This hotel is directly across Posto 9 on Ipanema Beach and provides a great location for going into the neighborhood for shopping and dinner. This hotel is not dripping with decor and accents, but a very clean and professional white decor. It felt warm and airy. The bed was sure plush and comfortable. There is WiFi access in your room, which was a major plus for us because we were able to contact our children via FaceTime. The breakfast is included with the room and it was very good. It provided fresh fruits, cheese, meats, fresh juices, yogurt, pastries, and hot plate items like eggs, bacon, and such. There was plenty of food and their is a wait staff to help clean up and maintain the breakfast area. The hotel pool area was small, but it was a nice and quiet reprieve from the beach. The bartender, Luiz, went above and beyond with his services. The hotel staff was friendly and professional. I would definitely go back to this hotel because of the cleanliness of the place, location, and I felt very safe in this hotel. Also, take my advice on this: Spend the extra US$ 50-100 (depending on season) and book a ocean view hotel.

What's not to like about staying directly across from Ipanema Beach? We were here for 3 nights in September 2011 and absolutely loved the location and the hotel.

Don't expect a tropical look and feel. This is an American style business class hotel like any other all over the world. The difference is: you are in Ipanema and it's awesome.

This neighborhood is like the upper east side of Manhattan clad in Billabong and Quiksilver instead of LL Bean and Brooks Brothers.

As far as the beach itself, go to the guy in the hut with the chairs and umbrellas and he'll take care of you for the day. You pay him at the end of the day. Learn how to ask for a caipirinha and you'll have a great time and won't get ripped off.

There are only two down sides to the hotel that I can report. First, they claim to have a concierge, yet they do not assist with getting tickets to the Teatro Municipal, which is surprising. I called a few days before our visit wanting help for a non sold out performance and I was disappointed to learn they couldn't provide that service. That's too bad because the theater's website is in Portuguese and even if you do understand Portuguese, as I do, foreign credit cards can't be used because the ticketing site (ticketmaster equivalent) requires a CPF number which is the Brazilian equivalent to a social security number. So we didn't get to see a show at the Teatro Municipal which is a shame since no visit to Rio is complete without going there (in my opinion.) I would have gladly paid a fee to get these tickets. The performance was not sold out, they just don't provide the service at all, unfortunately.

Also, the doorman seems to be more of a security guard than a greeter, which is fine and didn't bother me at all but some guests might find it off-putting especially if they don't speak Portuguese and are expecting the usual services from a doorman at a $400/ night hotel.

These two minor complaints are the only reason I didn't give Sol Ipanema 5 stars. We will definately stay here again and recommend it to others.

We were sorry we did not book all our 7 days in Rio at this hotel. The room decorations were of IKEA standard, functional, clean and bright in a hot climate- a perfect combination! Just after New Year the price was on the high side. A good experience and we would definitely stay again on another visit.

We stayed here for three nights at the end of our tour of South America. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful - on the first night as we were leaving the man at the desk asked what our plans were. We wanted to go to Porcau, a Churrascaria that had been recommended to us. They must have some kind of connection with this restaurant as he immediately called them to make a reservation for us, giving us a Porcau branded receipt which we handed in when we got there - and we were treated very well! We also changed money at reception, all very easy and accommodating.

Our room was clean, modern and spacious, with a giant bed, flat screen TV etc. No view sadly. The very effective air conditioning unit was slightly loud - the wind whistled through it at night a bit. There is free wifi in the room and throughout the hotel. We were on the 11th floor and one slight niggle was the lifts, which took ages to arrive every time. The sunny breakfast room overlooked the beach, and the food was lovely - different choices each morning, very smiley, attentive staff.

The hotel location is fabulous, right on the front, with lots of bars and restaurants in the surrounding streets (including the famous 'Girl from Ipanema' bar - Bar Garota de Ipanema - one block back, try the Picana!). It felt safe to walk around at night too. We were originally planning to stay at the Porto Bay Rio in Copacabana but it was full. I'm now very glad it was - I would definitely recommend staying in Ipanema ahead of Copacabana, having seen both areas now.