S&L Hotel

I only needed somewhere to sleep, and paid 50 reais for a room with just a fan, filthy with dust. As soon as I opened the door, a cockroach ran past. This place is unsanitary. The health inspectors should have shut it down already. At reception I asked if they'd take 40 reais. The woman was very rude and said she couldn't discount it, then told me there were other places in central Recife and I could find somewhere cheaper. I remembered that the next day, when I needed a bed again, and asked a doorman nearby about places to stay downtown. He mentioned Aquarius, a larger hotel whose name I can't remember, and Tapete Vermelho on Rua do Hospício, on the left going toward Teatro do Parque, almost at the corner with Conde da Boa Vista. I expected it to be about as bad as SL, formerly 13 de Maio, which was a little less bad back then, though I don't know when the name changed. But Tapete Vermelho surprised me: for the same 50 reais, I got a tidy room with air conditioning, a television, and Wi-Fi. I'm going to call the health inspectors to report SL. It's awful, a low-quality downtown motel, and I'd only go if I had absolutely no other option.

The staff were welcoming and very attentive, especially Rosana and another woman known as "Irmã". The central Recife location also makes it good value. I stayed four days in room 11 and had a few issues: the fan was noisy and had no speed control, the water looked dirty, and a window leading to what seemed like a courtyard didn't feel very secure. That's why I'm not giving it five stars, though the reception was great otherwise.

A horrible stay. I like simple places, but this one was falling apart. There wasn't even soap or toilet paper, and it felt more like a horror movie set.

We came for Carnival and were given a room with no bathroom door. The hotel was damp and dirty, and the service was awful. A disaster. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, not even my worst enemy.