Chales Joia Rara Dos Gnomos

The room stayed warm even though it was freezing outside. Washing your hands can be a shock, though, since the tap water gets icy at that time of year, so cold-sensitive guests should be ready for that 😁. We stayed one night for Mauá Blues, which was enough to enjoy the place and its welcoming atmosphere. The Chalés Joia Rara are cute, like little fairy-tale houses, and they’re clean and well kept, with a fireplace, hot shower, minibar, and a great location. There’s no breakfast, but everything is close by, including a great bakery across the bridge. Parking right in front of the chalet is handy. For a simple, quiet, rustic stay surrounded by nature, they offer good value.

The place itself is peaceful, clean, spacious, and easy to get to. But I had a stressful checkout experience after booking through Booking. The owners hadn’t been clear about payment by card. Booking said cards were accepted, but they refused and insisted on Pix. Their WhatsApp collection messages felt extremely rude. One owner wrote, “Enjoying your stay, just don’t forget to pay,” even though I still had three hours left. The other owner, his sister, kept sending messages and brought up family problems and situations to explain why. I found the whole thing very inappropriate, and I can’t recommend the chalet after that stress.

We stayed in June/2021. The location was good, and the small chalet had a charming feel. Still, we didn’t enjoy the stay because the owner was inattentive. We couldn’t even find anyone to hand the key to at checkout.

Great place, just a shame breakfast isn’t served.