There was at least one guy at the hotel speaking English well. Lots of good, price worthy restaurants and pubs nearby. Good air condition. The rooms were bigger than expected for the price. A supermarket is located at the other side of the road. Not too far walking to the subway from the hotel.

The hotel is an old colonial building that is renovated with care. I really have nothing bad to say about this place, except that the internet radio access was not so good in all rooms. Also, if you like it cold when you sleep, make sure that the cleaning maid does not open the windows and shut of the air condition while you are doing the city or the beach. The breakfast was good. The surrounding area might look a bit worn down for a European guy like me - but it was a very cozy area with lots of old colonial buildings. It also seems like the town is shaping up this part of town now, Santa Clara.

The staff at the hotel is nice and helpful.

My girlfriend and I stayed here during Rio's Carnaval in February and found it to be quite nice for the cost. During Carnaval, the hotels all over Rio increase their prices signifigantly, and this one was affordable. It is right near Lapa, which we had heard horror stories about, concerning crime, muggings, etc., but had absolutely no problems whatsoever. In fact, Lapa is where most of the street parties (blocos) are during Carnaval, and just by abiding to our normal rules of travel (stay aware, don't wander off alone, etc.) we found it to be no different or any more dangerous than any other part of the world.

The rooms were clean and the included breakfast buffet was great. Cable t.v. and a refrigerator in every room as well. Although they were undergoing construction at the time, the new reception area looks to be incredible, and they are adding about 80 new rooms that are completely modern and updated. We only spoke conversational Spanish, and no Portuguese, but the reception staff were very accommodating and helped us out with recommendations and things to do while in Rio.

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a 5 star hotel, but for what you pay, you get a good location near all the action of Carnaval, and a great value- especially during Carnaval season.

We stayed here as part of a 4 day carnival package booked with Tucan & were incredibly disappointed. This is the worst hotel we have ever stayed in. The hotel is in Lapa, which is a bad area of Rio. Three armed guys tried to steal our daypack from the food court at Bob’s (the Brazilian version of McDonalds’s)!! The rooms had no natural light – the tiny window was covered by shutters which were nailed shut. On the positive side, there was a fridge in the room and each room had independently controlled air-conditioning. The tiny TV did have cable stations.

The bed was so hard it must have been made of granite, and the pillows were worse. When I went to Reception to try to get a softer pillow, only to find other guests making the same request. The staff were rude and laughed that the pillows were all the same & rock-hard. The wake-up call we ordered to ensure we caught out flight out was never made. The breakfast was okay, but there weren’t enough seats for the number of guests in the hotel. People were eating out in the bar or standing wherever they could find a spot.

We would not stay here again or recommend it to anyone we liked.