Asalem

Excellent hotel, all of the staff were very good, helpful and happy. Special mention to Karen, the manager who always had a smile and made sure everyone was comfortable. Because of the topology there are a lot of steps, depending on where your room is, but the more steps, the better the view of the bay. Rooms were well appointed, cleaned every day, plumbing, electricity and WiFi all worked consistently well (not a given on Ilha Grande). Unbelievably picturesque setting, the hotel was very calm and relaxing. The food in the restaurant was a limited choice but everything we tried was very good (I think for most people the main courses would feed 2 people, especially if you have been doing nothing all day 😉). The breakfast was great and I doubt you can find a dining room with a better vista. Being outside town has its pros and its cons, but it was very easy to arrange the hotel’s little boat in and out, and the walk can be fun if you stop for a drink at Julia’s on the way and aren’t in a hurry. Thanks very much to the porters/boat drivers for helping with heavy luggage, too!

Ilha Grande is a tropical paradise. It’s beautiful. The weather is great. The water is warm, and so are the people. Asalem has the best location on it for balancing privacy with easy access to town. Asalem’s deck is a wonderful place to have dinner and the food is excellent. The friendly staff was wonderful. So I can’t give this hotel less than 3 stars. ||But if you are used to North American or European 2 star hotels or better, you should look at other options. And that’s crazy because for a little effort, the owner could make this place amazing.||The towels in the room smelled. The beach towels were covered in dirt. The bed spread was dusty. When I moved in the bed at night, dust particles would set me off coughing. The pillows were terrible.||The room was filled with ants. Maybe that is hard to stop here, but I didn’t get the impression they were trying real hard. They were doing noisy construction throughout the day, something they never mentioned nor apologized for. ||There was an old wooden canoe which I used for a great paddle around the bay. A couple of paddleboards or sit on top kayaks (like most other nice hotels on the water have) would provide something you could stop and swim off of, or kids could play on in front of the hotel.||Again, the location and staff are wonderful. That's why I titled this lost opportunity. We lost the opportunity to enjoy Ilha Grande even more. But it’s really a lost opportunity for the owner, who for a small investment in some towels and pillows, and hiring one really good cleaning person, could be running the best hotel on the island.

We stayed at this hotel for three nights while visiting Ilha Grande. We were very excited for our stay and while the location, the views and the layout of the hotel are incredible, we felt like the hotel is overcharging by a lot considering the bad condition of the rooms and the poor service we received. They charge for everything separately, including the boat rides to Abraão, which are essentially unavoidable at night. It took them two days to fix our air conditioning. In my opinion, the tours of the island they offer are also overpriced, as is the laundry service. We could take the Kayak for free though and the dinner was delicious, while breakfast was disappointing. Overall, we felt quite disappointed with our stay considering how expensive it was and would not stay here again.

Service was perfect, from the pick up to the great breakfast. Location was also great, on walking distance of the town and several beaches. First room was olay, the last nights we stayed in another room which was perfect.

This is a small slice of paradise - we stayed as a family and loved every minute. Perfectly placed in a quiet location between stunning beaches and the local town/village which is easily accessed by the hotel water taxi. Breakfast was wonderful with delicious cakes and fruit and of course the incredible views! We would love to return one day.

Asalem was the perfect retreat on an island paradise! A quick taxi boat shuttle (which runs all day and night) to Vila do Abrãao for shops and restaurants. We were able to book a boat tour of the island with pick up right from our dock. Great views from our room and the restaurant located on site. Food was delicious and everyone was so friendly and helpful! Would recommend.

We had an amazing experience at Asalem: astonishing view of the bay, perfect location, delicious food, and great service offered by its staff mainly Julia and Regis! Can't wait to go back ;) 🇧🇷 🇨🇦

This place describes itself as rustic or authentic. I’m afraid this is no more than an excuse to be hugely rundown. ||Our trip was marred by poor weather and this of course is nothing to do with the hotel. ||What can be lain at the door or the hotel is the state of the place; ancient pillows, two of our four were some old they had formed clumps like cotton balls throughout the pillow. Everything, pillows, towels, throws was dirty and more than that they smelled. The light switches were filthy as were the tiles in the bathroom and the glass shower screen. We paid nearly £200 (pounds, GBP) a night and honestly I cried at the hovel it was. The is not a comfortable chair in the entire establishment. The loo for guests was in within spitting distance of the kitchen where all of the food was prepared. ||The staff were fine; polite, but no more. I sent WhatsApp’s asking to book a massage and received a reply so late it was impossible to book for that day. I asked for help with the fridge that didn’t work and by the time I had a response I had to ask them to come the following day because it was by then too late for them to come to the room, we had gone to bed.||I have left now and there is no benefit to me in writing this negative review, I can’t get a discount, I can’t get a refund and there’s no compensation drink or anything of the sort- the only reason to write this review is the hope that someone doesn’t have the same miserable time I had a this place. Please go somewhere else.