I booked a room at the Marina Palace because a friend of mine had stayed there and spoke highly of…read moreit. She said it was an oceanfront hotel with a great roof and pool, so it seemed to be a good option since I was taking my girlfriend to Brazil for her first time.
The reviews were hot and cold- some people raved about the rooms and service and others complained about their rooms being old and in need of maintenance. Our first night after arriving in Rio, we were staying at a family members apartment, but we made sure to go visit the hotel to inspect it and make sure we would be given a nice room or else cancel our reservation and go elsewhere. We walked along the beach from Copacabana to Leblon (where the hotel is located), and spoke with the receptionist.
Andrea, the front desk receptionist, was ABSOLUTELY amazing. She spoke perfect English and showed us a variety rooms that my girlfriend & I could expect to stay in. We were pretty determined to get a front-facing room overlooking the ocean and we told this to Andrea. she told us that ocean-facing rooms were a little more expensive, but she would secure a room for us for a nominal price increase- TOTALLY WORTH IT! She showed us a great suite (Room 2203) that evening. The room was clean, spacious, and modern. The view from the massive windows was pretty dark because we were staring at the ocean at night, but she assured us it was one of Rio's best ocean views. We could tell the view would be great though, even though it was night time.
The next day, we checked in without any problems, and when the bell-boy brought us to our room, we were BLOWN AWAY by the insane view from our windows. We had an insane view of the Atlantic Ocean and the distant islands peppering the horizon. We could look down from our window and see beach goers for miles, playing volleyball, sun bathing, and people riding bicycles along Atlantic avenue. If there is a heaven, room 2203 was it.
After checking in, we took the elevator up to the roof and were again blown away by the 360º view of Rio. Mountains, Ocean, and City. Be sure to bring your cameras. There was also a little bar serving cold beers and cocktails, a sun-bathing section, and mid-sized crystal-blue pool. Wifi on the roof allowed us to post poolside pictures and torture our friends and family back home in New York.
Breakfast was more than filling and delicious, also with a great view of the beach as you eat fresh pastries and sip coffee/tea/fresh juice, etc. The only problem with the all-you-can eat buffet is that you need to go to the beach after breakfast and digest.
The staff was very open and friendly and provided us with comfort all 4 days. I couldn't have asked for a more pleasant stay at a hotel in Rio.
While I have not stayed at the Copacabana Palace and Hotel Fasano (Rio's trendiest hotels,) the views and price of this hotel are much better dur to the size of the building. Also, the beach isn't as crowded as Ipanema and Copacabana always draw way more tourists than Leblon. Save your money and spluge on finer restaurants, sight-seeing, and shopping.
All in all, the hotel was a booking and stay were a total success, and while it wasn't the cheapest play to stay on the strip, it was worth every penny. April/May is a GREAT time to visit Rio because it isn't too hot & humid, but sunny enough to get a great tan on the beach.
Pros:
1. Great location on the beach strip with restaurants and shops within walking distance.
2. Rental bikes available around the corner - THIS IS A MUST DO ACTIVITY IN RIO
3. Breakfast was amazing, with fresh fruits, coffee, pastries, meats, and a salad bar.
4. Fast & reliable internet
5 Hair dryer, room safe, flat screen TV (never used, but I assume it works), comfortable bed.
6. Rooms were quiet- never heard any of our neighbors (we were there on a holiday weekend and there seemed to be a lot of people staying there.
7. Free beach towels, chairs, and umbrella at the beach in front of the hotel.
Cons:
1. You can't open the windows of the room, although the bellboy said that it was for our safety. Apparently the ocean winds can blow pretty violently at that height.
2. The electrical plugs are not American (they converted electrical systems a few years ago) and require adapters to plug in American appliances and gadgets. The hotel concierge brought us one adapter to our room (free of charge), but it made it difficult to charge our phones & cameras overnight.
3. No sound dock to plug in our iphones and listen to our own music (Not that big of a deal)