the positives: good location.. around a 5 min walk form nearest beach and metro station (catete),,, lots of places to eat and shop nearby,,,very helpful staff... big bathrooms, clean towels,, a decent breakfast,,

We had some trouble checking in... given a wrong roon 3 single beds (had booked a luxury double)...then the AC didnt work and around midnight had to change our room to a smaller one..

but the behaviour of staff gives you a good feeling,, they help you arrange tours,,, and go to lengths to make your stay comfortable,,

I was in Rio to work for 3 days and the travel agency booked this hotel for me. After a day of meetings, expecting to lay down and rest, they put me in a room with NO WINDOWS. That´s it, no windows, at all. There was a whole on the wall, there was a glass windown on it, but instead of a view to the street or something, there was a pit hole, with all the gas heater installed over this pit.
Rooms are so small the blankets are old and dirty. If you are alergic, run away.
I called the front desk asking for a room with a window and they said that only on the next day they could give me one.
I couldn´t stay and moved to Windsor Florida to sleep for one night.
If you are claustrofobic or alergic, run away.

We stayed at the Mengo Palace Hotel for the New Years celebration for 2011. The accommodation prices in Rio are over inflated during this period. This hotel promised the best value, however, one thing to bear in mind - some of the double rooms do not have any natural daylight, or windows looking out to the outside. (A nightmare for anyone who suffers from any form of claustrophobia) And in the heat of tropical Rio where fresh air is a necessity, a room with no natural ventilation is very unpleasant. To counteract this we had the air conditioning unit on throughout the night, which was noisy, and would occasionally send icy blasts. Whenever we'd ask the staff to change rooms, we'd be fobbed off. Both my partner and me ended up getting colds and chest infections, due to the lack of fresh air. The location of the hotel is a 30mins bus ride or subway ride to the beaches of Ipanema or Copacabana. The breakfast buffet is hearty and generous but the dining room is minuscule. If you want bargain basement prices with subterranean style rooms then the Mengo Palace Hotel is for you and do yourself a favour and request a room with window. However, when I return to Rio I won't be checking in to this hotel ever again.

Mengo Palace was great. My husband and I chose Mengo Palace based on other reviews on Trip Advisor and stayed there for 4 nights. The service was excellent, they offer free breakfast and rooms were clean and quiet. As soon as we got there they found someone who spoke English to assist us and while we were waiting for our room to be cleaned, the front desk staff noticed that we were tired so just gave us a free upgrade to a suite with a hot tub. The bus boy was also very friendly and on our last day in Brazil kept our bags for us after we checked out so that we can enjoy Rio. When we were leaving Rio the staff made sure we were not charged more for a cab ride and came to spoke to the cabbie and wrote on a paper how much we should pay and not to pay extra or tip.

The rooms were very clean and amazingly spacious. It was also very quiet and the free breakfast was fresh and there were a good offering of diverse fruits and pastries. They offered good advice on travel within Rio and restaurant selections. We liked it so much that we initially only booked two nights and went to Igassu Falls on the third day and wanted to stay in another part of town but decided to stay at Mengo at the end when we told the staff this they made sure to book us for our last two nights at the same rate I found on-line instead of their listed price.

They are located 5 minutes walk from Catete subway station and 10 from Largo do Machado. Abundant restaurants are within walking distance. Copacobana is 3-4 subway stops away took us 15 to 20 minutes to get there by train. Central and lapa is also 3-4 stops from Largo do Machado. You can also catch the 107 bus two blocks away for the Christ the Redeemer.