For a couple staying six nights over New Year 2026 in Itaúnas, the seven pousadas that quoted me a price directly asked between R$ 2,400 and R$ 6,000. The middle price was R$ 3,800, about US$ 730 or CA$ 1,040. I wrote to 35 places, and 13 had not given me a price yet.
Itaúnas is a small beach village in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil, surrounded by sand dunes. Every New Year, thousands of people come from all over the world to dance forró there. Many people call it the biggest forró festival in the world. I went last year and I am going back this year, so on September 28 I started writing to pousadas, which are small guesthouses, to ask what they charge.
I found one that fits my budget in less than 24 hours. The rest of the research was too useful to keep to myself, so I put all of it in a free guide with charts, photos and a WhatsApp button for each pousada: open the full Itaúnas New Year stay guide. Here is what it shows.
What happened to my 35 messages
| Outcome | Pousadas | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Gave a price, or have a public price | 19 | 54% |
| Already full for these dates | 3 | 9% |
| No price yet (no reply, automatic reply or incomplete answer) | 13 | 37% |
The 13 without a price are not necessarily full. Many answer slowly close to the holidays, and the guide lists them so you can try again.
What six nights cost
All prices below are for one double room for six nights, December 27, 2026 to January 2, 2027, and were quoted to me by the pousada. The dollar figures use the September 30 exchange rate of about 0.19 US dollars and 0.27 Canadian dollars per real, rounded.
| Pousada | 6 nights (R$) | About US$ | About CA$ | Distance to the forró stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solar de Itaúnas (chalets at a campground, no breakfast) | 2,400 | 460 | 650 | not given |
| Recanto Itaúnas (breakfast and A/C) | 3,000 | 580 | 820 | 930 m |
| Sereno (ceiling fan room) | 3,500 | 670 | 950 | not measured |
| Nativos (breakfast and A/C) | 3,800 | 730 | 1,040 | 211 m |
| Cactos (breakfast and A/C) | 4,000 | 770 | 1,090 | about 850 m |
| das Estrelas (simple courtesy spread instead of breakfast) | 4,600 | 880 | 1,250 | 457 m |
| Vila Morena (breakfast and A/C) | 6,000 | 1,150 | 1,640 | village center |
Distances are straight lines to the Buraco do Tatu, the main forró venue, calculated by me. Cactos quoted December 27 to January 2 or 3 without separating the two checkout dates, so treat its price as approximate.
quoted by the pousada (7)calculated or estimated (10)
See which pousadas are in each band →
The same room costs different amounts depending on how many nights you book
Several pousadas sell New Year by the package, not by the night. Recanto Itaúnas, for example, charges R$ 2,000 for four nights, R$ 2,500 for five, R$ 3,000 for six, R$ 3,500 for seven and R$ 4,000 for eight. Mestre Lua charges R$ 3,500 for up to five nights plus R$ 250 for each extra night, which makes six nights R$ 3,750 by their rule. Cordel de Itaúnas quoted R$ 4,800, but for eight nights, so its six-night price should be lower.
That is why I kept asking the same question: how many nights does this price cover? A number that looks cheap may be a five-night package, and one that looks expensive may include eight.
Ask the pousada before you book on a platform
One pousada, Casa da Praia, showed R$ 4,200 for six nights on its own booking site. Booking.com asked R$ 7,800 for the same dates, which is 86 percent more. It is one documented case, and it is enough to make me message the pousada before I book anywhere else.
Most of the pousadas that gave me a deposit rule (Solar, Recanto and Nativos) asked for 50 percent up front. Ask for the cancellation policy in writing and keep the receipt.
What Airbnb showed
On September 29 I read seven Airbnb listings in Itaúnas for two adults, December 27 to January 2, with fees included. Totals ran from R$ 1,397 to R$ 4,773. The cheapest is a rustic whole place with no bed linen or towels, so the real saving is smaller than it looks. The others, between R$ 2,448 and R$ 4,773, are private rooms and small houses, two of them with no reviews yet.
A note about noise
One pousada next to the festival grounds has shows from 11 pm to 7 am, with the sound reaching the rooms, so I crossed it off my list. If you came to dance until sunrise, that may sound like a feature. If you want to sleep, ask how far the room is from the stage.
New to the music? Start with our explainer on what forró is, and see where to dance forró in Canada if you want to practice before the trip.
What to do next
- Open the guide and pick two or three pousadas that fit your budget.
- Tap the WhatsApp button on each card. The message opens already written in Portuguese.
- Replace the dates, send it, and ask for the total for your exact dates.
- Get the price, breakfast, deposit and cancellation policy in writing before you pay.
Do you have questions and do not speak Portuguese? Message me on Instagram at @raquel_camargo and I will help you.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a hotel cost at the Itaúnas forró festival?
For a couple staying six nights over New Year 2026, the seven pousadas that quoted a price directly asked between R$ 2,400 and R$ 6,000. The middle price was R$ 3,800, about US$ 730 or CA$ 1,040.
When were these prices collected?
I collected them between September 28 and 30, 2026, for December 27, 2026 to January 2, 2027. Rates and availability change quickly close to New Year, so confirm every price in writing with the pousada.
Is the price per person?
No. Every price in this article is for one room for two people for the whole stay, not per person per night.
What is a pousada?
A pousada is a small guesthouse or inn. Most in Itaúnas have a handful of rooms, and many serve breakfast.
Do I need to speak Portuguese to book?
It helps, but it is not required. The guide has a ready message in Portuguese with an English translation, and a WhatsApp button for each pousada. You can also message me on Instagram @raquel_camargo with questions.
Sources and method
I contacted 35 pousadas in Itaúnas by WhatsApp and Instagram between September 28 and 30, 2026, asking for a double room with a private bathroom from December 27, 2026 to January 2, 2027. The prices in the table are the ones each pousada gave me. Where I used public sources such as a pousada’s own website, Booking or TripAdvisor, or scaled a package price to six nights, the guide labels the figure as calculated or estimated, and I left those out of the table above. The chart groups the 17 pousadas that gave a usable six-night price: 7 quoted by the pousada and 10 calculated or estimated, as the guide marks each one. The median of R$ 3,800, the 86 percent gap for Casa da Praia, the outcome shares and the dollar conversions are my own calculations. Exchange rates are the September 30, 2026 rates published by Frankfurter, which uses European Central Bank reference data; your bank or card rate will differ a little. Airbnb totals were read on September 29, 2026. Prices and availability change, and nothing here is an endorsement of any pousada. Featured photo: dunes of Itaúnas by Rafael Deminicis, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons, resized.
