Pousada Papaya

Great.

The room was so tiny that there was barely room to walk. I had to put my suitcase on the bed to get anything out, then keep moving it whenever I wanted to use the narrow space between the bed and the minibar. Even allowing for the container setup, the photos were misleading. They said room service was every other day, but refused my request after 48 hours. Only after three nights, when I left the key at reception, did they clean, and it was a sloppy job. They didn’t change the bed linen or sweep under the bed, where I found things left by other guests. There was no shampoo or conditioner, just two tiny bars of soap that weren’t enough. The only staff member I found helpful was Carlos. When my towel fell in the shower on the second day, they handed over a replacement as if they were doing me a favor. Messages on WhatsApp went unanswered unless Carlos was the one handling them. I asked for a blanket one night and was simply ignored. Breakfast was awful too. Some food seemed old and was reheated and put out again for days. The sliced fruit shown in the Google photos was nothing like what was served. The pool was dirty. The internet didn’t work, so the TV couldn’t connect either, and staff said nothing could be done. Smoke from the wood-fired pizzeria, which is open to the public, made the whole pousada smell unbearable. They seemed more concerned with outside customers than guests. The staff and owners looked us up and down with disdain and treated us superficially. They barely looked at us, and when they did, they seemed to have no warmth or interest. Nobody made us feel welcome or offered suggestions. The treatment felt rude and unwilling, and I wouldn’t recommend the place to my worst enemy. Watch out if you have a car. Parking is on the street in a very tight space marked off with wood. It rained, the area flooded, and water got underneath my car. The nightly price is never worth it. There are much better pousadas for the same money. We threw our money away.

Carlos was the only good part of the stay. The room was so small that two people couldn’t be comfortable in it, and the shower had weak water pressure with the heating element cutting out repeatedly. Breakfast seemed to include a lot of food reused from the day before. Room service every two days is unreasonable: we arrived Saturday and the room wasn’t cleaned until Tuesday. At night, the pizzeria stays open, and the strong wood smoke throughout the pousada is unbearable. The Wi-Fi was so bad that the TV wouldn’t stay connected. We asked for an extra blanket by message; it was seen but ignored until we asked Carlos the next day. When we arrived, the introduction to the place was poor, and the information we asked for was explained very badly. I don’t recommend it. They offer a discount for paying in cash, but not by Pix, which I found absurd.

We had a really lovely stay at Papaya Container and will keep unforgettable memories of the place. The owners and staff were always willing to help. The location was perfect, close to lots of shops, restaurants, and the aquarium, so we didn’t need a car to get to any of them. The room was small but comfortable, and the beds were comfortable too. As advertised, the TV isn’t smart. The air conditioning was great and the bathroom was good. The grounds are beautiful, full of color, animals, and decorations that delight children. Breakfast was very good as well. I recommend it, our stay was a pleasure.