Aldeia da Mata Eco Lodge

Max is the best, such a genuinely caring person. He helped us out several times during our stay. The hotel itself was a 9, but Max made it an easy 11! I hope he and his family do well, and that we’ll see him again next time.

The one clear advantage is the beautiful location, with the beach right outside. For what we paid, though, the hotel fell far short on comfort and service. If it had cost a third as much, I’d have rated it 6/10. The room had a leaking roof directly above our bed. They first just moved the bed instead of fixing the leak or offering another room. After two days they did offer another room, but it was clearly a downgrade in quality and exclusivity. There was no partial refund or even a free drink for the smaller room and inconvenience. The toilet in the bedroom also stopped working, and we had to ask three times over our four-night stay to get it fixed. Cleanliness and upkeep were poor. Our sheets had stains and a hard white crust, and the pillows they gave us had brown stains. The shower quickly ran out of warm water, and sometimes there was none at all. The pool table was broken, the table football was filthy and unusable, and the wood holding up two lovely beach-view hammocks by the restaurant was so rotten we couldn’t use them. The pool was full of noisy kids every day. There was no massage service, either. There were no drinks or dinner after 4pm. They gave us a takeaway list, but we had to collect the food ourselves. They also charged 15R$ just to borrow a cooler for beers. For surfboards, they recommended a rental service charging 150R$ for a day with an old beginner board. I later found advanced boards elsewhere for 30R$ a day. That felt typical of the hotel charging guests a lot without adding any value. After the first night we tried to shorten our stay because the place didn’t look like the one advertised on Booking.com. The photos seemed at least three or four years old, and the hotel badly needed maintenance and staff training. Reception told us to call reservations, reservations sent us to Booking.com, and Booking.com called reservations back while we sat on hold for 45 minutes. In the end, there was no flexibility to change our dates and no cancellation refund at all.

Great!

I was really taken with the staff. They were so polite and helpful, and I felt welcomed and looked after throughout my stay, which seems harder and harder to find in Brazil. The restaurant’s local chef serves Bahian food that was much better than most places in Serra Grande and Itacaré. Aldeia da Mata feels like one of those rare places with a soul of its own. The beachy architecture is iconic, and the handmade details around the hotel show real care. It’s a lovely retreat if you want to rest and recharge while still having some comforts. Our beachside cabin was spotless, with quiet air conditioning, and sat among a beautiful grove of coconut palms. It was absolutely peaceful apart from all the birds. I spotted dozens during the stay. I also loved getting up early for sunrise on the empty beach. Pé de Serra is definitely the best and quietest in the area. Breakfast rounded things out nicely, with tapiocas made to order, cakes, quiches, and very fresh local fruit. Sleep is a priority for me, so the clean, quiet cabin made me especially happy. It’s a great spot for enjoying Bahia’s nature with the comfort of an excellent hotel. I recommend it.