Pousada Sítio da Ponte

Awesome.

The scenery is one thing this place gets right. The river and trees are beautiful and make for great photos, and the location is close to the tourist village with plenty to do. The people here are attentive, and the rooms are cozy, with a rustic feel. Still, some rooms have a strong musty or burnt smell, probably from the fireplace, though we didn’t even light it during our stay. My TV worked, but it only had YouTube and Netflix. That may be enough for some people, like my mother, but anyone looking for content from other services will be out of luck. The property has a pool, Wi-Fi, and a mini fridge in every room. There’s also a games room, but it’s run-down and neglected, so I can’t recommend it. For the price, I do think it’s worth staying a few days, and I recommend it.

The family rooms are spacious and have Sky cable TV and an excellent shower. The plumbing and electrical systems were recently renovated, and the rooms have a rustic farmhouse style. The current owner, Sr. Marcos, has lived there for just over a month and is managing the place. He has plans for painting, replacing the linens, bringing the natural pool back into use, installing clean renewable energy, and making other improvements. There’s a lot on the property: a river, large adult and children’s pools, a natural pool, sauna, games room, good internet, a fully equipped barbecue area with kitchen and bathrooms, and a good breakfast. The grounds cover 20,000 square meters of flat land, with entrances and exits via both Maringá RJ and Maringá MG. The town is 800 meters away, as is the Vale do Pavão area, where you can try the region’s best trout, go to Arco e Flexa(Excalibur), visit a cheaper market, and see waterfalls. For other attractions a bit farther away, the Pousado Sítio do Rio sits about halfway between them, around 3 km from the Maromba slide and Alcantilado, as well as the two-wheel museum. At the moment, it offers the best value for money in the area. I expect the owner will adjust the overnight rates once the renovations are finished. I recommend it and will return with my family and friends!

We arrived with friends and family for New Year’s Eve, and the place was dirty. They hadn’t done even the basic cleaning. We’d been told there would be a fully equipped kitchen, but that wasn’t true. The rooms were in poor shape, with wooden floors needing repairs. One guest’s foot went through the floor in a room, and the roof leaked onto the bed. The bedding was stained and dirty. The owner didn’t follow through on what he promised. He was absent for much of our stay and, though he was at the pousada, didn’t show up for our group’s checkout. The games room seemed abandoned and was filthy. The kids ended up cleaning it when they realized no one was going to, while their parents dealt with other lodging issues. The owner kept replying, “you’re paying cheap,” with a laugh. We paid a lot, and the innkeeper sets the price. Even if it had been cheap, basic hygiene was still required. This was the most disappointing New Year’s Eve we’ve had. We’d waited all year for it, and they showed us no basic respect. I’ll never return and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.