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Hotel Pontao

3.0 star property

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Photo gallery for Hotel Pontao

Outdoor pool, pool umbrellas, sun loungers
Superior Double or Twin Room | View from room
Superior Double or Twin Room | Minibar, in-room safe, desk, bed sheets
Bar (on property)
Lobby

Reviews

7.6 out of 10
Good

Popular amenities

  • Pool
  • Parking included
  • Free WiFi
  • Restaurant
  • Air conditioning
  • Bar
$149
$125 nightly
$149 total
Total with taxes and fees
Feb 22 - Feb 23

Explore the area

View in a map
Edificio Pontao, Santa Maria, Sal, 4111
  • Place, Santa Maria Beach
    ‪3 min walk‬
  • Place, Santa Maria Pier
    ‪3 min walk‬
  • Place, Santa Maria Town Square
    ‪6 min walk‬
  • Airport, Sal Island (SID-Amilcar Cabral Intl.)
    ‪19 min drive‬

Room options

View all photos for Standard Double or Twin Room

Standard Double or Twin Room | Minibar, in-room safe, desk, bed sheets

Standard Double or Twin Room

8.6 out of 10
Excellent
(4 reviews)
  • City view
  • 237 sq ft
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed OR 2 Twin Beds

View all photos for Superior Double or Twin Room

Superior Double or Twin Room | Minibar, in-room safe, desk, bed sheets

Superior Double or Twin Room

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • 269 sq ft
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed OR 2 Twin Beds

Standard Double or Twin Room, Pool View

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

Superior Double or Twin Room, Pool View

  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

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Total with taxes and fees
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About the neighborhood

Sal

A stay at Hotel Pontao places you in the heart of Sal, within a 10-minute walk of Nazarene Church and Santa Maria Pier. .This beach hotel is 0.6 mi (0.9 km) from Santa Maria Municipal Market and 0.8 mi (1.3 km) from Santa Maria Town Square.

What's nearby

  • Santa Maria Beach - 3 min walk - 0.2 miles
  • Santa Maria Pier - 3 min walk - 0.2 miles
  • Nazarene Church - 5 min walk - 0.3 miles
  • Santa Maria Town Square - 6 min walk - 0.4 miles
  • Santa Maria Municipal Market - 10 min walk - 0.6 miles

Getting around

  • Sal Island (SID-Amilcar Cabral Intl.) - 18 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Papaya - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪restaurante Américo's - ‬5 min walk
  • ‪Calema - ‬5 min walk
  • ‪Genuine Grill & Pizza - ‬7 min walk
  • ‪Morabeza Beach Club - ‬7 min walk

About this property

Hotel Pontao

Hotel Pontao offers 79 air-conditioned accommodations with minibars and safes. Rooms open to furnished balconies. Flat-screen televisions come with satellite channels.

Bathrooms include showers, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers. Business-friendly amenities include desks and phones. A nightly turndown service is provided and housekeeping is offered daily.

Recreational amenities at the hotel include an outdoor pool.

The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.

Make yourself at home in one of the 79 air-conditioned rooms featuring minibars and flat-screen televisions. Rooms have private furnished balconies. Satellite television is provided for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with showers feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers.
Take advantage of recreation opportunities such as an outdoor pool or take in the view from a terrace and a garden. Additional amenities at this hotel include complimentary wireless internet access and a television in a common area.
At Hotel Pontao, enjoy a satisfying meal at the restaurant. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at the bar/lounge.
Featured amenities include a 24-hour front desk, multilingual staff, and luggage storage. A roundtrip airport shuttle is provided for a surcharge (available 24 hours), and free self parking is available onsite.
Hotel Pontao has a restaurant serving breakfast only.

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Internet access
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • 24-hour roundtrip airport shuttle (surcharge)
  • Free self parking on site

Food and drink

  • A bar/lounge
  • A restaurant

Things to do

  • Outdoor pool
  • TV in common areas

Family friendly

  • Outdoor pool

Conveniences

  • 24-hour front desk
  • Luggage storage
  • Safe at front desk

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (daily)
  • Multilingual staff
  • Turndown service

Outdoors

  • Garden
  • Pool loungers
  • Pool umbrellas
  • Terrace

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • No elevator
  • Wheelchair accessible (may have limitations)
  • Wheelchair-accessible registration desk

More

  • 1 building
  • 2 floors
  • Designated smoking areas

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • Free toiletries
  • Hair dryer
  • Private bathroom
  • Shower
  • Towels provided

Entertainment

  • Flat-screen TV with satellite channels

Food and drink

  • Minibar

More

  • Air conditioning
  • Desk
  • Phone
  • Safe

Policies

Check-in

Check-in time starts at 2:00 PM
Late check-in subject to availability
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before noon

Special check-in instructions

This property offers transfers from the airport (surcharges may apply); guests must contact the property with arrival details before travel, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Access methods

Staffed front desk

Pets

No pets or service animals allowed

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
1 child, up to the age of 2 years, can stay for free if using existing beds when occupying the parent or guardian's room
Rollaway/extra beds are not available

Property payment types

Important information

Fees

You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:

  • A tax is imposed by the city: EUR 2.49 per person, per night. This tax does not apply to children under 17 years of age.

