Montanhas de Teresópolis Municipal Nature Park Holidays from £990

Amazing place with an amazing rooftop!

I booked Hotel Villa Rica because the rate was reasonable for my stay in Rio. Based on the listing, I wasn’t expecting a luxury hotel, but I was disappointed by the overall condition of the property. The first room I was assigned was spacious, but the bathroom—particularly the shower—did not appear to be thoroughly cleaned, and the furniture was extremely dated and heavily worn. The bed consisted of what felt like a thin mattress topper on a platform and was very uncomfortable. After speaking with the front desk, the staff kindly allowed me to inspect and choose another available room, which I appreciated. Unfortunately, the second room had many of the same issues. Although the bed was an actual mattress, it was exceptionally firm and uncomfortable. The furnishings were again heavily worn, the window would not remain closed, and there was visible mold in the shower. After four nights, I decided to check out early because I simply wasn’t able to get adequate rest due to the bed. The breakfast was very good, and the front desk staff were friendly and accommodating throughout my stay. I also requested a prorated refund for the unused nights. The hotel initially responded promptly through WhatsApp and indicated a refund might be possible, but after Expedia submitted the formal request, communication stopped and the issue remains unresolved. Based on my experience, I cannot recommend this property and would choose to stay elsewhere on a future visit to Rio.

All great

I was very disappointed with my stay at Copacabana Palace. For all three mornings of my stay, the breakfast service was extremely slow. The omelet and tapioca I ordered took over 45 minutes to arrive each day. On my last morning, after waiting more than an hour and reminding the staff three times, they kept saying they would check on it, but the food never arrived. Another major issue was that the hotel never informed me before booking that the main pool would be closed. My reservation was non-refundable, so I had no opportunity to make an informed decision. This is unacceptable for a hotel of this standard. We also tried using the sixth-floor pool, but it was far too small to accommodate the guests. It was overcrowded, there wasn’t a single available lounge chair, and children were constantly jumping into the pool and splashing water on everyone because the space was so limited. Finally, trying to reach the concierge was incredibly frustrating. I called multiple times with no answer and eventually had to call the front desk just to be transferred. Overall, this was a very disappointing stay. I expected far better service, communication, and transparency from such an iconic luxury hotel.

Small but you get what you payed for. Has minimum amenities . But good for someone trying to stay on budget.