In the small barrel, there is good wine: review hotel Casa do Bispo Manaus
You can believe it or not, but I never look at hotel reviews on Tripadvisor or even look at the [...]
Brazil
You can believe it or not, but I never look at hotel reviews on Tripadvisor or much less look at the rating on Booking.
In this article:
In the first case because 99 times out of 100 I stay in chain hotels and therefore trust the brand, in the second case because human beings tend to speak up when things are not going well, so there is more likely to be a negative review than a positive one.
I say this because when I stayed at this hotel its rating was 7.9/10 on Booking and 3.2/5 on Tripadvisor, definitely low ratings for this property.
Disclaimer: I did not pay for the room, but this as happened in the past never invalidates my review. The fact that I am hosted in a facility does not imply that I should be satisfied and nothing is asked of me in return. In this case I was a guest of Promobrasil.
Location
This is one of the 3 strengths of this facility. We are directly in the theater square, in the heart of the city.
Here there are, in addition to the most iconic place in the entire Amazon, restaurants, bars, clubs of all kinds. From here, one can easily sightsee in the city without having to take cabs or other means of transportation.
The room
To understand that I am not treated with kid gloves, one only needs to see the room I was assigned: ground floor, with a window on the hallway, so no window.
The room is basic, it reminded me a lot of the one I had Had in Stockholm at a Design Hotel Marriott. No TV, no closet, no refrigerator.
There is a four-poster bed, a comfortable mattress. A bathroom, small but with everything you need.
The real flaw in the room is soundproofing: you hear everything that happens. The doorbell of people ringing to enter the hotel, the footsteps of people walking down the hallway, and even the party that livens up the square every night, because the historic Bar do Armando Is literally next door to the hotel.
The two goodies of the Casa do Bispo
I often say that, there are hotels where you will spend a lot of time in the room (e.g., Maldives, Koh Samui) and Others where the room is just the base camp, then you'll be out.
A Manaus come to see the meeting of the two rivers that make up the Amazon, come for the city, for the history, for the waterfalls of Presidente Figueredo, not to stay in your room.
However, this hotel has two treasures that totally compensate for the room's shortcomings:
The rooftop where to enjoy the sunset, have a beer while admiring the comings and goings of Brazilians in the square, a square that in the evening fills with life, music and colors.
La small Amazon in the back. A swimming pool, small, but sufficient if you want to take a dip h24. A corner where the "small" breakfast is also served.
The hotel
The facility has only 10 rooms, spread over 3 floors. You can breathe a lot of Amazon around, and that's what counts in a facility like this.
In addition to the one already described, there is a lounge with a theater view, perfect for relaxing before going out to dinner and eating a grilled tambaqui or pirarucu.
Breakfast
Small, but neat buffet. There is tapioca, how could it be missed, but also a very good banana smoothie. There are eggs, sweet and savory with local flavors.
Want to sleep in a former convent? Choose the Casa do Frade
Do you want to sleep in the former Capuchin friary? Then choose the Casa do Frade, literally the next door to the Casa do Bispo. It's like entering a museum: sure, you can sleep in the cells of the "minor" friars, but also in the apartments of the "superiors," the choice is yours. There is no pool here, but the rooftop is even more beautiful.
In conclusion
I did not expect a 5-star hotel, but considering that the cost is around 50€ per night, in my opinion it is the best hotel where I stayed in Manaus to date.
Pro
- Location
- Environment
- The garden with a swimming pool
Against
- Noisy ground floor rooms
- No view of the outside