We have included all charges provided to us by the property.

Optional extras

  • Airport shuttle fee: EUR 14 per vehicle (one way)

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards; cash is not accepted
Safety features at this property include a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, a security system, a first aid kit, and window guards
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios, terraces which may not be suitable for children; if you have concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm they can accommodate you in a suitable room

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property

Property is also known as

Hotel Pontao
Hotel Pontao Sal
Pontao
Pontao Hotel
Pontao Sal
Hotel Pontao Santa Maria
Pontao Santa Maria
Pontao Hotel Santa Maria
Hotel Pontao Cape Verde/Ilha Do Sal - Santa Maria
Hotel Pontao Sal
Hotel Pontao Hotel
Hotel Pontao Hotel Sal

Hotel Pontao Reviews

Reviews

7.6

Good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 24 out of 113 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 50 out of 113 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 27 out of 113 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 9 out of 113 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 3 out of 113 reviews

8.4/10

Cleanliness

7.6/10

Staff & service

7.8/10

Amenities

7.4/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

8/10 Good

Ben

Stayed 14 nights in Oct 2025

6/10 Okay

Aliyah

Traveled with group
Liked: Property conditions & facilities
We stayed here recently - when we first arrived there was a problem with the lights and we did notice they are quite dim - the hotel staff did replace a light since one wasn’t working however the lights still look very dim and not bright We notice the pillows really smelled bad as well like it wasn’t cleaned we did speak up about this also but I think these pillows were just placed there for aesthetic rather than comfort The shower is also open space so it caused really bad leakage everyday the floor will get too wet and we’d have to always ask for more towels to place on the floor and to also have to clean our body etc Breakfast was great It’s convenient location to the strip The staff is somewhat friendly although we do feel like the bar staff was always making inside jokes I understand there’s a language barrier but it does come indecent when you just want to get a drink and they start laughing with their co workers because they're mocking you/don’t understand what you’re saying I do also feel personally I wouldn’t come back to this hotel - there’s no mosquito nets or anything to deter them away - there is a lot of ants also on the table like the bar etc - so I don’t feel it was cleaned to standard Overall I have travelled a lot of places and out of all my travels I think this was not the best hotel I’ve stayed at The jacuzzi was also out of order the whole time and I stayed there for a week
Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2025

10/10 Excellent

LUIZ CARLOS

Traveled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hotel espetacular , próximo à tudo que precisa em sua estadia , e claro o Mar do Sal . Funcionárias maravilhosos . Uma estadia e tanto do melhor . Obrigado à todos .
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Angeles M

Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2025

6/10 Okay

Akissi

Traveled with family
We were on the 3rd floor and they don’t have lift so was not easy with luggage. No hot water in the bathroom and only one towel for two person. No water bottle in the room Good breakfast , nice swimming pool.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2025

10/10 Excellent

Arlindo

Traveled with family
Liked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Friendly people
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2025

8/10 Good

Sarrah

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Affordable, roomy hotel in a convenient area. Close to the beach and airport.
Stayed 8 nights in Dec 2024

8/10 Good

Michael

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We had a good time at Pontao.
Stayed 21 nights in Nov 2024

4/10 Poor

Jay

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Not very good

When we arrived we were asked to pay again even though we had paid in advance. I had to prove that I had paid in advance. When the man gave us our key to the room he just told us what room number with no directions. We walked around the hotel looking for our room for 15 mins before going to ask where it was and even then he just pointed in a direction and left us to find it ourselves. The bathroom door handle was falling off, the bed was not made so we had to locate the sheets and pillows and make it ourselves. When we checked out there weee different people behind the counter who then tried to charge us again for the room. I again had to prove I had paid in full. We would not stay here again and wouldn’t recommend this hotel at all. We were glad it was just one night.
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

Marc

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 6 nights in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Keith

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Loved our stay and would like to visit again
Stayed 7 nights in Mar 2023

8/10 Good

Janice

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
All the staff here are very pleasant and smiling. Hotel is very clean. Good breakfast.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2023

8/10 Good

Howard

Traveled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Breakfast very good, choice of fruit, cooked eggs,always scrambled available and omelette or fried cooked to order. Choice of bread. Pancakes available. Room on ground floor had wifi with pool view. Limited sockets.
Stayed 5 nights in Nov 2022

2/10 Terrible

Robert, nice access to beach

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities

Noisy room, without any hot water for a week

Firstly let me say that the cleaning and catering staff were great. Breakfast good and bed comfortable, unfortunately that's where it all ends. We paid extra for a superior room, although I'm not sure what that was for as the room didn't look the same or have any advantages. After repeatedly asking to change our room due to the noise (single glazed windows opposite a busy road and a nightclub) we were told there were no free rooms even though I saw several people vacate on many occasions. Apart from a TV with no signal, no In Room WiFi, terrible WiFi in lobby, a door opening straight out of the side of the building with a 6 foot drop (dangerous for children), the worst part was having no hot water for the entire stay. I can personally handle most problems but having no hot water on a winter holiday is a deal breaker I'm afraid, the excuse for this was that the hotel was full and people were showering at the same time (well its the hotels duty to ensure a full hotel is capable of dealing with the load) . So in conclusion I'd avoid as im sure there are better places for the price.
Stayed 6 nights in Jan 2019

