like a sewer, the flush needed three presses to work, the shower switched between hot water and drops of ice-cold water, and the bed was hard with bad pillows. After I said I’d report the place to PROCON, they contacted us and offered to move us, but the people making the noise would still be there. Every room is close to either the kitchen or the dining room.

We spent nine days at the pousada and were warmly welcomed by Graça, who looked after us well. The place was impeccably clean, and the bed and bath linens were changed every three days. Breakfast was good and generous, with eggs and tapioca made fresh by Graça, who also gave us some tips for outings around the island. We’re grateful for all her care and attention. Aratu offers good value, and I hope to return and stay there again. If you’re expecting something much more upscale, my advice is to book one of the island’s four- or five-star places.

The room had several serious problems: a sewer smell in the bathroom, a flush that took three presses to work, a shower that alternated between hot water and drops of ice-cold water, a hard bed, and poor pillows. We also found the pousada frustrating and unpleasant, and wouldn’t recommend it. Noise from the kitchen or dining room carries to every room, so it doesn’t have the setup to offer breakfast without disturbing guests. Graça gave us a very poor welcome. Noronha is a safe place, but the pousada is left open for anyone to enter, with no gate, no 24-hour reception, and, really, no reception at all.