Le Chateaux Joá

Dinner was great, but the prices are extremely high for Rio, and the hotel isn't worth what it costs. The rooms are old and the furniture was dirty. If the food is priced so high, the hotel should consider charging less for the rooms.

Rabie made our three days of relaxation in Rio especially easy. He speaks perfect English, gave us attentive service, and was reachable on WhatsApp whenever we needed him. He helped plan the details each day, booked dinner for us, and looked up hikes and activity information since we don't speak Portuguese. He suggested Zo Sushi in Barra, which was the best, an in-room couples massage, and an adventurous hike up pedra da Gávea. We're grateful and will be back. It was our third visit to Rio, but our first time in Joa. We chose this boutique hotel instead of returning to Ipanema, and loved the setting on green cliffs overlooking Barra beach and Pedra da Gávea. You can walk to Joa cliffs, where there's a small beach at low tide, or just relax on the cliffs and take in the views. Barra beaches are about a 10-minute Uber ride away. The hotel looks just like the pictures, a classy place without anything overdone. Breakfast was a huge spread every day, and on arrival day we also had a three-course lunch with fresh fish and salad. Beautiful views, attentive service, great food. We'll definitely return.

A disaster. We had an early flight and waited on the street for more than an hour before anyone let us in. There's no reception, and the hotel hadn't warned us about that. When we finally spoke to the manager, she was very rude and impolite. She even blamed us for arriving early, with no apology.

It was okay.