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 7 nights in Nov 2018

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service

Round the corner from Santa Maria

Hotel staff are superb, paid for a deluxe room but I'm not sure what was deluxe about it as we had 2 joined single beds plus plenty of mould near bedside cabinet. Breakfast was more than enough for those not fussy like us.
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2018

10/10 Excellent

Ian

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Excellent hotel, excellent breakfast choice.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2017

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
There is no staff to help with baggages to go upstair.

10/10 Excellent

Pauline

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great hotel

Small and basic but spotless, comfortable and convenient

6/10 Okay

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities

OK for the price

Just 10 min stroll to the beach, breakfast is okay with usually eggs, bread, cereal etc. Reception lady helpful once she understands what you want. There was no working air con in 1st room we were put in so moved to another and the safe did not work, reception said they would get maintanence to look but was never fixed. Pool area nice and quiet and clean but needs attention to pool, lots of missing tiles.

6/10 Okay

alex, bournemouth, uk

Nice hotel and close to town

Nice hotel close to the Main Street in the town and short walking distance to the beach. Stayed here for 2 weeks bed and breakfast. Nice to have the use of the pool and free wifi in the reception area.

8/10 Good

Martina

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

A week stay

Convenient hotel to stay in. Good location - beach nearby as well as bars, restaurants, taxis, car rental company, shops, supermarket. Breakfast lovely but if you come after 9 am, the choice seems to be limited. If busy during breakfast, no cups, plates, cutlery available for a while. No WiFi in the room. The downside of this place are hotel guests leaving their beach towels on sun beds around the swimming pool when not occupying them. It is almost impossible to use a sun bed if you do not 'reserve' it during breakfast time.

6/10 Okay

John and Gill, UK

Liked: Cleanliness

Well Located

The initial reception was welcoming and as we arrived early we were happy to wait for our booked "superior room with garden view" to be serviced while we walked to the town for lunch. On our return we were allocated what must have been the worst room in the hotel. It had no balcony, was small and dark and looked out on what must be the busiest, noisiest road junction in the town. The reception MUST have know that this was not the room we booked. We complained and were eventually offered and accepted "the last available room". This was a quiet and large family room. It was, I guess, "superior" but was not garden-facing and had no outside space, terrace or balcony, for relaxation. The worst experience was breakfast. This must be the worst organised breakfast buffet experience we have ever experienced. All the food and drink was in one corner and as there was only one hot drinks machine there was always a queue making the area too crowded to access food. The food was generally of poor quality and not systematically replenished. The hot food was mostly gone. The staff work hard but are not properly trained and managed so work very inefficiently. This whole breakfast experience made for a very stressful start to every day and is the main reason we would not recommend the hotel to a friend.

10/10 Excellent

Zsófi

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Our stay in the hotel was lovely! The hotel staff was very helpful and kind, a the entire hotel was really neat and tidy. There was a decent breakfast buffet every morning with fresh bakery product, some cooked stuff, fresh fruits, youghurts... The dinner menu is very short, actually a choise of tuna or chicken, but you have plenty possibilities around in the area. On Fridays they organise barbecue parties with really nice food though. The ocean is just a few minutes walk. Enjoyed our holiday a lot. Glad about choosing Pontao to stay, fair trade for friendly price. Thank you guys!

10/10 Excellent

Bumblebee, England

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Would recommend

If you want all inclusive 500 bed luxury this is not the place, there are however a lot of positives about this 2-3 star hotel. It is very clean and the staff helpful. The buffet breakfast is certainly adequate with fruit, fruit juice, yoghurt, lots of fresh breads to toast with jam and honey or with cheese and cold meat. Fresh omelettes or presumably fried eggs, if you wish. Good coffee from a machine, just help yourself. They do serve a set evening meal at 12 euro and the Friday night 'barbecue' (although no actual bbq in sight) was dearer at 22 euro, but included a strong alcoholic fruit punch and ½ l carafe of wine between 2. The food, especially the fish and salads is very good. The staff made it attractive with tables round the pool area. The pool in the centre of the building is attractive with several large trees and greenery and sunbeds. You do have to chase the sun around, but sometimes shade is good. The superior rooms are of a reasonable size, good bathroom and modern. It had a fridge, but unfortunately not a kettle. Our room was on the ground floor, which was handy for the pool, however you are at the mercy of other guests who stay up late talking loudly on their outside area. Our only disappointment was the bed, which was very hard so not very comfortable. Otherwise a good value hotel situated at the edge of the main streets and 5-10 minutes walk to the beach.