There are not enough superlatives to describe our stay at Pousada Les Roches. The cabin (chalet) we stayed in was spotless and charming, the pousada grounds and setting in the Cuiaba Valley are beautiful, and the food in the restaurant was excellent. What sent our stay "over the top" (in a good way) was the service we received from Americo, the owner, and all of the staff. Everyone we encountered went well out of their way to make sure that everything was perfect for us, and it was! We spoke only very limited Portuguese, but generally this was not an issue at all as many staff speak English and those that didn't were very kind and patient with our attempts at speaking Portuguese.

One thing to be aware of is that the location is fairly remote, and activities or dining off-premises definitely requires a car. That said, you can happily spend a weekend here and not ever leave the property.

My husband and I headed to the “Pousada des Roches”in Itaipava, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, after a careful search for a perfect secluded and classy headaway. Sure enough, the hotel is located in a beautiful valley, where nature is dressed in an exhilarating fashion. Our room was nicely furnished and the toiletries, as actually announced in the hotel site, of well-picked quality. After a late lazy lunch, we napped and as we woke up to shower and get ready for dinner, we had the unplesant surprise of not having hot running water in our bathroom. To make matters worse, the phone was broken and the only way to reach the reception was to go there to place our complaint. Nevertheless, it all came to a nice end: the hotel staff was quick in relocating us in a different room, acting quite apologeticcally as required in such a situation. Minutes later, the hotel owner himself made a point of calling us to see what could be done in order to repair the inconveniencies that had been inflicted on us by hazard. He suggested that our rate for that day not to be charged and we thought that was fair enough. The stay was not exactly what we had in mind, but I am sure returning to a place that keeps such high standards of service and makes a point of addressing problems that may come up unexpectably.

We had an excellent surprise with Pousada Les Roches. The service was outstanding, above any other Brazilian hotel I have stayed. The room was large, well decorated and well kept, the common areas were also well-decorated and clean. The restaurant had amazing food and service, no need to go to Petrópolis for haute cuisine. We highly recommend this Pousada and will definitely stay here again.