Pousada Villa Olinda

The location is great, and the place itself is lovely and cozy. You can explore the whole historic center on foot. But breakfast was a huge letdown, with very few choices. The cake served on Sunday was still being put out on Wednesday, which made me wary of eating something from the day before. Some employees also let their dissatisfaction with their jobs show and could use more training. They couldn't advise us about nearby food or tourist spots either.

I had to find another place to stay after arriving and learning that only one triple room was available, despite having booked two rooms well in advance for December 4-6, 2020. When I refused that arrangement and insisted on what I'd reserved, the manager didn't come speak to me in person. Instead, an employee was told to say I could take my money back if I wasn't happy. I found that deeply disrespectful. The pousada never called or offered to help me get to the other place, even though their organizational mistake caused the whole problem. I went back the next day because my reserved room was supposed to be free, and my friends were staying there, with our plans already set. My bathroom smelled bad and the towel was very old.

The staff were kind and attentive, and breakfast was very good. The pousada is on one of Olinda's main streets, close to sights, restaurants, and small grocery shops. Its shared space has lovely decor and gets plenty of air. Our room was a good size and looked out onto the garden, so we could leave the window open and still have privacy. There were lots of mosquitoes, though. The air conditioning was hard to manage: it got too cold overnight, but switching it off made the room too hot. The Wi-Fi worked in the common area, but not in the room.

The place has a lot of charm at first glance, and the staff are cheerful and polite. The breakfast tasted good, but some items weren't consistently available. The rooms also need more attention to cleaning and upkeep, with makeshift fixes in places where things should be repaired.