Hotel Ponta do Madeiro — Hotel in Região Geográfica Imediata de Canguaretama

A fantastic location above one of the most beautiful beaches in Brazil; charming staff; good food and comfortable accommodation. Those are the good points. Unfortunately they are somewhat undermined by the sharp practices of those in charge. On checking in we were told that our 'Superior Room' wasn't available so they were putting us in a 'Master Room' for the first night of our 4-night stay. The receptionist was charming; we were tired, so we decided not to make a fuss. Even though the room was nasty - dated and tired - we probably still wouldn't have made a fuss. However, that night the heavens opened; the roof leaked and the clothes in my suitcase were soaked in dirty water. That's when my attitude changed. And I'm afraid it's only when I got angry that they agreed to refund the first night and wash my clothes for free. It was also only when we moved to the 'Superior Room' that we realised what a downgrade the 'Master Room' was. A shame they didn't admit this up front, apologise and offer a refund without asking. Anyway from then on we enjoyed all the positives that the Pousada undoubtedly has. But sadly they spoiled it right at the end by trying to scam us on the final bill. Having agreed the total in Reals, I handed over my credit card. My Portuguese isn't good so I thought she was telling me there was an error on the bill so I would have to make two payments. In fact, after I'd keyed in my PIN she told me 'my bank' had converted the charge to Euros. This was nonsense. In fact she had opted to charge me in pounds sterling at an appalling exchange rate, skimming roughly £30 on top of the bill. Naturally I told her to cancel the payment and put the transaction though again. At first she refused saying it was impossible. Then she said that even if she did that 'my bank' would charge me again in 'euros'. In the end she handed me the EPOS machine and told me to do it myself. Funnily enough this was remarkably straightforward. All I had to do was opt NOT to change the amount into pounds sterling when asked by the machine. Something I'm sure the receptionist could have done herself. Anyway; lesson learned. Make sure you don't book anything less than a Superior Room. Don't let them make a crafty profit on your final bill. Then you should have a lovely time and not leave the hotel feeling you just dodged a...

I stayed at Ponta do Madeiro with mother and two brothers to celebrate her 60th birthday. We were there for a whole week between the end of November and beginning of December 2015 and were really satisfied with everything (except for the steep 196 steps to get to the beach, maybe...). As other reviewers have mentioned, the hotel lies on the edge of a cliff overlooking a wonderful beach with clean sand, warm water, and the frequent presence of dolphins in the beach corner opposite to the hotel. The views from the restaurant, gardens, pool and from some rooms are amazing, with blue water shining through the green vegetation. Rooms are spacious and well maintained, with very comfortable beds and showers. The main reason for my positive review, however, was the staff. Everyone did all they could with a smile on their face to make us feel comfortable and relax, from the reservation made through phone/e-mail with Mrs. Viviane through our check-out. Differently from most hotels that apply a service fee on foods, drinks and extra services only, Ponta do Madeiro does charge a 10% service fee at checkout that applies to the reservation fees as well. We didn't feel bad about this for three reasons: (1) tips are not expected by the staff during your stay; (2) service is great, and (3) the prices at the hotel are fair and often lower than at other (inferior) restaurants and beach bars. If you are lucky to stay here one day, do not forget to try their shrimp with passion fruit sauce at...

We just got back from Hotel Ponta do Madeiro (4 nights), with 2 small children (ages 2 and 5). The staff tries very hard to make the stay as pleasant as possible. The location and view is incredible. The steps to the beach for a fit person takes no more than a couple of minutes. We had a superior room and we were surprised that it was nicer than the pictures on the website or on trip advisor. The only area that I would say needs to improve is the food quality and variety. If one is at the hotel more than 2 nights you will have to go into the town of Pipa, which is very bohemian. There are many options for eating, however beware we had our credit card cloned (they charged 1,000 USD). Not sure if it was at the supermarket or one of the restaurants. Also, the hotel is a bit far from the Natal airport (1.5 hours). The hotel transportation was very good and they even had a car seat and a booster seat, though the transfers...