I am Brazilian and I have been to Salvador before many times. I love the city and its people; in my opinion, it shares with Recife the title of most creative and dynamic cultural capital of Brazil. I chose this pousada after reading the comments at TripAdvisor. Unfortunately, and for the first time, I could not be more disappointed.
- The pousada: Well, for the price they charge, I have known better pousadas in Bahia and elsewhere in Brazil. It is true that it is located right in front of the beach and 500 meters from the center of Itapoa. It has a nice pool and clean but very simple rooms. That’s all for the positives; I found the owners blasés, almost depressed, giving an image of decadence. We felt like they were detached from their role as hosts. They were not impolite, but rather a far cry from the typical warm and friendly Brazilians we have always met. We stayed only one night at a small room in the basement (we were supposed to move up later but we left before). The TV was useless (brokenn antenae), the sheets had holes and there was no hot water. The breakfast was very minimalist, with only coffee, milk, a couple of juices, crackers, slices of bread, ham and cheese and a (not really tasty) cake. In summary, one gets too little for too much.
- The beach: Frankly, Bahia and Brazil have beaches that are much, much better than this one. I last visited Itapoa 20 years ago and was impressed by how beautiful and calm it was. Nowadays, it looks more like a mix of an open air garbage dump and a nightclub, especially on weekends. The cacophony of dozens of sound systems playing different songs is unbearable, and the volume of trash left by the public is disgusting. I don’t see the point of being at a beach-front room, unless one wants to listen to a thousand different Axé bands at the same time while looking at a garbage dump. Our neighbors played music very loud the whole day since this is the way people like to have fun over there. In the last 5 or 10 years, Brazilians have gotten into oversized sound systems and loud music in the beach. The time of “passar uma tarde em Itapoa, ouvindo o mar de Itapoa” is long gone…Add to this the lack of a decent garbage collection service and you have the worst possible nightmare for someone looking for a peaceful and pleasant stay.
It breaks my heart but I think Itapoa is a shame to Bahia and to Brazil. I can only recommend this place during the carnival, when the only thing we need is a shower, a decent bed and a warm coffee in the morning. Other than that, don’t waste your money there; go visit the town but move North or South of Salvador for the beaches.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
22 January 2011
First of all, thank you for your review, it is very important for us. And we are glad that both you and your wife took the time to write two different reviews for the only night you spent with us. We realy appreciate that.
Our pousada is simple, it can't be compared with the Tivoli Ecoresort Praia do Forte, the best resort in Bahia, as you say in your review, neither for the facilities, service and breakfast nor for the price. We are very sorry that you could think that. But we are glad that you enjoyed your vacation in a place you like after you left us.
As we said, our pousada is simple and not formal. We want to help people know and understand the local culture and we are glad to give them the information they need and resolve their problems. But we must be asked for, because we realize that some people want to stay on their own and don't like to be bothered.
There are some points we desagree with you: we don't have rooms in the basement, only on ground floor; and yes we do have hot water coming from the sun collectors on the roof, you must only wait a little, because we tempt to be so ecological as we can.
Our pousada is on the beach, which becomes very crowded in the weekends, especially on sunday, and you came just on sunday. But, as you could see, after 7 p.m. it is calm and you only hear the waves breaking on the beach. The house on our side is empty, the owners only come in the weekends and sometimes rent it. In that sunday they left at night.
As you said, we are 500 meters far from the center of Itapoa, where you can find some delicious local snacks, like acaraje and beiju, and several restaurants. Among them Mistura Fina (one of the best in town), Ki-Mukeka (bahian food) and Picui (good and cheap, on the first floor with a great view).
You are right, the people around here love to listen to loud music in their cars and dance round them drinking beer, that is part of the local culture. And if you want to enjoy the beach in magnificent places which don't seem to be a part of Bahia we can suggest Morro de Sao Paulo end several resorts around Itacare, a wonderful village.
Thank you for your opinion one more time and have a pleasant, happy and successful 2011.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC