Parque Balneário Hotel Santos by Castelo Itaipava

Everything about the hotel is really nice. They don’t have an iron, and there’s no tea or coffee to make in the room, but otherwise it’s all good.

The best part for us was the location, and Santos is a place I love. The rooms were spacious and clean, the beds comfortable, and the bathrooms large with hot water and good pressure. Housekeeping was especially kind. Breakfast had plenty to choose from, with good coffee, and they kept replenishing it, though the choices stayed the same each day. But hygiene around breakfast and the pool really put me off. Staff left used cutlery on tables and only brushed away a few crumbs before filling in missing pieces. When I raised this with a supervisor as she prepared the table my family was about to use, she didn't seem to care and spoke badly about me to coworkers. I got dirty looks afterward. I even found lipstick on a coffee cup, so we washed the silverware ourselves before using it. The jacuzzi water was cold, and there wasn't a bartender by the pool. You had to call whenever you wanted a beer, food, or another drink. We stayed Monday through Saturday. On Friday afternoon the pool was full of children and there were no employees around. I saw kids eating ice cream in the jacuzzi while their parents fed them there too, with ice cream dripping into the water and children washing dirty hands in it. After that, I avoided the pool entirely. They make guests sign a no-smoking form at check-in, which seems sensible; I wish they had a general form requiring guests to follow the rules too. I also had to move my stay by a day because of the weather in Chicago. The site was arranging a refund, and after I agreed to the change I contacted the hotel, but they stopped responding. I was later charged for missing the first night, even though Booking also tried to reach them several times. I made a separate reservation for the last day and ended up losing $300. Next time I'll choose an international chain. The price difference isn't much.

The location and amenities worked well for me. I've stayed here twice already and plan to come back.

I had a really nice stay here and would recommend the place.