We live in the oil town of Macaé, which is just under and hour´s drive north along the coast from Búzios. Several times a year, my husband and I, and our daughter, go to Búzios for a weekend break, and for the last three times we have stayed at the Hibiscus Beach pousada in the João Fernandes area. Having been to Búzios several times in the past two and a half years, we now know that the beaches with clean water are well away from the town centre, in areas like João Fernandes, Geribá and Ferradura. There are many nice hotels in the centre, and on the Morro de Humaitá, but the beaches there are polluted.
We have settled for Hibiscus Beach because we can leave our car in the car park and walk the 100 yards to the beach. We like the privacy of the individual bungalows, and never tire of the sea view from the balcony. The rooms are comfortable and very clean, and we have got to know the staff, who greet us with a warm welcome. Also, unlike some hotels in Búzios, the cost of a room doesn´t burn a hole in your pocket.
The only problem that once happened to us, is that because the hotel is small, it is not always possible to book a room at short notice.
We would like to add our voices to the list of people who have discovered, and want to recommend this hotel. It´s becoming our weekend retreat.

We stayed at Hibiscus Beach last month, and were lucky enough to given bungalow number 9, which is the highest one of all. At first, the climb looked a bit daunting, although the guy carrying our suitcase up wasn´t even out of breath. When he opened the door to the varanda and we saw the view of the sea, with smoky blue mountains on the far coast, we new we had struck lucky. The view from # 9 is panoramic, and probably from 10, 11 and 12 it must be similar. Definitely not for elderly people though, who would be better off in the rooms with low numbers.

As well as the stunning view, we were more than satisfied with the hotel. The staff were very friendly, and always seemed to be smiling; the rooms were clean and bright, and we enjoyed the buffet breakfast. There are several hotels nearby, and we ckecked out two of them. Although no one spoke English, we did manage to find the prices, and our impression was that they offered less and cost more.

Hibiscus Beach is a good deal and we want to recomment it.

The hotel was very clean and exceptionally friendly. You could see one of the many beaches from our bungalow varanda. Swimming pool was excellent for cooling off after a day baking on the beach. We would highly recommend this hotel for anyone wanting to chill and relax. Nightlife was only a short taxi ride away to the main town of Buzios. When eating out you must try David's restaurant, absolutely first class food and very reasonably priced, not once did this restaurant fail our expectations. Try Havanna for live music most nights. Local bars have all the football matches on and you cannot help but be involved when one is on. We started our two weeks off in Rio this was just as expected really beautiful beaches and the Marina palace hotel at Leblon was 1st class, excellent room and facilities. Must visit the statue of Christ it is amazing, you do not realise how big it really is. This was a holiday i had been waiting for for years. Brazil is a wonderful place would go back evey year.

Our pleasant, 5-day stay in early March, 2006, coincided with the end of Carnival--the high season for Brazilians to get out of Rio and other cities and head for the beach. So prices were sky high and the beautiful Joao Fernandez Beach nearby was packed with people, chairs, unbrellas, and boats. It was a great place for people-watching from the adjoining open-air restaurants, but not for relaxing on the beach. A number of other nearby beaches were much less crowded, and after all, you have more than 20 to choose from in the area.
The pousada was well-kept, with a nice breakfast included in the price. Management was friendly, English-speaking (rare in Buzios), and very helpful. We would certainly return there in a less crowded time. The price seemed about double the normal rates, and while the rate was quoted in dollars, the charge on our card was in Brazilian reales, driving up the actual cost another 5% or so. But we were well aware of the price when we booked. Did I mention Carnival time is not the best for low prices and sparse crowds?
You must live out of your suitcase here since, as in many pousadas and small hotals, there is no chest of drawers. But what a minor inconvenience, considering the cleanliness, the hillside view of the sea from the breezy little veranda outside, and the immaculate care of the grounds and small swimming pool.
There may be some overbooking here, because we overheard one conversation in which an arriving couple were told there had been a mixup in the bookkeeping and they were being "upgraded" to the pousada next door, with Hibiscus picking up the difference in price.
The seaside village is charming, with plenty of shops and places to eat. We never had a disappointing meal in Buzios, but a place call David topped them all for quality, value, and friendly service. Ask for Carlos and take the tables on the wall to the right as you walk in. First class food and service ar reasonable prices.