This hotel is a bit shabby round the edges and needs some rework to justify the premium it charges. The cheap plastic floors have ground-in grime at the edges. The walls are paper-thin and you can hear everything going on around you. Just two rooms on each floor have a beach view - but make sure you're on about the sixth floor or higher as my fourth floor has a view of a great big tree right outside the window instead. And it's not like other Copacabana hotels with floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies - as I type this at the desk, I'm alongside a wall instead of a window - the window takes up barely 30% of the possible space that it could do, and lying in the uncomfortable bed you can't see the sea. Staff are efficient but far too keen to sell their own tours rather than help you with your own itineraries. The German guy another reviewer mentioned is a positive exception to this. As previously written, location is excellent at the south tip of Copacabana beach. After a week in Salvador, Rio feels positively safe by comparison - just be streetwise and you'll be fine.

I stayed at the Orla for 10 days in January and I had a really good time. It is located at the end of Copacabana near Ipanema beach so you can easily access both. Ipanema is quieter but nicer for shopping, Copacabana has loads of restaurants by the ocean. The hotel was nice and clean, also reasonably priced. Worth paying for the sea view. I spent the first night in a room with a window looking out on a wall. The view from the ocean view room is fab. You can see most of Copacabana. Also the hotel is very near an evening market where you can pick up nice souvenirs. The breakfast at the hotel was great. I did not miss anything. The hotel is clean, staff friendly, great location.

I stayed at this hotel during the end of March beginning of April. My experience was good overall. The one thing that I would recommend is definetly go and spend the extra money for an ocean view room or one of the suites. My family and I booked a non-smoking ocean view room and when we arrived the hotel delayed our entry into the room. We did not understand why. Apparently the previous guests had smoked in the room and they were trying to air out the room. Instead of giving us a new room they stuck us in the smoky room. My mother had trouble sleeping because of the smell and then complained to the front desk. After a little haggling (and threatening to change hotels) my parents were given one of the hotel's suites at a discounted price. Then they reduced the price of our hotel first hotel room. We ended up paying U$159 per night per room. For the view the price was worth it. We had an awesome view of Copacabana and of Sugar Loaf Mountain. AMAZING. I have seen some of the reviews that state the hotel staff is not friendly. I would not go as far as saying unfriendly... I would however say that they think very highly of themselves and present a cold attitude to the guests. However, the doormen are very pleasant and helpful. The hotel staff will eventually "warm" to you, however don't expect a smiling greeting every day. AVOID: eating in the hotel restaurant when it is not breakfast. When I received my food for dinner one night there was a black hair in it. And instead of quickly replacing my food the waiter had to call his boss over to inspect it to see if it was really a hair. Then my food was replaced and we were still charged for it!!!!! DO NOT expect the service we are accustomed to in the U.S. and Canada. Go out to eat at the surrounding restaurants... try some off the beaten path around the hotel... they will surprise you. Although I would have appreciated honesty from the hotel staff when we first arrived at the hotel, they did eventually compensate us. So... overall: Stay here but only if you are going to book an ocean view room or a suite. Otherwise the hotel is not worth it.

This is a great hotel and it's location is fantastic. It's right on Copacabana beach but is within walking distance to Ipanema beach. It's nice to have the choice. Breakfast is fantastic and the service is excellent although slightly regimented!! The rooms are lovely and clean! The staff on reception were quite rude and arrogant except for the German man. I don't know why some of these people are in the hospitality industry. They would not go out of their way to help us with questions as we didn't receive our tour vouchers so needed to keep asking about what time we were being collected etc. If they fix their service, this would help their reputation. night market is just up the road and is great. There is a fabulous French restaurant 2 mins away called La Pigalle. Remember though their main meals (and at most restaurants in Brasil) are for 2 people!! Don't buy into how dangerous Rio is. It is fine and you just need to be careful but don't live in fear and don't explore the areas. The tour to Cocavado and SugarLoaf Mountain were fantastic and a must! Shopping malls weren't that great and preferred local shops closeby.

My husband and I traveled to Rio somewhat on a whim in March 2008. Our hotel made our great experience even better. On the advice of fellow travelers here, we booked the ocean-view room. Boy was it worth it!! The view is incredible and it was amazing to sit on the window ledge and gaze out over Copacabana. It rained the first three days we were there and the view from our hotel room was the only thing that kept us sane those days. I didn't think that the hotel staff was rude, but I think a lot of them don't speak English as well as they let on and so they keep their words brief which can be perceived as being rude and cold. The housekeeping staff was excellent. The floors are laminate wood which can get very dirty quickly with beach sand and they do a great job keeping everything clean each day. The breakfast was good and better than expected. It had fruit juices, eggs, sausage, crepes (soaked in sugar syrup), sliced fruit, rolls, all sorts of other things. It gets a little old if you are staying there for a while though because it doesn't change in the least from day to day. The location is excellent and very close to everything. Taxis are very easy to catch. Only take the taxi that the hotel arranges for you if you are going to the airport during rush hour. We did so and arranged on a fixed price at the beginning and it took twice as long to get there as expected. We would have been paying through the nose for a metered cab. If we find ourselves in Rio again, we will definitely look this place up!