I stayed there for 5 days with my family including my 15 years old son. The rooms have been really great in 5th and 7th floors with fantastic ocean view and to Morro de careca. The breakfast & dining room has been overloaded with people and with a terribly loud atmosphere of shouting guests (mainly children) with way too loud live music making a dinner converstion nearly impossible. Also the pool animation from 2 to 5 pm was too loud with very bad quality loud speakers which was really annoying. No chance to relax after lunch. When going to the beach right infront of the hotel, there was no area reserved for hotel guests. All in all I would recommend this hotel only to families with young children or during non holiday seasons (not in July , Jan, Feb).

The hotel is nice, the rooms are clean and well equipped. The staff could be better, but it´s not bad. The pool area is nice and location wonderful. The only problem is that the hotel has some recreation programs also at night, and they are noisy, what sometimes disturb the guests which are looking for a rest.

Horrible decoration, poor service and no maintenance. Due the music comming from the pool area it is impossible to rest in the rooms. The only favorable point is the location, but there are other hotels in the same place (certainly better!)

The hotel was simply amaizing. My girlfriend and I went for New Year 2010/2011, and we had the best time ever.

The location is simply perfect, right in front of the best stretch of beach, exactly in the middle of a gorgeous open bay, with breathtaking views either side.

The rooms are everything you could ask for; they are spacious, clean, filled by lots of natural sunlight, well-ventilated (although the A/C works also fine), and - what's really great - is that they have lovely balconies overlooking the ocean. Ah, so nice.

There is a very happy atmosphere everywhere in the hotel. The staff are super-friendly, welcoming, always available and always with a big smile on their face. They look like they're having fun, and that just makes you want to ejoy yourself even more.

The facilities are of the very best quality. Picture this: playing volley-ball in a hughe, warm swimming pool illuminated by ever-changing under-water colours in the middle of the night while a band is playing live music on stage. Sound too good to be true? Well, that's what my girlfriend and I were doing most evenings before dinner. Not to mention the newly-opened spa and beauty centre. Great stuff all round.

The food is also top quality. There is a buffy available at breakfast, lunch and dinner. Every evening has a different theme, and the food - as well as the live entertainment! - changes accordingly: Italian; French; Asian; Brazilian; etc. Just keep this in mind: no matter how much you eat, always leave some room for the desserts - they are gorgeous.

And the incredible thing is that the hotel is just the tip of the iceberg. There is so much to do. If lying on the beach or sunbathing by the pool is not your thing, then there are loads of activities available through the hotel. For example, my girlfiend and I went on two 'buggy adventures', which basically ental racing through the desert, across the dunes and along the ocean front on beach buggies. Each trip is a day long, so there is plenty to see.

In summary, I have been in hotels all over the world, for work as well as for pleasure. But believe you me, I honestly can't remember finding a place as charming, relaxing and at the same time full of life and with such a wonderful vibe as the Esmeralda Praia Hotel. Five stars plus - no doubt.