Luxe room did not even have space to walk around the bed. One of the smallest rooms I have ever seen for a double. Paper thin walls give you intimacy with your neighbors. None of what you see on the web site is correct except the wifi, which only works if you stay near the door.

This is a hotel with excellent location, 30 meters from Copacabana and a small walk from Ipenama. Rooms are space enough, cleaned every day. There was a mini-bar in the room. Staff were friendly and helpful. Breakfast room on the 13th floor offered cold and warm breakfast which I found to be delicious.

There are nice places to eat within short walking distance from the hotel.

The only thing that bothered me was street noise. Rio has a lot of street noise through the night and the hotel does not have double insulated windows. My advice is to pack a new set of ear plugs and you should enjoy the hotel thoroughly

I am surprised by the more recent 'average' and 'poor' reviews on Hotel Portinari.

LOCATION: Excellent location on the south end of Copacabana beach near the Copacabana Fort so convenient for both Copacabana and Ipanema. It is also near pharmacies and other stores for last minute things. Metro stations very close and recommend for travelling throughout Rio as it is cheap, quick and safe.

STAFF: The staff shine at this hotel: they were instrumental in our activities while in Rio helping to book restaurants, tours even paragliding off mountains. Our trip would have been much more difficult without them! I spent 30 minutes finding a romantic restaurant with their reception within the area. Their dedication to helping you and problem solving is noted and appreciated.

HOTEL ROOM: We stayed on the 7th floor in a junior suite which was minimalist, clean lines. Very reminiscent to IKEA show room designs but not nearly as cheap feeling. The shower was large with two shower heads. It comes with hair dryers etc. The only downside is the only mirror is in the bathroom. Bed was very comfortable and there's lots of wardrobe space. FREE UNLIMITED WIRELESS IN BEDROOMS.

RESTAURANT / FOOD: The only draw back for me was the restaurant. The breakfast is good (however the same everyday) but the restaurant does not look as modern as the rest of the hotel. We had dinner one night which was disappointing. There are a lot of places to eat in Rio, especially in this area, so while the restaurant is not competitive, you are also not stuck for choice either. I encourage you to eat around Rio especially in this area.

GYM: I did not use this, I only saw it. It is small and probably the smallest hotel gym I have ever seen. I also did not see anyone else using it. The machines appear to be in good condition though and there is a good view of Copacabana as this gym is on the top floor 13+ stories up.

OVERALL: This hotel is in a desirable area of Rio where there are alot of very cheap places which look and feel hostel like or there is the up-market, very expensive places. You get what you pay for. If you are looking for a flamboyant design hotel, in my view, this is low impact but it is very comfortable, enjoyable and rewarding for its price bracket. I would stay again and recommend it to others.

it is terrible: confusion night & day. everything I asked at the receptionist they did not know anything (seemed to be all boys in internship), they told me to give me a room at the highets floor and when I arrived it was on of the first floors. I gave to the lavandery some stuff and they stole me half things & nobody in the hotel helped me. AVOID AVOID AVOID