Pousada Casa do Bicho Preguiça

This is a place you would like to be your home rather than your hotel! It really is a little piece of paradise. The view of the sea and islands from the room was fabulous. There is a jetty where you can sunbathe and from which you can dive straight into the warm water. Kayaks are provided, which is a lovely way to discover the bay. Boat trips are also organised; we did not take advantage of this but the other guests were pleased with the service. I'm afraid I don't know the names of the couple who managed everything, but they were fantastic. The gentleman especially was totally charming: always smiling, coming to help and offer little services that went well beyond the call of duty. The food we had in the restaurant was vey good - we recommend the Picadinho Carioca! Breakfast was also good, and complimentary coffee and cake are served all day. We only stayed two nights, which wasn't enough. We'd love to go back! Bear in mind though that it is quite hard to get to if you are coming by public transport. You need to take the C04 bus (direction Vila Velha) near the port of Angra dos Reis and get off after the Colegio Naval when the bus turns inland and starts to climb. Then you have the hilly (and smelly - dotted with rotting fruit!) 300m-long driveway to negotiate on foot. A taxi is a much better bet! We stayed during Carnival and found it a bit expensive. Some furnishings are rather "tired" and could do with a bit of TLC. There is no glass in the windows of the room, just shutters - which we'd never come across before! We thought we'd be eaten alive but escaped fairly lightly. Bring insect repellent though!