I recently stayed at the Pousada Forte da Horta, and to say it was a disappointment would be a massive understatement. What should have been a historic and relaxing stay felt more like a dodgy, unsettling nightmare. By far the most alarming part of the stay was the room's setup. There were bizarre electrical components positioned directly facing the bathtub. They served absolutely no logical purpose, had no apparent function, and left me with a deeply unsettling feeling that they could easily be hiding a pinhole camera. The entire stay felt like a massive invasion of privacy, and I couldn't relax for a single second in my own room. Because of this, I felt forced to drape towels and other items over these strange fixtures just to protect my family's basic privacy. The unprofessionalism didn't stop there. One morning, I walked outside and saw one of the hotel's breakfast staff members sitting on the bench right in front of the hotel, openly watching pornography on their phone. It was incredibly trashy, highly unprofessional, and set a terrible tone for the entire establishment. As for the property itself, everything felt incredibly old, neglected, and dodgy. The outdoor pool was unusable—completely filthy and covered in pigeon droppings. It was clear that basic maintenance is entirely ignored here. The single saving grace of this hotel was the cleaning staff. The cleaning ladies were genuinely friendly, polite, and did their best with what they had. Unfortunately, their warmth couldn't make up for what was otherwise a deeply uncomfortable, stressful, and poorly run experience. I would strongly advise anyone looking for peace of mind and basic hygiene to steer clear of this place.
