We stayed at the Serena in July 2010, during which time we had a mixed experience. On the positive side, asthetically the hotel is very nice, tasteful building set in nice gardens with an excellent selection of fresh fruits, pastries, meats, cheeses, cooked items, juices and hot drinks at breakfast. A wide selection of complimentary DVDs are also provided ofr guests to use in their in room DVD players.

We were provided with a complimentary glass of champagne each on arrival and as we were celebrating our anniversary during our time at the hotel, a complimentary fruit platter had been placed in our room when we checked in. The hotel also has 4 computers with free internet access, wi fi for those with their own laptops, and a small fitness room.

On the downside however, despite billing itself as a 4* resort, the service standards were sorely lacking. Despite requesting a quiet room, we were placed in a room with an adjoining door. In the adjacent room had been placed a family. As the walls were clearly not sound proofed, the noise from the adjoining room was intrusive, and on our second night we were awoken by a child screaming at 1am that continued for at least 30 minutes before we were admitedly moved rooms. Of course, the hotel cannot be blamed for screaming children, but it necessitates the question as to why we were put in an adjoining room to a family wth young children having spcifically requested a quiet room. Furthermore, the night manager initially advised me that we would be unable to change rooms that evening as there were non available, when clearly having timed our visit during low season the hotel was far from full. It was only my persistence that ensured that we were able to change room that evening. Unbeknown to us though our second room was a suite (larger than the first but could hardly be described as a suite), and we were informed the next day that we would be unable to stay in that room, and would have to move again. I contested this, but ultimately accepted this as in fairness we had only paid for a standard room. Having packed our bags, we were then infomred that we would not have to move afterall, although this was only after we had asked when we could see our new room. This was not acceptable for a 4* establishment, and sadly the staff seemed reticent to advise us of this.

Furthermore, at breakfast there were no covers on any of the foods which attracted large numbers of bees swarming round the sticky cakes that were on offer. Bizarrely though each day a fresh selection of sticky desert type cakes were put on display that served to exacerbate the problem - displaying a total lack of common sense given that we saw no one eat these foods becuse of th bees. On one occassion, flies were spotted landing on the meats and cheeses and when I pointed this out to the waiting staff, theirattitude at est could only be described as indifferent. Clearly, money needed to be invested in training the staff and bringing them up to the standards that one would expect from a 4* hotel. It is simply not acceptable to frequently have to take cutlery from other tables because the one that you are sat at has not been correctly set.

In fairness, we pointed out all of these concerns and observations to the hotel manager in a face to face meeting, which did seem to have the desired effect.

In conclusion, the Serena is a nice resort but could do better. In fairness, we did witness the manager having a meeting with his staff following our discussion with him, and from that point on standards did improve. I only hope this is kept up and was not solely for our benefit. Time will tell.

This small hotel is georgius, beautiful, but service is terrible and worst is that they don't care about it.
We bought the romantic dinner wich included an upgrade in room, but they didn't give us it, and also the dinner is the same buffet, but it includes 1 bottle of wine... what a rip off.
Breakfast is ok, but full of bees, be aware of that.
It's almost paradaise, but without service, jajaja.

Having travelled through Argentina, Chile and Brazil and having had excellent accommodation without exception this hotel was disappointing and not good value. The staff were fine...helpful and cheerful. The breakfasts were generous although the breakfast room was very crowded and lots of small children and babies...so very noisey...along with pounding music....which went on more or less all day in the dining room /bar area. Thankfully our room was a long way from this. The pool is barely more than a paddling pool/ plunge pool...do not be deceived by the photo on the website. The room was small and needed money spending on it it to bring it up to a good modern standard...things looked "tired and used"....the air conditioning was dated and very noisey for example. The location is far from ideal as it is a bus journey to down town...the hotel runs an efficient service but you need to think carefully about trips out for dinner. The beach is nearby but can be very crowded. The acid test...would I go back... the obvious answer...no. The low point of our trip to South America...We do work in the industry and although we have high standards we do have reasonable expectations when prices are as high as this.

This was a great choice we had in Buzios. I was looking for a place to go with my wife and young baby (5 months old by the time of the trip) and I liked the breakfast+dinner option and the fact they had cribs and baby bathtubs available. Although I would not rate it as a resort, service was great and staff was always available to help with anything they could. They also have chairs at the beach, so the guests do not need to worry about bringing this kind of stuff with them. Finally, food was excellent! Definitely a great choice for families in Buzios!