My husband and I were visiting our friends in Rio for about 9 days, and the 4 of us took a short trip to Buzios for 2 days while we were there. It's not a bad trip, about 2 hours from Rio, and pretty easy on the highway.
Each couple stayed in a Superior, Sea-View room on the 2nd floor, which were really quite nice. We had a gorgeous view of the pousada's pool down below, and could see the Joao Fernandes beach and the sea from our balcony. It was really quite breathtaking.
The room itself was a very nice size, with a Queen sized bed, a large closet, and a good-sized bathroom. It had a TV and a mini-fridge and a bench beside the TV stand, which was helpful for storing things (like beach stuff). The sliding glass doors led out to a nice balcony, with a small table and 2 chairs. The bathroom had a large shower, with more breathtaking views (don't worry- nobody can see you- you're up too high!!) from inside the shower. Our friends had problems with the hot water in their shower- it took forever to get hot and then still wasn't really hot, so the staff moved them to another room, where the water was much better, so we appreciated that accomodation.
The room was clean, the staff was very polite and friendly. Since our friends are Brazillian, they of course speak Portuguese, but there was staff on hand that spoke English, which was helpful when they weren't there. I believe that the owners are from Argentina, so I believe some of the staff also speaks Spanish.
They serve breakfast each morning, and it was a little different each morning, but about the same: a basket of traditional cheese bread (YUM) and a selection of other breads, like a sweet cake and rolls, juice, and fresh fruit, and a plate of ham and cheese. There was also a selection of dry cereal you could help yourself to. It was just enough to fill you up and get you started on your day.
The pousada is a short 5-10 minute walk from the Joao Fernandes beach, but if you are disabled or have trouble walking, you will not enjoy the walk. It's mostly downhill, and a little hard on the knees. The hills in Buzios actually reminded me of San Francisco, they're so steep in some places!! And coming back is of course a little more tiring, because it's uphill. But it's really not so bad, and if you ate the good food or drank beer at the beach, the mini-workout is good for you!! To get anywhere else, you do need to have a car, but it's a short drive to downtown Buzios, and we also drove to Geriba Beach, which was a short drive away as well.
As for safety, we always felt safe in all the parts of Buzios that we visited. The pousada does have a small safe in each room if you want to leave your passports/money etc there. When you leave the pousada for the day, you do have to give your room key to the staff before you leave, but you keep the safe key, so I would suggest that if you are not taking valuables with you, lock them up in the safe.
All in all, a great couple of days at this pousada in Buzios! The rooms were pretty inexpensive for this area, and we felt we got a good deal, especially since breakfast was included. It's not a luxury hotel, so there are no amenities like spa services or massages, like you would find at more expensive places, but we really didn't spend a lot of time at the pousada itself, so that was fine with us. We just wanted a nice, clean place to stay with great views, close to a beach, at a good price and breakfast included. This answered it all!
- Baia De Joao Pousada Buzios
