We changed room 3 times in 7 nights ! because we booked beachfront and they kept sayin we dont have it but try here ,try there. They did try ill give them that but we werent best pleased.

The hotel was kind of old looking, it had an aww factor, its trying to be like its neighbours but is just a little too old to keep up.

good points
-ok location ( come out walk left after 6pm and continue down and you come to a little market where you get some good stuff)
- english speaking check in staff
- pool, gym, sauna
- good break fasts


bad points
- the pool is small and cold so i didnt go in once but the sauna and gym was nice.
-the restaurant staff dont speak much english so you order fish and get tea :) that was funny at least.
- the cab lot outside will charge you R$15 for a trip down the rd but it costs R$8, so never take the first price, act outraged and give a ridiculously low number and then agree to a more average price that always calmed them down.
Dont let them use a meter, its a rip off technique, make them give you a price. they charged us ridiculous amounts before we discovered that.
- there is a dodgy bell boy ( man) who will offer you trips , which we didnt take up as i like to keep ALL my money, strange quirk of mine

I'd read mostly positive things about the Orla, and I wasn't disappointed myself. We had to wait a bit for a room to become available - which isn't bad service, it's typical of hotels throughout the world. Hopefully guests will remember this when requesting a late checkout for themselves.

While waiting, we had drinks on the rooftop sun deck. The views were breathtaking from there. It was a great sunny day. The pool was small, more of a plunge pool which allows for short laps. The fitness center, up a few steps on the next level was very small, and only had a few basic machines. Not on par with fitness centers at gyms, on cruise ships, or in chain hotels. Luckily, a major (Rio) gym was just 3 blocks away if I wanted a workout.

Our room was on the 10th floor, and faced the back of the hotel, overlooking Avenida N.S. Copacabana. We could see over some buildings towards the see off nearby Ipanema. The room had a nice spacious bath, very comfortable beds, nice design and furniture, but no closet or storage space, other than under the beds or in dressers. No problem, as we didn't need to hand anything, but others may have issues with this. The TV had English and Portugues language stations, the few times we watched.

The ground level restaurant was intimate, with good breakfast buffets of various meats, cheeses, breads, an abundance of fruits and vegetables - some of which are uncommon in North America. Lots of juices and an attentive staff. It was nicely designed with glass walls overlooking the laundry and street/beach. There is a chic lobby bar also. The staff was nice, and remembered your name/room number when you returned and needed to retrieve your key (which can be left with the front desk when departing). The reception desk was often busy, so there could sometimes be a wait if you needed to speak with them.

We had a very nice experience. Always a clean room, no surly staff, or thefts, or other negative events. The hotel even gave us a very good currency exchange rate - more as a service than to make money themselves. But - the Orla is a narrow mid-block building. Very few rooms face the ocean, or even the back - some overlook the side courts/air shafts of neighboring apartment buildings. My room and rooms being clean as I passed were all small in size - which may be disappointing to people used to American sized rooms which are the size of apartments. If you've stayed in typical rooms in Europe, it won't be a shock. If you prefer lot's of space or live in a McMansion, this may not be the best choice for you.

The Orla's beachfront location, the price, and easy proximity to Ipanema, Arpoador beaches and Copacabana just outside are hard to find elsewhere. I will stay again in 2007.

I stayed 1 night at the Orla and within 2 hours of checking in I had someone with a key enter my room multiple times over a period of 2.5 hours and take US$7000 in electronic equipment. The hotel had all of this on surveilance cameras, yet they have not tried to do anything to compensate my loss. I would not advise anyone to use this hotel. I think it was an inside job.

We stayed at the Orla for 6 nights in March 2006. We had taken the hotel off the internet and not having any Portuguese did not really know what to expect. We need not have worried. The hotel is at the Ipanema end of Copacabana beach and the view of Copacabana from the hotel sun deck on the roof is outstanding both by day and night. Our room was on the 13th floor and we had a great view of the back of the hotel and TV aerials. However, it was very handy for the sun deck and the room was clean. The shower was the best we had on our entire round the world trip!! The fruit at breakfast was also the best we had on the trip. In fact the breakfast was excellent but avoid the bacon which is far too salty (a problem we found elsewhere in Rio). We ate a couple of times in the hotel in the evening and this was fine and not expensive. This hotel is the only place we have ever visited where the reception staff gave us a lecture on arrival about not wearing jewellery and watches or carrying cameras outside. All a bit worrying. But we did walk around the immediate area without any problems and went to restaurants in the evening, again on foot and without any problems. We booked a day trip visiting the Sugar Loaf, Christ Statue etc through the hotel reception and this was well worth the money. The outside pool on the roof is pretty small but adequate. Most of the guests seemed to be there to do trips or were on business. I would recommend this hotel and for the location it was not expensive.