Hotel Aconchego Porto de Galinhas

I booked this hotel after comparing photos and reviews on different sites before a trip to this famous Brazilian beach town. When I arrived, though, the reality didn't match what I'd seen, and my heart sank. The gardens are genuinely lovely, full of plants, flowers and trees. The facilities were a different story. There are two pools, both tiny. One sits between reception and the restaurant, so swimming there feels like being on display in a shop window. The other is in front of two rooms and feels as if you're intruding on someone's private pool. My room looked decades out of date. The deadbolt didn't work, meaning anyone with a key card could get in, which I found outrageous. There was just one outlet in the bathroom, a broken couch bed with a rusted frame, mold in the shower grout and an awful stain on the sink. I didn't even check the mattress on the pull-out bed. There were only two pillows, so I asked reception for two more for my wife and me. They said they'd given away their last spare, then brought us two throw pillows with pillowcases. Better than nothing, but only just. Our room was on the second floor, reached by a rickety spiral staircase. It was very dark outside at night, so I left the porch light on. Staff turned it off in the evening. When I said I wanted it on, they said it might bother other guests, though I could leave it on. The deal-breaker was the smoking policy. My wife and I smoke, and I understood we couldn't smoke in the room, restaurant or bar. I thought we could use the balcony or a spot in the garden away from others. I asked the receptionist, Rafael, where we could smoke, and he said, “you can smoke in the street”. Really? I told them they should advertise the hotel as completely smoke-free. Some people would like that, but I wouldn't have booked here if I'd known. The answer felt so rude that we left after one night instead of staying the two we'd booked. The manager spoke with us and was very professional, but by then the stay couldn't be saved. The room was fairly cheap for the area, about $40 US per night, but the hotel is around 4 miles from downtown. You'd need a taxi or Uber, costing R$13 each way, so the fare quickly eats up whatever you saved. After checking out and finding somewhere else, we realized I'd left my iPhone charger there and went back. Rafael was at reception again. My wife asked about the cable, but he ignored her and started using the computer. When she got his attention and explained we'd left it in the room, he said it wasn't there. She asked if someone could check upstairs, and he said, “no.” Nice. I regretted giving him such a good tip when we arrived. For all these reasons, I don't recommend staying here.