Pousada Vargem Grande

My first impressions weren't great, I guess I was expecting a British standard b&b from the reviews. So it was not what I'd expected. I didn't get a private bathroo but a very small shared one. No towels provided except one by sink for shared use on first night, one arrived by 2nd night, and that was the pattern, point out the issues and the owners worked as hard as they could to improve on it. Room was also less attractive than previous review. Very hard bed and pillows. Not up to the 'deluxe' description in any way. Room has fan if hot but nothing to cope with a cold night, so the next day an eiderdown arrived. There's a small TV with extensive channel choice. Shower was hotter once I understood the controls. There was a better bathroom available but it meant walking through the family room. People were very kind. Lovely coffee & biscuits provided on arrival. They tried to come up with solutions to noise and to everything I told them about. They got up early to make breakfast. I had paid them for transport and they were very helpful in early starts for Olympics and agreed a package deal including sightseeing . They treat you like a friend not just a guest. Its very much like renting a room in a house. Only services are breakfast & room cleaning. Free Wi-Fi but service not 100% in bedroom. Louvred doors & thin walls so was disturbed by lights & snoring and toilet was effectively by my pillow so I heard anyone using bathroom at night and also cockerel crowing 3.30am and party on saturday night. But they provided a full length mirror and fixed the handle on the bedroom door. They also invited me to join them at a beach front fish cafe. I could not have asked them to be kinder. Only Karla speaks a language (English & Spanish,) other than Portuguese. One of the highlights is being visited at breakfast by a trip of marmosets who get fed as banana as a treat. Breakfast is a cold buffet with rolls, meat, cheese, bananas, sometimes potato pie, fruit juice. Ham us often rapped around the chase so say if you are vegetarian. They also gave me hit milk for my coffee which was great. An inflated price was charged in Olympic weeks, 2800 reals which translated as £100 per night. This compared to non Olympic rates of £30 a night. At the latter figure it's very good value. It's safe in a gated community but there's nothing around, had to send out for Pizza on first night despite being told it was near a gastronomic Centre. No shops in walking distance so limited eating options. But if you are travelling with a car it's not an issue and they were happy for me to buy food & put in fridge. It's in the countryside so it feels safe but you need support, your own vehicle or a taxi to be able to get to the sights/ transport. The rooms have beds for groups of up to 5, with more bunks and joint rooms than single rooms. I have based my review on the normal rates not the inflated Olympic rates. Sleep quality could be much better and you need your own transport but the way you are treated by the family (especially Karla lifts it all 2 ratings)