We spent a long week at Pestana Angra. There were many negatives and a few positives.

Positives:
The setting is beautiful: the views, the water, the lush tropical surroundings.
A spectacular (though pricey) day on a chartered boat exploring surrounding islands arranged through AquaFun at the hotel.

Negatives:
This is not a 5 star resort. There were very few services, no sense of being pampered, almost no staff who spoke English.
Beach towels had to be requested daily and staff responded as if they were being put out when asked.
Very few beach umbrellas by the pool.
Tired and worn out pool and beach furniture.
Tiny beach.
Overpriced and poor quality food and poor service at the restaurant.
The bungalows were spacious, but there was no place to hang or store your belongings.
There was frequently a problem with insufficient hot water.
The overall feeling was of overpaying and being underserved.
The hotel is in the middle of nowhere. It is a $25 15 minute cab ride to the nearest restaurant outside the hotel. You feel stuck at the hotel and the surrounding area is not one you can comfortably explore.
OVERALL, this hotel might be great for a one night stay on your way elsewhere, but we would never recommend it as a destination.

Angra dos Reis is a beautiful, quiet coastal area near Rio-- lots of monied Cariocas have weekend homes here. There are hundreds of tiny islands, so Angra is all about island hopping from beach to beach in your boat.

The Pestana Angra fits beautifully into the gorgeous natural scenery of the Atlantic rainforest. We arrived by helicopter from Rio, and landed at the owner's estate next to the hotel. Unlike some of Angra's concrete mega resorts which jut out like a sore thumb, the Pestana is all about low-key r&r, with lots of wood and stone and looks like a private estate rather than a major hotel.

Our bungalow, #10, had wonderful views of the water and neighboring islands. The room was simply furnished and decorated in bright citrus colors. Some area rugs would make the room cozier and more comfortable. There were also some bugs and mosquitoes, but that's to be expected in the tropics! My main quibble was that housekeeping never gave us fresh towels when they did the turndown service at night. The sweets on the pillow were also a total waste-- yuck!

The food was just okay-- exactly what I'd expected, but I can see how some people would be unhappy given Pestana's steep tariffs. The game room and free internet came in handy on a rainy day. Most guests relaxed by the pool or in one of the open bungalows by the shore. The spa was under renovation.

Renting a boat during our entire 4-day stay was THE highlight of our trip. One day we went to Paraty, another day to Ilha Grande, which I recommend. Another day, our guide set up a surprise picnic on an island beach.

Staff was friendly but mostly kept in the background.

If I were to return to Angra, I would rent a villa and go island-hopping again. And despite what another reviewer said, don't bother renting a car or even going into town in Angra. Aside from a mall stuffed with daytrippers from the cruise ships, there's really nothing to see.

This property is some thirty bungalows which are tired and need refurbishing, on a small sandy cove - our bungalow number 19 in common with many others we understand from the other tourists, did not have a single drawer, water was rarely hot and if it was, the shower turned off and on of its own volition!
Room cleanliness was lacking, furnishings tacky and tired and turndown mediocre with no new towels.

Masses of steps with no handrails down to the only restaurant and beach, dangerous and hard work in the heat, cart will come to collect on request but hit and miss to find it.

Restaurant extremely expensive with mediocre food, though breakfast tolerable. Wine exhorbitant.

Tiny beach and dirty chairs and pool furnishings, no umbrellas apart from couple of tired Hagen Daz 'freebies' around pool, no pool service apart from one guy who stands all day in the hope someone will buy Hagen Daz icecream! No towels apparent, have to go and chase the things, and then some are thin and tired.

In middle of nowhere and nothing to see outside of hotel.

Saving grace is wonderful scenery and location which is breathtaking!

When you walk into the reception you will think you have arrived at a school camp as it is a basic hut!

Hardly anyone speaks English so communication is almost impossible.

Do some serious research before booking this hotel, we were there for five days and would have left earlier if we had the option.

We stayed at Pestana Angra for ten nights as part of our honeymoon. The complex is a series of approximately 30 or so bungalows.

The food at the hotel was a bit hit and miss; breakfast was always good though. We found that room-service was actually better than the food in the restaurant.

We hired a car and drove to the hotel from Rio airport, which would have taken us approximately 2 hrs if we hadn’t get lost. Hiring a car was actually cheaper than organising transfers through the hotel. Driving in Brazil is not for the weak hearted, but if you prepare maps etc then you should be ok.

There are no shops within walking distance of the hotel, so if you don’t have a hire car you’ll get stung by the mini-bar/bar prices for drinks and snacks. We used a local supermarket approximately 15 minutes drive from the hotel.

Angra dos Reis, which is 20 to 30 minutes away in the car is a complete dump. Do not go there under any circumstances.

Staying at this hotel was very relaxing, the accommodation was superb. However, there was a need for a good lick of paint around the place (hand rails, balconies etc).

The beach and the pool were quite small, but were enough for the size of hotel. We took advantage of the 3 hr boat trip on offer and the health spa, both of which are nice – if a little on the expensive side.

If you are looking for a relaxing holiday, I would definitely recommend this place for less than a week, but hiring a car will give you the freedom to see the surrounding area.

Steve and Jen
Kingston upon Hull
United Kingdom