Majestic Ponta Negra Beach

The breakfast was good, but the hotel is overhyped. The room smelled odd because the air conditioner was dirty, and even the hallway smelled moldy. The WiFi was terrible.

The staff were wonderful, the service was perfect, and the hotel restaurant served great French food. But for a five-star hotel, a lot of little things shouldn’t be happening. We paid extra per night for a sea-side room, yet rooms on the left side had the same view, maybe even a better one, without the extra charge. Some of the fixtures also seem old: the windows didn’t work properly, and the sink was difficult to drain. On the 7th and 8th floors, the WiFi was so poor you could forget about getting a good connection. There were only two elevators, so you could wait at least 15 minutes for one. And food for room service was stored in the stairs, with no separate service stairway or elevator.

The people working here were amazing, and the rooms felt welcoming, clean, and nicely decorated. Breakfast was great, especially the fluffy tapioca, and the room service I ordered a few times was quick, reasonably priced, and delicious. I enjoyed a lot about this hotel, but several things really bothered me. The pool is lovely but very small, and they charge R 5.00 for pool towels, which feels petty for a high-end hotel. The WiFi kept dropping. When I complained, they blamed my phone, even though my roommate’s phone had the same problem and both worked everywhere else. It improved after two days, but still dropped sometimes. The bathroom drains were painfully slow. There’s a sign saying this is intentional to save water and that you should only turn the tap halfway. With a rain shower head, I couldn’t enjoy it because the water drained so slowly I had to turn it off between shampoo and conditioner to stop it overflowing. I also would have preferred to be closer to the beach. We heard about two women who were robbed on the quiet street from the hotel to the beach at 2 p.m., in broad daylight. I wish the hotel had a golf cart shuttle so guests didn’t have to risk walking those quiet streets. I enjoyed the stay, but with all this, I’m not sure I’d return.

One of the best places to stay in Natal. The service was spot on, and communication was easy in both English and Portuguese. Room service was great, and everything felt clean and professionally run. The restaurant was delicious too, definitely worth trying. I’d recommend it for a holiday or a business trip.