Pousada Mangabeiras

In most respects, this is an outstanding boutique hotel to enjoy the beauty of Boipeba. Almost every detail of the guest stay and comfort has been taken into consideration to provide a relaxing and luxurious stay in this sustainably conceived inn nestled atop the beautiful beach-studded island of Boipeba. The rooms are private bungalows that are reasonably spaced, beautifully decorated, and perfectly equipped; the food and beverages are all thoughtfully prepared and beautifully served; the pool is delightful and provides peek a boo views of the surrounding beaches; even the music played on their system is well chosen for a relaxing stay. One immediately obvious and easily remedied fault bears mention. The way in which guests arrive and are received produces an awful first impression. To get to Boipeba is difficult and time consuming -our trip from the neighboring state of Paraiba took 12 hours including three cars rides, two boat rides, and one flight. Everyone we spoke with had similar stories of lengthy difficult trajectories to arrive in this tropical paradise. Once you arrive in Boipeba, however, a half hour walk through village and mountain trails and hot beaches awaits… with your luggage unless you contract a porter. The amount charged by the porters is nominal, but Pousada Mangabeiras charges handsomely and should have the good sense to have someone waiting to greet guests upon arrival at the port. We found it so contradictory that we received a WhatsApp message from the hotel asking the time of our arrival so we could enjoy every minute of our stay… then we were left to make our own arrangements to get to the hotel, arriving a half hour later having slogged our luggage through the sand and jungle with a guide that we contracted. When we finally made it to the pousada, overheated and exhausted, instead of a gracious welcome, we were told how much we still owed on our expensive room. You never get a second chance to make a first impression!