Pousada e Spa Bromelias

Loved the people, property, and price. A little concerned with the drive to the facility. If car broke down, there was a safety concern because we didn't speak Portuguese.

After spending 7 very busy days in Rio De Janeiro my partner and I along with our 12 year old son moved on to Poussada Bromelias for 8 nights over Easter and had an enjoyable, restful stay. As my review is quite long I have put it into sections for ease of reading: STAFF: I cannot fault any of the staff – in particular Simone (who was a real star – always available, always helpful and always really friendly and chirpy) – the chef too was a really jolly, personable character (not to mention a good cook) and the restaurant staff and receptionist were all, also excellent. Although Simone was the only person who spoke a little English we were able to communicate (mainly through translation apps on our mobiles) and have to say each member of staff has to be commended. ACCOMMODATION: We did have a few issues with our initial bungalow (a couple of small problems on arrival, an ongoing one the first couple of days and a major one a few days in, being that when it rained the roof leaked through quite badly) but, the staff and management jumped straight on the first problems and, when the roof started leaking, we were immediately moved to another bungalow and also the management contacted us to apologise and gave us a complimentary Ofuro Bath – so excellent customer care and much appreciated, could not have asked for better service. The bungalows themselves are really pretty, being delightfully decorated and with the feeling of tranquillity and isolation (as they are not overcrowded to each other) and have verandahs overlooking the vast grounds. They are fairly basic and rustic but that adds to the charm. We had a luxury bungalow which came with a lovely Jacuzzi bath (which we enjoyed making use of on one of the rainy days). The only downside is that due to the location the humidity makes everything in the bungalow a little damp (penetrating clothes and bedding) but in our second bungalow we were provided with a dehumidifier which certainly made a big difference. Rooms were cleaned every day, air-conditioning was very effective and our bed was very comfortable and came complete with mosquito nets (although our son slept on the sofa, which he said was not comfortable – he did not have a net and although we did have several mosquito repellents in the room he did get a couple of bites). The only other negative is that there is no storage – we had one wardrobe with just two hangers for the three of us and there were no drawers or other units in the room (having said that, due to the dampness in the air, we were keeping nearly all of our things in the cases anyway to try and keep them dry). Also, on a minor point, the TV only has Portugese speaking channels, so even on days when it was pouring with rain or on evenings after dinner we could not watch anything or even listen to music (as no music channel) – not that we usually watch TV on holidays and I had brought board games and cards with us, but it could have been useful to at least have a childr

Very Nice pousada and educated staff, as long as it does not affect the financial part. Indeed, we booked a “luxuary” bungalow during four nights on their website (which was a mistake) with quite a high cost for Brazil (850 reais/day). I booked it during heavy rains so I asked to move the dates They said that it was ok, without any fee but in fact it was updated up to 1000 reais during the 2 last days because it was week-end The manager (Simone), without realizing it, told us that luxury was 790 reais/day when I told her that found it exagerated puttnig 1000 reais/day but the she said that 850 was because it was fathers day (I rented the bungalow during 4 nights…). In fact they raised twice the price (790 to 850 and then 850 to 1000) and they tried to justify with explanations not really convincing. Such bungalow has no heating, only chimney. Due to humidity, we were never able to light it, even with chemical stick. The first (small) package of wood was “offered” and the remaining ones would be paid. As a result, we got cold during the nights (it was winter), which does not really correspond to luxury. Our little kid (2 years old) broke a very basic glass in the room and they wanted to charge 55 reais (10 euros) arguing that it was a “cristal” glass. Same thing for a very basic stuff made of pottery (more or less equivalent to what a kid would do at school) and that was below one of the restaurant tables (why below the table???) and that our kid broke, and they charged us 35 reais saying that there was o really cost for this, but they estimated that it would be more or less that cost (????). Last but not least, the cleaning ladies left our room opened after service and 300 reais were missing in our belongings The only reaction from the manager was to say that their staff is very trustable, during 5 years nothing such happened (they have only ruled the place for 1 year) ad that if we wanted we could go to the police and make a statement. They finally said that they would provide us the video of the aera to see if someone else came into the room but we never received it. As a conclusion, it is a very nice place, with nice sauna, swimming pool, good food, good environment but one has to know that first the booking should not be done on their website (our friends booked with hotel.com and had much better price, even less expensive during week-ends, when we had to pay more). Second, each detail will cost a lot (even when it should be part of the cost, like heating) and then we saw very little commitment and sense of responsibility when we faced robbery.