Buzios - Katerina. Date of travel: Dec 2006
The Brava hotel markets itself as a luxury hotel, however, the only thing it has going for it is its website & the photos they've posted. Brava is the worst hotel experience I have ever encountered through all my years of traveling. Upon arrival we discovered that the hotel had messed up our reservations and instead of having two rooms for two nights, they could only guarantee us two rooms for the first night, and one room for the second night. They promised us to let us know if a room opened up, and that the worst case scenario would be for the four people in our group to share one room on the 2nd night. We reluctantly agreed to this as we had no choice; it was New Years week & all the hotels were booked. The following morning, we were told that not only had no rooms become available, but that the one room we did have was also no longer available to us and that we would have to check out that morning. After trying to communicate w/ the hotel staff, of which only one person spoke English, we asked to speak to the owner. We were also told that the staff knew upon check in that we would have to give up our room on day two, but had decided not to say anything to us; they thought they would handle the situation the next day. My Spanish speaking friend was able to communicate w/ the Argentinian owner, who was completely apathetic. He refused to accomodate us in any way, and never even offered an apology. When we asked him what a purpose of a reservation was, he just stared at us. The only thing the staff did for us was to book a third rate pousada in the middle of town, where we spent the night. Brava Hotel is owned by two Argentinian brothers who have tried to create a luxury hotel a la the Delano in South Beach, however it is all a farce and facade. It is very pretty, at first glance. However, they know nothing about providing service, which is what a hotel experience is all about. Aside from their unprofessional conduct regarding our reservations and our rooms, the service is extremely poor. When we ordered food and drinks poolside, each drink and each plate would arrive separately, w/ a 15-20 minute gap in between, such that none of us had our food or drinks together. It was ridiculous, considering there were only about 6 or 7 other guests poolside at the time. Their "fitness center" is a joke. It consists of a treadmill and a bike. Their rooms are poorly designed, w/ a big potted Palm tree blocking the pathway around the bed; again only an aesthetic touch. I would not recommend anyone stay at this hotel. For $200 (US$) a night, one expects decent service, accomodating staff & function, instead of a facade of luxury. Anyone can hire an architect and interior designer to create a visually pleasing space. However it takes skill, experience and professionalism to provide good customer service. In my opinion, this hotel will not last. Oh, and as far as the "heliport" they boast about on their site, it is another misrepresentation. If you arrive by helicopter, they drop you off in the middle of a field and excpect you to find your own way to the hotel (this we were told by other travelers we met there).