First of all I have to make the general statement that Rio de Janeiro is an amazing place. If it is your first time visiting as it was mine I'm sure you will love it!! This hotel is located in an area that is very safe and very convenient.

I would probably have given this hotel a 3.5 instead of four if it was an option but considering the horrible rating the last reviewer gave this hotel I decided to round up rather than down.

I think that I did end up in a similar situation as this person on my first night's stay. The room I had on the third floor was furnished very much like a dorm room with two narrow twin sized beds. The bed covering was very worn however the sheets were clean. The room faced the street which was very noisy. At night I thought I heard something leaking in the ceiling in the bathroom and in the morning I woke up to find water dripping from a ceiling fixture. If this was all I had to rate this room on, I would rate this hotel much lower, probably a 1 or a 2.

Seeing as I did not want to spend my vacation searching for the most ideal hotel and the hotel had been paid for in advance I decided it would be easier to explain the situation and see what they could do. This is where my view of the Mar Ipanema improved greatly. The staff was extremely helpful and understanding. They corrected all of the problems mentioned above by moving me into a room on the 8th floor that faced away from Rua Visconde de Piraja, the street that the hotel is located on. It was not only quieter but a much cleaner,nicely furnished room. It was also larger and there were no more leaks in the ceiling. The hallway on the 8th floor was also much nicer than that on the 3rd.

I'm not sure if they are in the process of renovations and have not gotten to the 3rd floor yet or what the situation is. It definitely seemed like two very different hotels. It may have been the difference between a standard and a deluxe room. If this is the case it is a substanital difference.

Overall, as I mentioned before if my only experience was the room on the 3rd floor I would have rated this hotel a 2 or even a 1. If my only experience was the room on the 8th I would give it what I have given it, a 4, considering it is not a very expensive hotel. And I would have given it a 3.5 taken into account both rooms if that was an option.

I'm not hooked on the Mar Ipanema and may try another hotel on my next visit. I have a feeling that this was the first of what will be many, many visits to Brazil. I definitely will spend more time learning Portuguese and would recomend anyone visiting to do the same. It will make your visit much easier and more interesting. Many people do know some English so do not chose to go somewhere else based on this. You will be able to get by without a knowledge of Portuguese, but at least learn some polite phrases.

Where to begin...

CHECKING IN

When I'm in Rio, I like to try different hotels. I had seen positive reviews of the Mar Ipanema on this website, so I figured I would give it a shot.

I tried to book my trip on the hotel's website, but it said someone would contact me to confirm the reservation - after a week, that never happened.

So I booked three days on Travelocity in a "superior room". When I arrived, they had no record of my reservation. I showed them the travelocity print out but they said it was a vendor and not their fault they didn't have it.

So I asked them if they could book it themselves. They said they could, but they couldn't honor the rate. The desk manager pulled out a book and showed me the internet rate, which was quite a bit higher than the travelocity rate. I agreed to pay it as it was almost midnight. As I was leaving, he said, "oh, that rate doesn't include breakfast."

So the bellman helped me up to my room. It was SOOO small, it makes rooms at the W New York look downright huge. I asked the bellman what size room it was, he told me it was a standard size and pointed to both the standard and the superior rooms on the map on the wall.

Of course, I went down to talk to the desk again but the manager just insisted it really was a superior room... just lied to my face.

A LITTLE ABOUT THE ROOM

VERY small, plain white cement walls with absolutely no decoration, a double bed with tattered covers, a TV hung from the ceiling with only portuguese stations, and a plastic deck chair. There is internet, but it never worked, although they kept insisting it would be up in an hour. The bathroom was horrid, mold all over the shower wall and ceiling, dirty floor, and no hot water in the sink. The air conditioning unit is a window unit that was just beaten to hell... and it was so poorly installed that if it wasn't running, noise came in like an open window... something you DON'T want in Rio.

Bottom line about the room, I woke up thinking it was what a prison cell would look like, my wife, the optimist, compared it to her freshman dorm room.

LEAVING

So after my first night, I went back to the desk to see about getting a better room. There was a new manager there, but the one from the night before was in the back on the computer. I told him the same story about travelocity, the rate, everything. He pulled out the big book of rates and showed me the price I had. Underneath was a series of group rates, one was the exact one I had booked including breakfast. When I pointed to it, he closed the book and told me it was a different rate and that I should have been glad to even have a room since I just showed up without a reservation.

Well, that did it, I went upstairs, packed up, and went to a much better hotel down the street.

So, if all you care about is a very cheap hotel in Ipanema, this is it... but it's really just a slightly fancier hostel. Spend the extra 20 bucks and go to some place decent.

Location, location, location. This was our first visit to Rio and the Mar Ipanema staff just made everything easy for us. The morning buffet was delicious and all the staff were the nicest people we ever meet. This is a great budget hotel with a five star services. The location is just fantastic, you are steps from everything e.g. beach, supermarkets, shops etc..The rooms are very clean, however because of its location it can be noisy. Try to get a room at higher level floor and you might want to bring your ear plog, other than that worth every dime.