Before going to the Sheraton Barra, me and my husband read about this hotel in Tripadvisor, so we were very happy with the idea of spending a week there. As soon as we arrived there, the illusion vanished.
The hotel is overpriced; the rooms are big but not well equipped (there is a sink, a pantry and a breakfast table but not stove, micorwave or at least a coffeemaker!); the staff is friendly, but the rooms are not clean enough; the pool is big but boring. The worst issue is the carpet: it is dirty, is always a little wet (because of the high humidity of the seafront) and it smells! Really awful!

After spending a week at the Excelsior in Copacabana, we stayed at the Sheraton in Barra. The grounds of the property are beautiful. Outside of the lobby the way they incorporate the outdoors with the property is really impressive. We were in a suite, which was spacious and quite reasonably priced for the size of the hotel room. However, I'm not sure how much bigger suites are in relation to a standard room.

As others have stated, the property isn't close to much of anything. It seems to be a primarly upper class residential area. If you are staying just for the weekend it wouldn't be a problem, but any longer duration I think it would be an inconvenience having to take cabs to do anything other than hit the beach or the pool (which is very nice, as was the fitness facility).

The one major complaint I had was the beach. Ironically, I felt safer at Copacabana. In Copacabana the Excelsior provided beach towels, chairs, and umbrellas to hotel guests. However, it was unclear if the umbrellas and chairs were exclusive to hotel guests. We were wanting to move the umbrella and chair a little closer to the shore to watch family members in the ocean, but we were not allowed. At Copacabana the hotel's area wasn't close to the shore, but there was a hotel employee right there, so you were able to feel comfortable leaving your things. I didn't feel unsafe, but definitely didn't feel comfortable leaving my belongings unattended. Barra Beach has far less people than Copacabana, but the hotel guest area has everyone packed in like sardines (and unable to move) that you're not able to take advantage of it.

Overall I thought the hotel was great, but the location wouldn't be ideal for people looking to be right in the middle of the action.

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.