If you're traveling to Rio, Copacabana Palace is the place to stay. The service, amenities, and…read moresmall touches all add up to a restful and restorative stay. The resort has something for families, singles, events, conferences, couples and more. Located directly on the beach there is no where better to stay. We booked with Chase Sapphire Reserve and had quite a good amount of specials. A resort credit, an upgrade, late checkout, and free breakfast. The suite had beautiful high ceilings, spacious bathroom and living room, and we were met with a bottle of champagne upon our arrival. Concierge and hotel staff took care of everything for us from restaurant bookings to attractions to attraction and spa bookings. I can't say enough about the friendly and helpful nature of everyone we encountered. We enjoyed breakfast each morning with a beautiful buffet of fruits, pastries, meats, cheeses, fresh fruit juices, eggs, sausage, and more. We also could order off the menu for specific items. Coffee, sparkling wine, and juices included. The pool was the perfect temperature(its temperature controlled), and well attended with bathrooms right there. Outside on the beach the hotel has its own tent, chairs, and towels. Complimentary beach bag and flip flops upon your arrival. Turndown included fresh water and treats, and I loved the scents of all their products. Great restaurants on site as well as nearby.

This is what you call an EXPERIENCE. My stay at the copacabana palace changed my life and I will…read morenever again settle for anything else. The vibe is pretty old school, but the staff are all pretty young, so they really make the place feel more alive! Breakfast is pretty good and they have lots of options, 24hr pool, and tennis courts! What I really liked was that they had a section reserved right on the beach, where you can sit, leave your stuff, and even get a massage! Will definitely be back! They have my heart!!

Really cool hotel, built in 1904 in the Santa Teresa neighborhood. Getting there involves going up…read moresteep hills and your Uber driver might be skeptical but pay no attention to that. We stayed in the Tijuca suite. Arrived bit late, paid extra 50R for checking in after 9pm. The whole place from the lifts to the wall tiles to the rooms was incredible and unlike anyplace I've stayed in. Breakfast wasn't included but was quite good with the yoghurt, ham/cheese sandwiches, eggs and toast. Also were provided with the house banana cake which was good. Location was good and close to the escadron selaron. Also close to Santa Teresa center where there are cool restaurants and shops. Overall, great experience. Would recommend staying here in you're in Rio.

Avoid at all costs!!!!!…read more We booked 5 nights at this hotel, but we had to leave after only 1 night. The room was in a very disappointing state: yellowed sheets and towels, dampness in the room, no hot water, and a very small and uncomfortable bed. The neighborhood is rough and noisy; you can hear absolutely everything around the hotel, making it impossible to get any rest. These conditions are far from what was advertised for a 4-star hotel... It's worth 1 star. Despite our efforts with Booking.com and the hotel, no refund was offered for the unused nights. We do not recommend this hotel and strongly advise against booking here if you are looking for even a minimum of comfort, cleanliness, and safety. Avoid at all costs!!!

