Alecrim Pousada

Nice.

The location worked for some things: there’s a market across the street and restaurants nearby, though the beach is far away. The place has a grill, plus a smart TV and air conditioning in the rooms. There’s also an empty minibar, without even a glass inside. Maybe that’s different in summer. The kitchen can be used to make simple meals, but the cookware was in such a dirty, worn state that I can hardly describe it. There were just two pans, a tiny frying pan, and a baking dish. They charged R$20 to use the kitchen for gas, but didn’t tell us ahead of time. We asked for breakfast at 8 because we wanted to go buy fish from the fishermen by the beach early. It came an hour late, after 9. The person serving it admitted, without embarrassment, that the alarms had gone off, but they turned them off and went back to sleep. Bring your own bath towels. The electric shower was fixed right against the wall, and the shower stall was cramped. The bathroom itself was tight too, so using it meant having my legs pressed against the shower stall. There are no bathrooms outside the bedrooms, so from the kitchen you have to go back to the rooms. When we asked to use the bathroom near the breakfast area, they said it had just been cleaned and told us to use the room’s bathroom. The bedroom outlets were poorly placed. There wasn’t one near the single bed, and the one beside the double bed was broken in our room. One night I went out around town and got back at 9:30 pm to find the gate locked. I called over and over and sent a message, but got no answer. I had to climb over and ripped my pants. They replied two hours later with an apology. If I’d waited, I would have been stuck in the inn’s parking lot for those two hours. The owner’s lack of professionalism showed in the late breakfast, refusing the bathroom because it had just been cleaned, and locking the gate while we were out. There’s a lot to improve for this place to be even okay. It works for sleeping and going to the beach. Maybe our stay was an exception, given the other reviews, but it was a bad experience and I thought it was worth sharing.

There’s a big garden with hammocks for relaxing and a spot for a bonfire. The room is simple but cozy, welcoming, and tidy, with a large TV and minibar. The owner is very sweet, and there’s a shared kitchen and a grill. It stays quiet even though it’s on a busy street with lots of different shops. You can bike to Praia do Ouvidor in about 25 minutes, a nice ride, and free-fare buses go to several neighborhoods.

Tatiana was lovely and very helpful. The inn was really clean and well organized, and the atmosphere was pleasant. Breakfast was simple, but everything was fresh. There’s parking and a market right across the street. Ten out of ten.