We stayed at the Mirador Rio for 3 nights as a base for exploring Rio. The hotel is clean, modern and the rooms spacious. The staff were helpful at all times. We arrived earlier than the check in time but were able to access our room straight away with no problems. There is a small roof top pool, a gym, restaurant, and bar. The breakfast was good with a fair amount of choice and the service was good.
The view from our room was of Christ the Redeemer. The hotel is about 3 blocks from Copacabana Beach and took about 7 minutes to walk to. We took buses to various places and felt safe. We were careful about not taking out valuables etc and did not feel threatened at any time.
We had a private tour guide for a day, buggy tours of Rio, and this was excellent. I would highly recommend Delores who will drive you around Rio in her beach buggy-she is passionate about the city and really made our trip a fabulous experience. She is available at [--] and her website is www.myspace.com/buggytour
