A couple of blocks in from the beach in Leblon. Lovely neighborhood with loads of restaurants and cafes within easy walking distance. I had been afraid to go to Rio because of stories about violence. Within a day of checking in at this hotel, I felt very much at ease.
We stayed at the Promenade Palladium at each end of our trip to Brazil. We booked our initial stay through hotels.com. We'd requested a quiet room and were given a room at the back of the hotel, overlooking a large, communal square, shared with many other properties, including apartments and a childrens' playground. Our room was large, though not very quiet. I don't usually like to sleep with the air conditioner on, but used it to drown out the noise from the communal square. Due to some outstanding customer service (apart from our somewhat disappointing room), we booked directly with the hotel to stay another 3 nights following an excursion outside Rio and were given a much nicer room with a balcony at the front of the hotel, overlooking a leafy street. It was quieter than the room at the back of the hotel. I think we may have been upgraded.
We had amazing assistance from Edina, one of a handful of English-speaking staff, who helped us book a hotel in another part of Brazil. All of the English-speaking staff (not all staff spoke English and understandably needed to refer us to someone who could) were very helpful. The reason we decided to book at this hotel again for our last 3 nights in Brazil was because of the very helpful staff.
Breakfast is buffet-style, with a huge selection. I was particularly impressed with the scrambled eggs, which were kept warm over a bath of hot water so they didn't dry out.
A couple of tips: We liked to have a drink at one of the many outdoor bars, overlooking Leblon and Ipanema beaches, up the hill to the right once you reach main road next to the beach. The hotel's pool was not heated when we were there - shame as it is a good size for laps, though not very scenic (not rooftop). Alot of business people stay at this hotel. It threw me a bit when I first showed up at breakfast in tourist garb, but no one seemed to mind.
- Promenade Palladium Rio De Janeiro
- Promenade Palladium Hotel
