This place is fairly difficult to find, especially if you are traveling by bus. By car, they give…read moreyou directions on their website but by bus, you have to walk quite a ways, take a ferry across the canal and the driveway is very unclear since there's no signage. The driveway is incredibly steep and you'll find reception at the very bottom where one can check in. This also serves as the indoor restaurant seating (they have more seating outside and upstairs).
We were offered the meal package which is a flat rate of R$80 for a main course (but not seafood- that's extra), dessert, drink and espresso with service included. Items on the menu a la carte, are a bit pricy so this ends up being a good deal if you don't go elsewhere to eat and have a big appetite. However we found out upon checking out that here's a ton of tricky extras (most dishes cost +R$10-15 more). This seemed a little dishonest to me. Either do a flat rate with a limited menu or don't do one at all. I would not recommend eating more that two meals here if you're staying longer that one night.
There are a few options that are walkable (a restaurant just on the other side of the canal (free boat service), a pizza place down the street, etc.
The room we got was quite small, just room for the bed a dresser, a mini fridge, a tiny balcony, and a small bathroom with tight shower. The bathroom doesn't have any ventilation but an open window that you can close the slates.
They have some shampoo, bars of soap and nice towels, the very minimum for a luxury hotel. They provide bug spray and plug-ins for your room (that means don't leave windows open or any food items out because the ants will find it!). It was Easter weekend, so room prices were super expensive. They have several types of rooms, designed for families, larger suites and the tiny room we were stuck in. Fortunately we got upgraded the following day when people left and the room was much bigger and far more comfortable.
The windows and doors are sliding or spin on an axis so there's plenty of room for critters to sneak in. For the most part, the bathroom airs out on its own and on the second floor there's less bugs.
The food was quite good, though it took a little while to prepare the food. They give you a bread starter which is usually good. We tried their eggplant Parmesan starter which is a smaller portion but still enough for a meal. The bacon wrapped steak was tasty but the sauce was a little strong and the rice was nice and cheesy. The chicken Parmesan was also delicious and two full filets are so filling. The salmon and noodle salad was way too much to eat and the salmon was incredibly salty. The calabresa pizza has 6 slices, enough to share, again tasty but too salty. The four cheese penne pasta had a nice sauce to it, but was a huge heaping portion. The filet mignon risotto was also decent. For dessert the lava cake was chocolatey but not served flambé like their pictures. The caramelized banana was the best with a more reasonable portion size and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The banana croconte was a little too much batter (fritters with a small piece of banana inside, sprinkled with cinnamon and caramel). Again food was overall good but a little pricey. Breakfast is included and was a nice buffet of fresh fruits and tasty breads and cakes. Nepresso isn't included (R$5).
We did a boat excursion with them, which a nice old man took us out on the boat. First we went down the canal and admired all the fancy houses and boats. Then we went three different beach stops for 40 minutes each. They had nice snorkel mask (without the snorkel) to borrow but there were only a few fish despite the clear waters. One beach had a stand that sold food and was nice enough to sit on the island. We never felt rushed and he explained the surrounding area, pointed out famous peoples' houses etc. It was a great trip but needs a minimum of 4 people to operate.
The pool was nice to relax in, with a board that extended over it (easy to jump in or sit with you feet in) a swim up bar (unmanned, so couldn't order drinks) and a small outhouse.
The dock was pretty to watch the sunset, but very little shade during the day.
There's a free ferry across the canal that runs all day and gives you access to the main beach which is walkable. There's also a hike to the waterfalls but would be 90 minutes to walk there.
Overall nice place but a bit overpriced. Was a nice stay but would probably chose something different if we returned to this area.
