Mengo Palace Hotel

The rooms cover the basics, even though the hotel is clearly old. Our room was cleaned every day, and the service was very good and friendly. There's a restaurant that serves breakfast only, with basic food and no issues. Two restaurants and a laundry are nearby.

The location is a plus, and the rooms were clean, with decent bathrooms and a nice breakfast. But I wouldn't book this place for business or a longer stay. I was there for two weeks, and the terrible internet made it impossible to do anything. Their laundry service was also expensive, around $100 for a wash and dry.

The service is why I gave this hotel five stars. It's quite old, but that wasn't a big issue for us. We were a couple staying four nights during Carnival, and we're happy with the choice. The price was three times higher because of Rio de Janeiro's Carnival, which we understand. I'd recommend it if you plan to spend most of your time outside the hotel. Thank you, Brazil. We got between the airport and hotel in about 25 minutes by Uber, each ride costing around 60 Brazilian reals. The reception and staff were super nice, friendly, and kind. Breakfast was a buffet with great options for a three-star hotel, including fresh tropical fruit every morning. The room was quite small, with little space to walk around, but the bed and pillows were comfortable and the bathroom was big. The air conditioning worked well in the hot weather, and both the hot and cold water worked well. They don't provide bath soap or shampoo, just two hand soaps and a hairdryer. The towels were new and clean. The mini fridge was a good size, and the drinks in it were affordable. The entrance is wheelchair accessible. The location is great, near Catete metro station, with a restaurant, cafe, and drugstore next door. The room wasn't well soundproofed, so we could sometimes hear noise from other rooms. The key card kept giving us errors and nearly wore out our patience. The Wi-Fi was a bit slow on the fourth floor.

It's a great choice for business trips: the staff are attentive and nice, the accommodations are simple but clean and well maintained, and guests get free access to a fully equipped gym across the street. The hotel is very well located near SDU airport, with several restaurants nearby and easy access to the city center.