The word “boutique” has often been abused as an adjective to “hotel”. Quite a few examples may be found of this misleading notion, “boutique hotel”. Villa dos Orixás tops the list of bad examples which misrepresent the concept of boutique hotels. These are my reasons to not recommend it:
- To start with, we were met at the port of Morro de São Paulo, after a sickening trip on rough sea by catamaran – which lasted almost 3 hours – by a local guide hired by the hotel to take us to the “VIP” lounge where their car was supposed to pick us up. This meant a 20 minutes walk carrying our luggage ourselves, with no help, through the busy and sandy main street of the village, full of tourists and souvenir shops. We had to wait for about half an hour until an old Land Rover came, not specifically for us, but rather on a shuttle service from the hotel, with other guests. The ride to Villa dos Orixás, on a bumpy dirt road that has seen better days, took another 30 minutes – not that it is that far, but it was really slow given the conditions of the road.
- Once there, we found what could be considered the average “pousada” on any Brazilian beach, a set of bungallows scattered around a lawn, with a large swiming pool in the middle.
- The reception was cold and unwelcoming, as if it were any low-cost hotel – not more than 2 stars – elsewhere in the world. We were immediately informed that internet access was paid, for instance (about 10 euros for 3 hours).
- Then came the realization that the bungallow was nothing like the photos shown on their website. Thatched roof, wooden structure and floors (we were told that “all the timber was brought straight from the Amazon”, which did not make us happier), bare walls and naked fluorescent lightbulbs left us immediately with the impression of something spartan but overpriced. Details found out later just confirmed that impression – towels which felt like rags, all the furniture locally produced (with the Amazon timber, I suppose), white pieces of cloth hung on a steel cable as curtains and cheap toilletries etc.
- Were it not for the landscape, which is really beautiful, there would be little to justify staying there. But wait, the landscape... the place was built on marsh land reclaimed from mangroves, which accounts for the enormous quantity of mosquitoes bugging us everywhere in the evening. Not very sustainable tourism, that is.
- No design, nothing outstanding which might deserve the denomination “boutique hotel” – wait a minute, could it be the plastic flowers?
- Oh, as regards food, go next door (Anima hotel has a nicer restaurant).
One positive note: the staff (except at the reception) is very kind and attentive.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
September 1, 2011
Dear guest,
After reading your review carefully, I decided to write my opinion. I write it by myself as the responsible for the decoration and the choice of building materials.
At the time of construction of the hotel I chose environmentally safe materials and follow all environmental regularization of the island and the country trying to cause as little environmental impact as possible. This was the main reason to buy the wood in the Amazon region, where is located the country's largest carpentry wood for sale legalized and regulated by the IBAMA. The thatched roofs as you mention, are made of a material called “piaçava” (also bought legally) and are the result of a laborious twisted by several local artisans, on this occasion and throughout the construction of Vila dos Orixas, I felt duty to engage with the community and generate as many jobs as possible among local people.
In the case of mangroves and the location of the pool and Bungalows, I followed all the rules of construction and environmental limits and other personal criteria such as ensuring the privacy of the guests, leaving a good distance between the bungalows, one of the features in the definition of a boutique hotel.
Concerning to the photos that appear on our website I must say that nothing was added to the bungalows, so they are exactly as the photos show. Also, it was not used any software to modify and they were done with natural light.
It's a matter of taste, I try to put warm fabrics, warm colors and wood, because I thought it was more appropriate for the environment, and continued on my personal taste when choosing a clean decor with a modern twist (my largest single item purchased in chain decoration is the system of steel to hold the curtains).
"I’m sorry" not to use large furniture and lighting brands or large chains of decoration, as I felt once again that he could take advantage of the beauty of wood, fibers, natural materials and the skills of artisans in developing both furniture and in the iron lamp.
I will not justify the placement of NO plastic flowers.
Once given my opinion regarding decoration and sustainability that has required much effort, I will further clarify the way of transportation used to get to Vila dos Orixás.
We have a land rover 4x4, which offers, several times per day, free transportation to our guests wanting to visit the center of Morro and easy check in and check out.
As we explained in our website, we are located on the fifth beach, 8 km dirt road from the center. It is true that the road is in bad condition, unfortunately the responsibility is on the city council to solve the problem and we can only make small improvements to facilitate access and a 4x4 to make the trip, which requires a great economic effort.
Perhaps the fact of being distant is one of the strong points of our hotel. Our clients are looking for a romantic break, disconnect from the world, relax and enjoy the charms of nature so they prefer to be away from the bustle of downtown. That’s why the fifth beach is one of the most private and preserved of the island.
We try to respect the scheduled times and be on time with them, which is sometimes very difficult because not only depends on our work. For example, when a ship has a delay we try to make this problem affects the least number of guests possible.
The fact that the sea is rough or not, it is also beyond our reach, the best we can do is recommend other ways of transportation, such as the plane that takes 20 minutes from the airport of Salvador.
Another point I would like to clarify are the rules of circulation and collection system for passengers. It is forbidden the circulation of vehicles within Morro de Sao Paulo, we can only get to the second beach. That's why we sent a hotel worker to receive our clients at the pier and guide them to the collection point. The carriage of luggage is made by the association of shippers, they are available at the port and the cost is R$10 per bag as informed by our guide. Avoiding nobody has to carry their luggage unless they want.
We use to send an e-mail two days before check-in informing that this service is not included in the daily rate.
To conclude I would say that I respect your opinion about our hotel but I don’t share it and I’m sorry that your stay had not been as pleasant as I would like to.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC.
