Girassol Carioca Hostel e Hotel

That central location is downtown, sure, but the area had all the charm of Venezuela's Carandiru Maximum Security Penitentiary. I felt safer on my third tour of Helmand Provence. The place felt less like a hotel than a step toward grown-up prison, complete with a pot of vaseline in the bedside cabinet and a set of root vegetables increasing in size, presumably for rooming with 'Big Ron'. The room was so cramped that the table, TV, door, and bathroom were all within six inches of the mattress. You could wash your hands and answer the door at the same time. In the hall, buckets and pails were set out to catch water leaking from the inadequate roof, and they weren't doing the job. They had an unconventional idea of windows too: the frames were there, but no panes. Great for hot, muggy, dengue-infested mosquito evenings. The shower dripped like an old man with an enlarged prostate, only colder. Breakfast had all the appeal of lupus. The staff were even less friendly than you'd expect in a prison 'lite'.

The place was clean, the location was easy to get around from, and the guest service was excellent. A wonderful stay, and I'd recommend it to everyone!

Awful.

I loved the cute little cat, Girassol. The hotel is right in the middle of Lapa's nightlife, so anyone who can't sleep with noise should forget it. I brought earplugs and was fine, and for people who enjoy going out at night, that lively setting is actually a plus. It's a two-star hotel, so don't expect luxury or sophistication. What matters is the cleanliness and how promptly the staff help, and I got all my requests taken care of. Everyone was very friendly. Breakfast is simple but tasty, and the woman serving it was polite. The location is handy too, near the metro and VLP station, making it easy to get to other parts of Rio. I recommend it.