Pousada Alves

Everything was clean and well organized, and the hotel was really nice. I stayed for three nights, and breakfast was generous, with food and drinks replenished regularly. I couldn’t use the parking because it was full, so I had to leave my car on the street. I recommend it if you’re in the area.

So far, this has been the most expensive guesthouse I’ve stayed at, and the service was awful. The attendant was very friendly and quoted R$ 95,00. Since I was leaving at 5,0 and breakfast wasn’t served that early, I asked for a discount. He called the owner, but she said no, so I went to the room. He put me in a room with two beds, and I unpacked my backpack. Then he came back upset because the owner was angry and said I had to be in the room with one bed. If I hadn’t already walked almost 30 km, and if the young guy hadn’t said he’d lose his job, I would have left the guesthouse. He told her I was a walker and 75 years old, and I’m sure she wants neither kind of guest at her place.

The shower was very good, and breakfast was excellent. The restaurant has a lovely view of the greenery, and there are restaurants and snack bars nearby for delivery. Service was good and the rooms are cozy, though I wouldn’t recommend the ones on the top floor. There’s no air conditioning, so during rainy, mosquito-filled weather you can’t leave the windows open, and the fan alone takes a while to cool things down. The TV also doesn’t have many good channels.

The daily rate feels high for what the guesthouse offers, especially with such a skimpy breakfast. There’s no cable TV, and the channels come in very badly. If you’re going to São Brás do Suaçuí, I recommend Pousada Villa Lara instead. The rate is the same, but it has cable TV, a pool, and a much better breakfast than Pousada Alves. There’s no comparison.