Great location in the center of Copacabana, only a two block walk from the beach. On Sundays, there…read moreis a huge outdoor farmer's market right in the square next to Mar Palace. The Siqueira Campos subway station is only 5 minutes away. Tons of supermarkets, juice bars, bakeries, restaurants, banks and shopping around the hotel. The area is always busy with pedestrians and cars, so I always felt safe walking by myself. Getting an Uber or taxi is also easy.
Aside from location, this property is very basic. The rooftop pool is nothing but a cement hole and the rooftop bar was never staffed. The hotel gym consists of two cardio machines and nothing else. They don't provide towels, maybe because the locals wouldn't be caught dead at the beach with a towel.
The breakfast buffet was the exact same every day. Breads, lunch meats, cheeses, cake, flan and two warm dishes, usually scrambled eggs and some not so appetizing sausage or chicken hash. There was always fresh mango, pineapple, melon and fruit salad, as well as a cereal station with oats, granola and corn flakes, and different juices. The bread and pastry selection was weak, none of it looked fresh or of great quality. They only had Pao de Queijo one out of 6 mornings I stayed there, which should have been a staple. Being gluten-free, I was stuck with the same rolled oats mixed with hot water and some fruit each morning. Non-dairy milk is unheard of in Brazil so I enjoyed my coffee (which was strong and very good) black at the astonishment of fellow guests.
I paid extra for a room with a "courtyard view". Don't bother. The "courtyard" is a small rectangular hole with a view of the opposing window and cement walls. I had to keep my black-out shades closed the entire time as otherwise people would have been able to see inside my room. I don't need everybody all up in my business. The windows are tinted extra dark, so it always felt like it was about to storm outside, even on the sunniest of days.
The hallways are tiled, making the slightest sound echo. You can hear every door slam, foot step and word. Pair that with some inconsiderate guests allowing their offspring to use the halls as a playground late at night, and you may not be getting as much shut-eye as you like. The walls are also extremely thin. I could hear every sound from my upstairs neighbors when they were in the bathroom, tinkling, plopping and all.
The WiFi is free and worked well. The TV not so much. Only a few of the advertised cable channels actually came in. The only two English channels were news channels, so I streamed videos on my tablet instead.
Finally, housekeeping was sloppy. Even when I flipped the maid button asking for service, all they did was make bed and provide fresh towels. My room was never swept or vacuumed, and my bathroom wasn't cleaned once during my 6 night stay. Leaving a tip for the staff didn't change that. My entire stay I had beach sand on my floors and in my shower.
Would I stay at Mar Palace again? Probably not. I'd pay extra for an additional star in hopes of better service and amenities.