Pousada da Marquesa

The historic location is very central, and the place has lots of beautiful, interesting art. Staff were accommodating, and breakfast was quite nice. But for what the room costs, what you get back is shocking. Everything is close by, so why pay so much when you could stay just outside town for far less? There are basically no amenities. The furniture is old and unbelievably loud and creaky. The bar fridge had only water, no beer or soda, and there were no snacks. The toilet seat was stained yellow and was the worst I've seen in such an expensive room. I had to complain to get a replacement, and they argued that it was “Padrão,” meaning normal or regular. It isn't. It was the first time I'd had to sit on a dirty, old airbag toilet seat. They eventually brought another one. The bathroom was very dirty, the toilet paper was cheap two-ply, and some light switches were broken and could be dangerous. The window mosquito screen was broken too. These are simple, inexpensive things to fix. I heard the staff say the owners like buying lots of art to fill the pousada. Maybe they could skip that for a year and spend the money on improvements. Or maybe that's just not how things work in Brazil. Historic and rustic aren't the same as old and outdated. There's a big difference. Skip this place.