We are very pleased, and not a little humbled, by the steady stream of positive reviews our guests have thus far been kind enough to give us. We are not perfect (and don’t pretend to be), but we do try very hard to exceed all our guests’ expectations. In the case of this reviewer, we obviously failed substantially, which pains us, it being the first time it has happened since we opened 3 years ago. Let us try to respond to the comments in a manner which may be of use to prospective guests.

First of all, it is gratifying to note that the reviewer felt that the house was very clean and the breakfasts very good. This must be half the battle for a bed and breakfast service. However, criticism has been leveled at us in several areas – notably pricing/value for money; location; and transport. Let us try to deal with these in turn:

1. Pricing. A little research will show that our prices are slightly above average for Manaus, reflecting the costs involved in ensuring that the facilities and services provided exceed the average standard here (hopefully by quite a degree). Any comparison between prices in Manaus and elsewhere in Brazil is at best disingenuous, since anyone who knows Brazil knows that everything in Manaus is more expensive (including our costs) – a consequence of the double-edged sword of our relative isolation here in the middle of nowhere.

2. Location. We’ve discussed this before on Trip Adviser - and we are, we believe, outstandingly clear about our location. We are basically as far away as one can get from the city without losing access to the electricity grid and decent infrastructure (essentially, we are about 15km from the city centre, and we provide a map of our location and even give our coordinates on our homepage – everyone should feel free to zoom in on us in Google Earth to have a look. What more can we do, we wonder?) We don’t think we suggest this is an advantage – there are obviously pros and cons – but what we do say is that it suits us to be outside the city and near the forest, and apparently our other guests concur. Are we in a residential area? Yes, of course – we are not a jungle lodge. Do we have restricted access to/views across the rainforest – yes, of course – we’re in a residential area! In passing, we should point out that you won’t find any other guesthouse or hotel in Manaus city which borders rainforest, and the comment that we have “houses on both sides” and that views are limited “by the proximity of humans” falls definitively within the ‘at best disingenuous’ category again.

3. Transport/isolation. This is related to location, really, but we think it may be helpful to clarify this as the reviewer professes to have been quite put out by being “forced to rely on” us for transport. Of course we don’t force anyone to rely on us – taxis are easy to get, and there are buses at the top of the road (900m distant). However, because we know that those who don’t speak Portuguese may find it tricky to negotiate their way around, we’re very happy to offer a courtesy service of lifts within and around the local area, including to the Ponta Negra, the airport, and the various restaurants, bars and shops nearby (this incidentally includes access to chemists, banks and taxis). We can also get people into and out of Manaus city by car when we are available – and sometimes for free if we can arrange it so. It is obviously possible that we might drop the ball if we’re horrendously busy (although this is the first time it has happened since we opened), and for this we sincerely apologise (and did so on the day) – however the reviewer seems to have been under the impression that our courtesy lifts were supplied as of right, and that we were operating them as if we were a hotel and charging for them. We do all the work here ourselves, and this means we are of course busy at various times of the day buying fresh food, cleaning, paying bills, arranging services etc etc – generally (obviously) for the ultimate benefit of the guesthouse and our guests. Under the circumstances, to charge us with forgetting our paying guests demonstrates at the very least a lack of understanding. Happily, most guests understand and are comfortable with the concept of a bed and breakfast and do not assume that because we try to help our guests at any time of the day, we are a hotel. We are clearly not – we are a small, family-run B&B, and guests stay with us as part of our family. It might also be relevant to note that in this particular case we later lent the reviewer our own car for the night, which we feel argues somewhat against the interesting charge of complacency. And regarding the ‘dark, pot-holed road’, you should be aware that most roads in Manaus regrettably come under this category (but there are in fact street lights the length of the road, and so far everyone has managed to negotiate them without injury).

In relation to the door handle, we can only apologise – we seem to have a gremlin in the house, and every time we fix that handle, (s)he comes along and breaks it again. We’re thinking of replacing the whole door now, hinges, handles and all, although some of our previous guests will be amused by this I’m sure, and may feel it to be a rather sad day when our trademark wonky handle is no more.

We thank the reviewer sincerely for the feedback, but on balance we feel the assessment is unfair: in relation to price, the comparison with operations outside the Amazon - whilst it may suit the reviewer’s intent or emotion - is not only catastrophically misleading, but ignores the fact that in addition to our core B&B service we provide airport pick-ups/drop-offs (free between 08:00 and 22:00), local courtesy lifts, advice and guidance, and we do our level best to provide as much support to our guests as they need or want, 24 hours a day. In relation to location, our guests generally choose us precisely because we are where we are. If you are looking for a city-centre hotel, we are definitely not the right place for you. We don’t feel we can be clearer on this point. And whilst the reviewer may not have understood this for some reason, we feel the comments are clearly quite inappropriate. As a (particularly pertinent) aside, we are somewhat horrified to note that the reviewer refers to the “many excellent hotels in Manaus”, and we wonder on what basis the comment is made, given that Manaus is still very well known for its poor standards in this respect (with some exceptions, and although it is improving generally). Since I understand the reviewer has not stayed at any of these places, we would treat the comment with caution (obviously we may be biased, so all we can do is advise you to do your research before booking anything - but then you already know that if you’re reading this comment…). Finally, although we appreciate and carefully note the reviewer’s comments, we feel the actual ratings given are quite inconsistent in relation to them, and lack credibility as a fair assessment.

In summary, whilst confused or unrealistic expectations may trip us up, we continue as we have always – doing our best to exceed our guests’ expectations in the context of a B&B in the Amazon. It is a daunting task sometimes, given the wonderful reviews we often receive, but we will keep trying - and at the end of the day we are quite content to let the proof of the pudding rest in the hands of future guests and their reviews.