In a nutshell:

- Staff is friendly (most of the time), but incompetent;
- There is no sand beach in front of the hotel - it's rocks, a person had even to be recued when I was there such the danger of that water;
- Food is worse than terrible;
- Cleanliness is ok in the rooms;
- Rooms are ok, but in need of urgent update.

You can get a lot better for your money.

Hubby and i visited holidayed here in early 2007.
iA good deal with thomsonfly. Flight long but worth it, meals good as well on flight, should be much better now, with more leg room and seat back t.v.'s.
our rep.gary, was brilliant, nothing too much bother.
hotel clean, no bugs. very quiet in the evenings though, if you want nightlife, go into town. glad we didn't bring our sons, in their early twenties and single, they would've been bored.
we found in general the food was good, and service good. you must try the french restaurant, food bad, except for the desserts, crepe suzette, yum, yum. and the wine is so awful, you have to taste it !
you cannot swim in the sea, too rough. paddle in the rockpools and you can see little fish.
we went to town, to c & a's, and other shops, but didn't really find any 'bargains'.
the trips we booked with thomson, were cashews and coconuts and mangrove mysteries.
firstly, cashews and coconuts, it was by beach buggy. fast, unsafe,we had an accident travelling to the freshwater lake. my seatbelt didn't do up properly, my husband had to tie it round me !
we had lunch at a disused railway station, where a bull, put it's own ploughing equipment on. a little boy was playing with his pet monkey, that kept squealing, i gave it a banana ( for the monkey) and the boy ate it ! we visited the huge cashew tree, the market near there sold the nuts, lovely !
then to a clifftop where you could watch dolphins playing in the waves below.
then, the horror ! to the sand dunes. if you like death dropping rollercoasters, go for it ! me, my eyes were closed, while i held on for dear life. my other half couldn't believe what the driver was doing. anyway we survived, back to the hotel, strong drink, then relax !
mangrove mysteries, was more serene, a nice air-con. coach, travelled up to a little village, caught a boat to the mangroves, hunted for mud crabs, had a fresh pineapple drink, a mudpack, then a swim in the river/lake, then to a lovely lunch up the coast. afternoon tea at a ancient plantation, after looking at tropical plants and herbs, saw a huge cane toad, lovely he was. pineapple upside down cake, mango juice, fed the cats ( as usual), watched humming birds feeding, heaven. met the old lady that owned the place, told her she was so lucky living here.
would recommend the place for a quiet week away, that's all we went for. but brazil is a lovely country, this part, go before it gets messed up.

This is definitely a 3star hotel, not a 3 star plus or 4 star. However we had a fantastic time here, the hotel staff were friendly and accommodating. It is a relatively small hotel with one main dining area and two restaurants open on alternative evenings. The restaurants were not used to their full capacity. The buffet restaurant had a good selection but did become repetitive after the first week. The hotel needs a little tidying up and some fixing to be done. ie. the tennis courts could do with a net and the pool could do with the other net being fixed so a game of water basketball could be had. The gym was lovely, and the jacuzzi and steam room very welcoming. The staff speak some English, but it was pleasant to learn some Brazillian. This hotel is not geared up for western tourists, however we found this to our liking. They do somemtimes get overcrowded on the weekends with various conferences and struggle a little. Overall you get what you pay for.

Location excellent for those people who don't like the hassle of towns etc, the staff were freindly and attentive. Reception couldn't do enough for you if there were any problems. It is the first holiday that I have not wanted to finish. Buses cost 1.75 Real to either town, they can be a bit full but it's worth doing for the experience, if you want to get a Taxi they will cost 20+ Real. Don't book this holiday if you are looking for a typical Brit Hol, it will not suit you. Food was good to average the staff are trying to learn English and you will need patience when dealing with of the locals. I had a great time and I would stay there again. My regards to Gary the Rep and Chico our Buggy Driver who gave us an excellent day out ( you will find him hanging around reception at 09:00 hrs ), use the excursions they really make a difference to how you look at Brazil, Pipa is a great day out.
Fantastic Holiday.

Alan ( aka Chico ) and Mary