Loft da Vila-Ilhabela

There’s a central kiosk set up for barbecues or gatherings with a larger group, and the chalets are all lovely, each with its own character. Inside, they have the basics you need for a peaceful stay. The owners are attentive, and the staff respond promptly whenever needed. Even with lots of native vegetation around, the place is clean and we didn’t find insects. We had two Border Collie dogs, and they got along with the other dogs. They even provide bags sometimes, though keeping the place clean is each owner’s responsibility. It’s a truly beautiful, peaceful, comfortable place with perfect facilities. I really recommend it.

My fiancée and I loved everything, from the waterfalls and pool to the clean, cozy house. The location is perfect, with a privileged view of the island. We’ll definitely come back and stay longer.

This is our second time staying here, and we still love it. The place feels so cozy, and the whole team is friendly and makes us feel at home. It makes you want to keep coming back!

The place itself is really beautiful, but the manager wasn’t prepared to deal with guests. We booked six nights for my birthday week. The owner knew there would be several of us and said they’d keep our reservations, even though they don’t usually host big groups. We still had two really unpleasant incidents. We arrived on a cold, rainy day: six adults, one child, and our pets, since the property describes itself as very pet-friendly. Two more couples were due to arrive later. We knew we might not be able to use the kiosk every day. There wasn’t a clear rule beyond it being a shared area, so if someone else came to use it at the same time, that would be fine. Even so, I’d already arranged with my friends to use it twice during our stay. Since the rain meant we couldn’t go out on the first day, we unpacked and went to the shared area, where we used one of the little grills they provide. There were two in the garden. Around 7:30 pm, some people walked by. A man said good evening in a sharp tone, didn’t introduce himself, and told us not to touch his electric “little bike.” It had the keys in it and was in the guests’ shared area. That was our first impression. The next day we got back from the beach around 6 pm. The kiosk was empty, and we had meat thawed, so we decided to make dinner there. We were nearly finished when the owner, the same man with the bike, suddenly appeared. It was dark, and the smaller dogs barked; my Golden barked too. He demanded, very rudely and with a completely disproportionate tone, that I tie my dog up. She has no history of aggression and had only barked because she was startled. Earlier, his mother, who also lives on the property, had arrived with her dogs. One of them chased mine, and she laughed about it, which had seemed fine at the time. He then said my dog had almost bitten his mother. We were understandably unhappy and had an argument. He simply suggested the place might not be for us. My birthday was the next day. I had to pack, contact people who actually know how to work in hospitality, and find somewhere else to stay overnight. That was my experience at Casas D’Água Doce. It would have been much worse if I didn’t know Ilhabela and have someone I could turn to.