Pousada Laguna

The staff were great and polite, and I appreciated the good Wi-Fi, air conditioning, outlet by the bed, room balcony, mini-fridge, shared kitchen, and lovely patio full of plants. Breakfast was simple but good quality, and the sweet little dogs were a plus. There's no one at reception after 10 p.m. I couldn't use the pool because the water was green and dirty. They only added chlorine on my last day. I stayed five days and the room wasn't cleaned. The mattresses in both room 1 and room 8 were old and awful, and I was bitten many times by bugs. I kept Raid plugged in, so I don't think they were mosquitoes, maybe fleas. I moved the mattress and slept on the bed base, but I was still bitten, and it seemed infested too. I tried insecticide on it, which helped a little but didn't solve it. I'd already switched rooms on the second night because the bathroom outlets didn't work, and both rooms had the same mattress problem. The employee who moved me was very polite, like everyone else. I chose not to complain because I thought there might be no other mattress options, and I'd already changed rooms once.

The location is great, and this was probably once a lovely pousada, but now it badly needs renovations. The whole place smells of cigarette smoke; our room was dirty, the shower was cold, and the main door stayed open all night with no employee at reception. Communication was poor, with very slow replies. They quoted a higher price over WhatsApp than Agoda and Booking, then said they didn't even know Agoda, the site we had booked through. Breakfast was okay, but not worth 15 reais. Maybe sharing a room among four friends makes sense for the price, but I wouldn't recommend it for a couple or a solo traveler. We won't return. I strongly recommend that Sr Vitor invest in renovations and staff training.

It's in a good spot near the center, and Lucas was very polite and friendly. The pousada is quite basic, though. There was dust, so I had to sweep the room when I arrived. The complimentary breakfast came with stale bread and cake. The place seemed a bit dirty, so I couldn't bring myself to use the pool, even though it looked clean.

I stayed seven days and got very good service from the host, who was friendly and took care of our requests. The room was cleaned a few times, the blankets and sheets were clean, and the heater worked perfectly during our winter stay. Drying the bedding was difficult, but they did the best they could. Breakfast was generous, within what you'd expect from a family-run pousada. That's the kind of place this is, so I don't expect the staffing or 24-hour service of a three- or four-star hotel. Plenty of hotels fall short on basics too, like service, a mini-fridge, or working air conditioning. The property is surrounded by woods and greenery, so little insects or mosquitoes can show up, especially in warm weather. A medium-strength repellent should take care of them. It's on a small hill near Mar Grosso and some restaurants, though far from the city center. There isn't a car rental place, but taxis are a safe, practical option. Compared with nearby hotels, I think this is the best value and best choice. The downsides are that you can only get around by stairs, the bathrooms could be improved, and the TVs in the rooms could be bigger. I don't think the one-star reviews are accurate. It's better to contact the property with questions ahead of time, and being friendly with staff always helps, whether you're at a small place or a five-star hotel.