Pousada Lencois Maranhenses

The hotel worked well for what we needed, and the rooms were comfortable and very clean. There was a nice pool and dining area, with free breakfast and dinner available if requested. My one gripe is breakfast. Compared with the other hotels I stayed at on the trip, this one was the most basic and could use some improvement.

The restaurant had generous lunch and dinner options, and the food was tasty. A typical dish easily feeds two and costs around R$200. The apartments were simple but clean. We came as a large group, and some of our apartments had no hot water. The staff didn't seem especially concerned about sorting that out. Breakfast is included, though it always seemed to start later than promised. It's very close to "Lagoa das Emendadas". Pretty good overall, but it could easily be much better.

The grounds are beautiful, and it's only minutes from the entrance to Lençóis Maranhenses Park. The rooms are decent, the pool is great, and the food service is good while it's open. The staff are lovely and can help connect guests with tour options. I just wish there were more food choices after 9:20pm.

Our local guide arranged the excursion meal, and we ordered ahead: chicken fillet with corn sauce, which we asked to have on the side, plus fried fish. The chicken came as requested, but all three fish fillets were raw. When we asked, the server took them back and the kitchen refried the same pieces. They came back greasy and still raw, so we gave up and asked for the bill. Anyone in our group who could eat said the food was bland and badly under-seasoned. They did remove the fish from the bill, which was fair, but then tried to charge R$20 for the chicken sauce even though it was included with the dish. After a brief disagreement with the server, they took that charge off too. Our guide later said the beef served to him was raw as well. Those two experiences are enough for me to avoid this restaurant. There are plenty of good places to eat in town. I'd save the money and go somewhere else.