Ritz Suites Hotel

The room is pleasant, the bathroom is great, and the bed is really comfortable. There are lots of local food options at breakfast, but that wasn't what I, as a foreigner, would usually eat in the morning, so it fell short of my expectations. Otherwise, everything is great.

The beach is right across from the hotel, with a fantastic view, and there's a mall and supermarket not far away. The room is roomy and comfortable. Reception staff are polite and helpful, and the restaurant is very nice. There's a nice pool, a small gym for working out, and a bar for drinks. It's a nice place to stay.

We lowered our rating from 3 to 2 after hitting breakfast and elevator rush hours a few times. The hotel is too big for its three lifts, which aren't especially smart, fast, or large. Service is still excellent, and we're reasonably happy with our choice, but for a pure holiday we'd have liked to be closer to a beach where you can swim. With your own transport or plenty of booked tours, the hotel is adequate. Otherwise, I wouldn't recommend it outright. The location has its ups and downs. A large supermarket and a very nice mall are within walking distance, about 10-15 minutes away, though crossing the road takes nerves of steel. For anything else you'll need transport. Taxis are difficult in Maceió, and Uber is the standard, but our first Uber ride involved an attempt to defraud us. The nearby beach isn't open for swimming, and the best beaches seem to be far outside the city. The hotel's service is excellent, and the staff are friendly and helpful. People selling tours or pictures generally leave you alone. You can get by with Spanish and some patience, but I doubt English is as easy. The restaurant is good, and we enjoyed breakfast and dinner there. It's buffet-style, with drinks ordered separately. Breakfast is plentiful and has lots of options, though it's adequate rather than remarkable. It starts at 6, which is fine since dawn is at 5, and you can request breakfast to go if you're leaving early. Dinner has more variety and sometimes something really tasty. I can't say whether vegetarians or vegans would be as happy. There's plenty of salad and fruit. I like the desserts, though the ice cream is just okay. We've never felt the need to eat elsewhere. As far as I know, you can order food to your room or order from outside, like pizza. The restaurant is open for four hours at breakfast and dinner. I don't know the lunch hours, and it can get busy. The rooms are basic, with no art on the walls. There's a small fridge and kitchen, but no kettle or iron, plus a table and chairs. The air conditioning works well but is noisy, and there are two single beds plus one extra bed. The bathroom is simple but sufficient, and the shower is comfortable and warm. We couldn't get the safe working, and the TV wasn't as intuitive as it should be. The room gets warm without the air conditioning. We could hear sounds from outside, though I'd call the place and neighborhood quiet. The internet is available but really bad, like something from the previous century. It drops in and out, videos are basically out of the question, and you may have to leave your room to get a half-decent connection. There's also a small clothing shop, a hairdresser, indoor parking, a bar, and a little pool. The pool feels like an afterthought: it's shaded for much of the day, not very deep, and has only a few lounge chairs. It may be enough if the only people in your group who want to swim are small children. There's a tiny but well-equipped gym, which I love and would happily take home. This is one of five different Ritz hotels in Maceió. If all you need is a place to sleep and eat, it serves that purpose. If you're looking for more from Ritz Suites, you might do better elsewhere.

The room is spacious and the beds are comfortable, but the hotel is poorly maintained and the internet barely works. Even when I can connect, I can't open the smallest websites or listen to podcasts. Nobody at reception speaks English, and check-in was a real hassle. The arrogant person at the front desk made it clear that only locals are welcome. Spend your money elsewhere, you can find better.