Flat Villa del Sol

You can walk straight from the back of the complex to the beach, and the beachfront views are wonderful. The place is clean and well kept, with friendly staff. It has parking, outdoor and heated indoor pools, a sauna, gym, restaurant, and games for kids.

The building overlooks the beach and feels like one of Rio’s safest places to stay. Staff across the board, from reception and cleaning to the waiters, were very friendly and helpful. It works well for either a short visit or a longer stay. I wasn’t keen on the restaurant’s food, though someone else may enjoy it; that wasn’t an issue for me since there are plenty of other restaurants nearby. I recommend staying here.

We booked a sixth-floor apartment through AIRBNB from Alexandre, who speaks English fluently and is a multilingual, five-star host. It’s very well equipped, with just about every cooking, dining, and drinking item you can imagine. Alexandre is a food director, and the refrigerator is the biggest and best designed we’ve ever used. For longer bookings, hotel staff clean weekly and change the bed linen and towels. The apartment is in a four-star condotel, where you can book through the hotel or an apartment owner. Reception service is professional and friendly, and usually someone can speak English. The restaurant’s food is simple, good, and fairly priced. There’s secure parking in the underground garage. Well-stocked grocery supermarkets and modern shopping centres are a 15-minute drive away. The location is right beside the beach, with no road or traffic to cross. On weekdays it’s quieter, but weekends and holidays can be crowded and noisy. Surfers are out from sunrise to sunset, and you can hear waves breaking day and night. The standard one-bedroom apartments are compact, like most homes in Brazil, though Alexandre’s balcony is roomier than the photos suggest. Waking up to see soft white sand from bed is fabulous. Wi-Fi was typically over 40 Mbps. There’s a transmission tower nearby, and we found CLARO 3G, averaging over 20 Mbps, much faster than TIM 4G at about 10 Mbps. Feel free to contact Alexandre through AIRBNB; we highly recommend him. His hospitality is exceptional, as many of his other guests have said. Have a great time!

The location and front-desk service were great. Still, this definitely doesn’t feel like a four-star hotel.