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.

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!