I visited Rio for 11 days during July of 2017. It was a life changing trip. I had the opportunity…read moreto stay at the Royal Regency Palace Hotel for the duration of my trip and loved the place. The interior is beautifully decorated. The staff spoke English which was great because my Portuguese is very limited. The entire front desk staff and restaurant staff deserves props for such amazing service. Let me not forget how housekeeping kept the room clean and a comfortable home away from home. There is one guy in particular that worked at the front desk who was a life saver. I cannot recall his name only his face but he was often the one on duty whenever I needed something. One late night, I was hungry and wanted pizza and around the corner was a Dominoes. He placed the order for me and called my room once the delivery guy arrived to the lobby. I wanted to mail some postcards and he took care of that for me as well. He gave advice and recommendations. I really appreciated him. Wifi is provided upon check in. The rooms are nice and of good size. A quick tip: get an extra key from the front desk to keep in the light slot. The first thing we learned was the lights and air only work when the door key is inside of the slot by the door. If you forget and remove the key, the lights and a/c will turn off after a few minutes and the room will get hot. The room had double beds and they were practically pushed together which was no big deal. There were 2 night stands and a dresser with a small wardrobe closet. There is a door which connects the room to your neighbor's room. There is also a tv but ours was stuck on one channel. The room also has a mini bar but I suggest stocking up on water and snacks from one of the stores near by. For the Americans: DO NOT PUT TOILET PAPER IN THE TOILET. USE THE BIDET AND ONLY FLUSH WASTE. TOILET PAPER GOES IN THE TRASH. The plumbing is delicate and you do not want to back up the toilet. In the bathroom there is a window which can be pushed out for ventilation. There is no tub, only a stand up shower. The bathroom is spacious. Our room did not have a balcony. The walls were well insulated as we never heard a sound from any rooms or even the hallway. We used room service a couple of times and the food was good. The hotel provides breakfast from 6a-10a and it is a treat. The spread is plentiful and filling. There are several juices, breads, desserts, fresh fruits, and prepared foods. Things you will find in the hotel: a bar, restaurant, roof top pool, and a business center. Make sure to check out the pool area during the evening to catch a glimpse of the sun setting. The hotel is located in the neighborhood and within walking distance to Copacabana beach. Recommendations: Do not frequent the area surrounding the beach after 10 pm as the locals state the area safety decreases. Do not walk around with your electronics in your hand especially your phone. You do not want to make yourself an unnecessary target. Only use the ATMs located inside banks to prevent being robbed or the machine having a card skimmer. If you make a right exiting the hotel, then make a right at the intersection, you will find a bank a few doors down on the right. Places to try nearby: Cafe Hum (coffee shop), Matuto (burger stand), Gambin (buffet where you are charged by plate weight)---All of these places are less than a 5 minute walk. There is also a KFC and a grocery store and bank within close distance. The hotel sits in a prime location of many shops and restaurants. I would recommend this hotel 10 times over. I can not rave about this establishment enough!

I stayed at the Fluminense Hotel with two friends during Carnaval in Rio. We were looking for a…read moreclean, safe, hotel in a good area, and we found that in Fluminense, with just a few hiccups. The lobby is pretty "fancy" seeming with a little bit of datedness, but we found that throughout Rio to be fair. It had a nice exterior with cute palm trees surrounding the entrance door. The front desk people when we first arrived and checked in were very helpful, giving us a print of the the parties, parades, and activities of Carnaval, since they knew were there for that event. We made our way to our room after checking in. Our room had one twin bed and one double, so it worked perfectly for our needs as a group of three. There is a little "entrance" area between the hallway door and your room door, with a small fridge and table with chairs. A nice little kitchen area, kid of. Tip about this kitchen area though: After locking your door to the hallway, you will also want to lock this interior door to keep the air conditioning more centrally located in the bedroom where you will sleep, otherwise it gets really warm. The flooring in the room is completely tile, so definitely be careful when coming in with wet feet or shoes, because that can get slippery. The bathroom is nice beyond that, just a tad small. I did enjoy the Fluminense branded toiletries and towels, though. We explored lots of other areas of the hotel while staying there. The pool on the roof is very nice, along with the lounge chairs up there to get some sun if you want to do that. There's a nice view from the roof out to the skyline of Rio, too. Another thing we took advantage of while we were staying at Fluminense was the daily buffet breakfast. There were lots of options each day that changed up a bit from day to day. It's good to grab that before heading out on a big day of exploring. There is a small bodega style grocery shop right across the street, too, where you can grab snacks and drinks, to keep in your room/fridge, which was convenient. While in Rio, one of our friends also had his phone stolen, and the same front desk person we met at check-in was very helpful in getting us directions to the tourist police department to file a report. The only other big negative, was when we were going to check out and leave in a taxi. The front desk person (who we had never met yet in the week we were there), demanded that we pay a huge amount for some missing (two) towels, that were definitely not missing. We didn't even take any towels out of the room! Our trio booked Fluminense on TripMasters (a tour aggregator) but it may be cheaper to book directly with the hotel, if you are not a "package deal" style traveler and prefer to plan hotel/air yourself. So, is this the Ritz Carlton in terms of quality? Not by a long shot. But for being in Rio, we found that Fluminense was pretty higher end comparatively to others we considered.

The lady at the front desk didn't even attempt to try to understand me (ie using an app on her…read morephone or even acting halfway interested as if she cared) WARNING: international travelers--this place is not for you!