Mata Virgem Hostel e Pousada

Stayed a week with my family and had an amazing time. Great place to stay 💯💯💯

I stayed at Pousada Mata Virgem on Ilha Grande/RJ from 31/12 to 04/01, and it was a deeply frustrating experience. The photos on Google and the booking apps do NOT match reality. The stay was completely different from what they show. I honestly don't understand the five-star reviews, since I can't see anything here that justifies that rating. Negative comments also seem more hidden, while recent ones only show up at the end. The place is far from the beach and everything else, with no view. The supposed view is of the brush, and there’s an unpleasant smell. The building is in very poor shape and leaks badly. When it rains, it seems to rain more inside than outside, and a top-floor room was constantly flooded. One guest slipped on the wet stairs, fell, and tore ligaments in both feet; the inn didn't give her any assistance. Cleanliness and hygiene were practically nonexistent. Our room got one superficial cleaning on a single day, with no change of sheets. The sheets were dirty and even burned. Two of the four pillows were completely moldy and smelled so strongly that I felt sick. The closed room filled with that musty smell. Water was only minimally acceptable on 31/12. After that, we went almost two days unable to shower. For a beach stay, that's unacceptable. The inn has no setup for water shortages, unlike power cuts, when they had a generator for basic needs. Breakfast was extremely poor: few choices, cold coffee, packaged cake, and fruit often past its best or spoiled. There weren't enough utensils for around 37 guests, and the ones they had were badly washed and put back after a quick “wash.” The pool was small and constantly dirty, totally out of proportion to the number of guests. Everything felt cramped and undersized. There was generally just one staff member trying to take care of everything. They tried to help, but complained constantly, making any conversation tiring and ineffective. The other person at reception was curt and arrogant. No hygiene, decent facilities, organization, safety, or respect for guests. There are no positive points for me. I don't recommend it.

The Wi-Fi never reaches the rooms, and the breakfast was inedible. Staff seemed barely willing to help with guests’ needs. The inn is poorly located and looks neglected and dirty, with old, badly maintained facilities. My room had no hand towels, soap, or shampoo. It also doesn't match what the website advertises: there’s no solarium, and the pool is small and dirty. It was uncomfortable and unhygienic. I wouldn't go back or recommend it.

The guesthouse is high up and quite hidden, which seems inconvenient for families or older people. I wouldn't recommend it or stay again. It had several serious service problems, even though the place itself was fine. The Wi-Fi didn't reach the rooms. We lost electricity for several days, which is normal on the island in peak season, but the guesthouse also had no water for a whole day. Coming back from the beach covered in salt and being unable to shower was really unpleasant. When I asked about a solution, they suggested using the pool, which didn't fix the problem. The air conditioning also seemed clogged: whenever I switched it on, water dripped straight onto the bed, so I used the fan for the whole stay. They provide towels and linens, but on the first day I couldn't get my towel because it was damp, so I had to wait until the next day. The sheets were damp and smelled musty too. I know it rains a lot on the island, but a guesthouse should have a way to provide clean, dry linens. The service didn't feel friendly. It seemed like tourists were a nuisance, and they gave little clear information. They only told us breakfast hours, leaving us to figure things out. No one explained where things were or what each breakfast item was, since everything was covered and there were no signs. Breakfast was very basic for the price of 30 reais per day, so eating out would be better. There were only two kinds of ripe fruit. The rest was cold cuts (ham, ham), feta and cream cheese, sliced white bread and French bread, liquid yogurt, cereal, diluted natural juices, coffee, milk, and Nesquik. To make it worthwhile, I ended up having two coffees and two mixed toasties every day.