We selected this hotel based on the Trip Advisor's rating. The Sheraton Barra Hotel provided us with everything that makes vacation enjoyable and memorable. The room was spacious, clean with a large balcony and decent view of the ocean. The staff -at the reception, concierge etc. very helpful and friendly.The hotel is a bit far from Copacabana, what suited us perfectly, it is more like a resort. The area is beautiful, the beach lovely and clean and there is no issue of safety. We wallked every night along the beach and never experienced any danger.
There are only 3 restaurants in walking distance from the hotel, but there are plenty to choose from a short (and cheap)ride by a taxi(make sure to take a yellow taxi as hotel taxi is 3x more expensive)
As I said before this hotel is exellent, but if you like the city athmosphere and bar hopping, this one is not for you. If you like a pleasant, relaxing vacation I am sure you will enjoy it.
However, I do have one complaint -caipirinhas served in the bar by the pool is no good and more expensive than anywhere else.

We stayed here for four nights after spending three nights at the Caesar Park in Ipanema. This place is infinitely nicer. The hotel is almost new, and the rooms are state of the art and enormous.
It is a little removed from the city but, in our opinion, that is a plus. The beaches here are very clean and much less crowded, and issues of safety never enter into your mind.

If you are into the bar/restaurant scene, this is not the place for you. There is very little of this near the hotel. However, if you come here with a child, as we did, this is the perfect place to be.
If we were to come back to Rio, we would definitely stay here.

It was an excellent hotel!!!!!
Everything was perfect!!!!

Location, swimming pool, business centre, restaurant, etc....
No complains!!!!

Would definatelly stay there again!!!!!!
Every year I go to Rio for Carnival and always stayed in Ipanema but this year I decided to stay in Barra I have no regreats!!!!!
It was a 20 minutes ride to Ipanema and not far from the Sambodrome!!!!! Cab is quite cheap in Rio so it is not a problem!!!!! The managers, reception staff and everyone else made my stay so perfect!!!!
I had a issue with my room when I checked in but the manager to make me feel happier for the issue, give me an upgrade and also a courtesy breakfast for the entire stay!!!!!!

Best customer service ever!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to the Brazilians!!!!!!!

My wife & I stayed here for 5 days. Overall it was a great experience and the staff went above the call of duty to help us out. I would recommend this hotel primarily for famalies and for people who are wanting to have some time to chill out and relax. Here is a breakdown of the pros, cons, and other usefull items to know about the hotel:

Pros:
For the price, the rooms are pretty big in comparison to other Rio hotels. It was important for us to relax, and this is the best hotel to do it at. Rooms are big enough for 3 people to stay in (includes a couch) plus every room has a balcony. The beach is across the street and the hotel provides complimentary chairs & umbrellas to its guest on the beach (unlike most other hotels). The beach is not as busy as others, and the pool is also very relaxing with a cove set aside for kids.

The hotel staff is wonderful. Very friendly and helpful in terms of giving us advice around the town/restaurants, setting up tours, and everything else.

Cons:
Location can be a little frustrating, but the taxis are cheap by U.S. standards. When you factor in the cost of a taxi, you are still paying less for a similar room on one of the main beaches. There is also very little within walking distance, and we were advised not to walk around at night other than the road along the beach (this is going to be true for all parts of Rio if you don't blend in with everyone).

Tips/Advice:
The hotel restaurant only offered buffet meals when we were there (other than the bar near the pool). There is a small market store where they sell drinks, pastries, and other items one block away from the hotel. Also next to this market are two restaurants (microbrew bar & smoothie place) where you can get something to eat and drink.

You can get either private cabs or regular taxis from the hotel. The private taxis are nice b/c most of the drivers speak english and its a flat rate, but typically they are more expensive. They have a stand right outside the hotel doors. If you want a regualar cab, you have to let the concierge know and they will call one up. The regular taxis are not allowed to park their cars on the hotel like the private cabs.