I had mediocre expectations but I had hoped for better. What made the entire experience from start to finish was the room and staff. Everything was broken in our room. Our AC was broken and when they fixed it, it became so cold we couldn't have it on for more than 30 minutes. The termostat no longer worked. Our patio door was also broken and they had it fixed. The safe was broken but they never fixed it. You couldn't make an international call on the phone and they weren't able to fix it before we left. Part of the curtain was ripped and we had to prop a chair against it to close it. I tried turning on the desk lamp just to find out it was missing the light bulb. Seriously! The gym was full of broken down equipment. Our room was a superior sea view # 628 and we paid over $300 USD for the upgrade and it ruined our vacation. Some of the staff tried to help but many could care less. It really is luck who helps you.

Maybe it "ticks the 5-star" boxes, but in the most basic way possible. It is not to the same standards as a Sao Paolo 5 star. By a long way.

Good points:

Great location right on the beach.
Swimming pools never too busy, nice temperature and with a wet bar. Can’t really swim in them though.
Rooms are well sized and the room cleaning service is usually efficient .
Some parts of room service are good – eg ice delivery
Puts on good entertainments for new years eve

Mediocre:
Buffet is simply “ok”, but it is more like a loud canteen than a five star hotel.
The buffet on new years eve was worse than on other days! Maybe that’s because so many of the staff were drunk..


Room for improvement:
Very slow bar service
Always a queue at reception = poor service standards.
No air-con in the corridors.
Hotel layout is a bit confusing. Can be a long way from reception to your room.
What is the point of fire doors if they are blocked open?
Beds are stupidly uncomfortable. Like sleeping on wood.
Allowing people to smoke in the swimming pool.
Air conditioning is weak and noisy.
The minibar is ineffectual;. You will need ice deliveries if you want cool drinks.
Sometimes the room service simply does not turn up.
Alcoholic drinks are ridiculously expensive..
Cleap, plastic chairs on the balcony. Not at all comfortable. No hammock hanging facilities.
Not all the restaurants are open every evening. One of them closes at 5 every day.
Overall very expensive for what it is. Only about 5 years old but feels older.

The Ocean Palace is a good alternative.

Lack of free drinking water and free internet, otherwise this is an excellently located hotel for families, groups, or solo travellers. Smack bang on the beach, 25 minutes from Natal itself. The hotel will sort out buggy rides on the dunes (well worth the expense) Book as early as you can to get the more reasonable rates.

I've been in this hotel with wife and 2 children (2 and 6 years) in the family room accommodation.
The structure of the hotel is fantastic, as well as common areas, especially the pools and recreation area for children. The beach in front of the hotel is good for children to play in the sand and walking, but as the sand is a little soft and the waves are strong may be unsuitable for swimming, especially if there are children. In my case I had no problems since I only went to the beach at low tide so my children could enjoy the sea baths under supervision. As posted here on tripadvisor by other users, the hotel would not have beach service. It really has not, but they provide umbrellas and beach chairs for guests. You can take the pool towels to the beach without any problem. If you want to eat / drink on the beach, go in the pool bar and take what you want for the beach, but WITHOUT service.
The room I booked did not meet my expectations because although spacious and with good structure, was located on the first floor and no view of the sea. Also, I was very close to a restaurant and a common area, which took a lot of noise and smells of food to the room. Another thing: the air conditioning was just about ON/OFF, there was no way to regulate it.
With regard to organization, there were some episodes that I cite, but they represent very well the lack of organization of what is described / ranked the best in town for Natal. Look:
1) When I arrived to check-in at 10 am, I was told that the room was being released and I would have to wait for 1 hour. Okay, I waited. The other day, I met another guest in the pool and talking with him, found he was in my room the day before but did not want for not overlooking the sea. In other words, they lied to me. The room was previously free.
2) When I was informed about what the restaurant would be available for booking a la carte, each person informed me different things.
3) When asked about hours of operation of the spa also got wrong information.
These episodes seem futile but they imply discomfort for those seeking rest.
Talking about rest, the hotel held a business event that filled the accommodation and surroundings. For two days I could not sit at tables in the restaurant for breakfast, I could not place at the pool bar and could not get a beach chair.
Do not know if I come back to this hotel and I do not know if I recommend someone. Probably not.