Shangrilá - Rede Soberano

Nice.

The staff were polite and helpful, and the location is genuinely convenient. It's close to Passarela do Álcool and the ferry to Arraial d’Ajuda, so going out at night was easy without needing Uber. The infrastructure and hygiene were disappointing. The hotel water smelled very bad. We know many properties in the area use septic systems, but maintenance seemed lacking. Several times after flushing, yellowish water came back up. Lighting was uneven too. The rooms at the front and by the pool looked better cared for and brighter, while the rooms at the back didn't get the same attention. The balconies had no lighting at night, my room was too dim for its size, and two bedside spotlights didn't work. We were a family group of 14 in four rooms, and it was clear that those in more visible parts of the hotel had a better experience. The bathroom had dark buildup in the shower stall, greasy marks on the glass, and dirt around the sink and soap niche. The porous beige Bahia stone in the sink also holds onto dirt and needs extra upkeep. Nearly everyone in our group got diarrhea, and two relatives left early to seek medical care. We suspected the drinking water, especially since we didn't have this problem at other places in town. That's a suspicion, not something we could confirm. There was only one outlet in my room for four people, so we had to buy an extension cord since we all work on computers and needed to charge phones and equipment. The bathroom door handle was loose, so we tied a bag around it to keep it from falling and trapping someone inside. Breakfast had a range of items, but we noticed a lot of food being reused. Reusing food isn't an issue by itself, though some items tasted odd, perhaps also because of the water. It's a shame, since the hotel has a good structure and excellent location. Better upkeep, cleaning, and interior improvements could make the guest experience much better.

The location is good, but that's about all I can praise. At first the hotel looks attractive and well equipped, though the longer we stayed, the worse it seemed. Our room was awful. The bathroom smelled bad, the toilet barely worked, and they made no effort to fix it or move us despite us asking repeatedly. Sometimes there was no water in the bathroom, and at times the tap only worked if the shower was running. The shower stall had no door, so water got everywhere, and the shower itself leaked. On arrival, there was urine on the bathroom floor, and it wasn't cleaned until the next day. The curtain was broken and let in far too much light. Breakfast wasn't the worst, but it wasn't good either. The bread was dry, the ham was awful, and sometimes there was no yogurt to drink. One day there were two dead cockroaches in the restaurant and nobody bothered to remove them. Staff took ages to clear tables, so sometimes we had to sit at a dirty one to get a place. Most of the employees were unfriendly. There is no hotel parking, only street parking, and depending on the day you may have to park far away. That's inconvenient if you're driving, though not much of an issue otherwise. The corridors had cobwebs, dirt on the ceiling, and some mold.