We have just returned from a wonderful stay at Casas Brancas hotel in buzios brazil

A stunning boutique hotel, with the most beautiful viewsof the bay
The service was very good, the hotel staff are very helpful , but do not get in the way at all
The rooms are nice, however spend the extra money and get a room with a view - definitely worth it

The hotel is conveniently located 5 minutes walk to the centre of town , we were there out of season and I can imagine in season it will get noisy so make sure if going in season to book a room that is located at the far end of the hotel
The food is very good, but be prepared it takes time to prepare
Thier cocktails are excellent especially at sunset with the view over the bay
Overall an excellent choice of hotel, and a stunning holiday destination

I loved this pousada. I don't think you should expect it to be a western style spa or hotel it simply isn't. it is laid back and Brazilianwith it's own vibe. It is wonderfully situated for town at night and has a fantastic view. You have to go to the beaches though the nearest can be a short trip by boat. What is very special are the lovely friendly relaxed staff, nice breakfast/lunch restaurant and a great bar with great coktails at night. The spa treatments were very expensive for Brasil and though my massage was very nice it wasn't great value! I would definitely stay there on my return. I have stayed in the relais la bourie on geriba beach which was also nice but not groovy or fun like casas brancas.

We were extremely pleased with our stay at Casas Brancas. We would stay there again and we recommend it highly to others.

Location: Excellent seaside location in Buzios. 5-minute walk to the Centro shopping/bar/restaurant area. Several beaches are withing walking distance and others are a 10-minute cab ride away. Stunning views of Buzios Harbor and the lush hillsides beyond are available from the bar, restaurant, and some rooms.

Service: Very friendly, helpful staff with high English fluency. They were very responsive to our needs and helpful in recommending beaches, restaurants, etc. We asked for a lamp and extension cord so that we could read on our veranda and they immediately found one for us.

Room: In excellent condition with new fixtures. Decor seemed appropriate, very tropical/colonia. Bathrrom features were modern and worked well. Interestingly, the room did not have a TV, though the staff will bring one on request. It also did not have an alarm clock. This didn't bother us, but it could be a problem for some people.

Extras: Delicious daily breakfast buffet with pastries, tropical fruits, eggs, and many other choices. Worth waking up for. We didn't use the spa but it's a good addition to the hotel. They have two computers in the lobby wired for guest Internet access.

Price/Value: Tough to say for sure. We paid a premium price but we received commensurate value. They quoted us rates in US dollars.

I reserved (in Aug 07) a Suite for 3 nights in Feb 08 after reading positive reviews from Tripadvisor and the alluring Casas Brancas website (the promise and the reality are far apart as I found). There were a number of agencies in the food chain, being my own Agent Platinum Escape, Tempo (Australia) and Extramar (Brazil). In due course I received confirmation of a Suite and paid the (website) published Suite rate in advance.

But somehow someone messed up the booking and reserved a Standard Room instead. The error was picked up by Extramar and/or Casas Brancas about 18 January, when Casas Brancas changed the reservation to a "Superior Room" because a Suite was by then not available.

My agent was never advised of the non-availability of the Suite, even after she sent a fax just a couple of days before my arrival confirming the late arrival, the booking for a Suite etc and asking them to confirm all was OK (she does this for all her clients).

Somewhere amongst Tempo, Extramar and Casas Brancas nobody had the courtesy to inform me until I arrived tired and late at night and was shown to the grubbiest room I've ever seen (see the pix).

Not even at check-in was I told of the mistake with the room - I had to find it out myself. When I went straight back to reception they knew what I was going to say. Being so late however, there was no alternative to stay at least one night.

Well it didn’t get any better - the sheets on the bed were too small (not fitted) and there was nothing to tuck under which made sleeping uncomfortable. The odour emanating from the toilet was so overpowering I resorted to applying deodorant stick to my top lip to mask the smell. The floor was painted concrete and badly stained, the roller blinds were broken so the room could not be darkened and the mini refrigerator was dirty inside and out.

And at check-in you are warned in no uncertain terms not to drink water from the tap. That’s fine – there was bottled water in the (dirty) refrigerator, but at breakfast the next morning I held a glass to my nose and it smelt awful. I figured they must wash the dishes, cutlery and glasses in the same water they tell you is not safe to drink. I’m guessing that’s where I picked up the “traveller’s bug”, because two days later I succumbed and was ill for the next four.

Well, I voted with my feet and booked into the clean and comfortable Sofitel in Rio for my remaining two nights in Brazil. Had the Casas Brancas room been at least clean and fresh I might have stayed on, but in my many years of travel and staying at all sorts of hotels around the world, this would have been by far the worst.

It’s been about four weeks since this horrible experience, and I still have not received any apology or refund. Had someone owned up to the booking error early enough I could have made other choices, but remaining silent and allowing me to travel from Rio to Buzios to find out for myself is simply unforgivable.