Regency Copacabana Hotel

The cab the concierge called for us when we were leaving for the airport wouldn't take a card or any electronic payment. I then spent 20 minutes trying to get cash at Global exchange. With foreigners coming from all over, you'd expect the taxi to accept different ways to pay. The first room we were given was awful: hair on the toilet and sink, some kind of brown film on the showerhead, rust, stained sheets and towels, and a view straight into an alley. We went to the lobby to ask for our money back, but they pushed us to move to a room on the top floor, saying the one we'd booked was the “common room.” The difference was huge. The new room had a completely different layout and was much cleaner. What really upset me was that my jewelry went missing from the room. I usually kept it in a pouch in my purse, but sometimes left it on the desk beside the purse. We'd already been there a couple of nights. The day it disappeared, my friend and I left at 2:45 in the morning for a sunrise hike. I left the jewelry on the desk, and when we got back it was still there. Later, we went to the beach and asked for housekeeping while we were out. They'd moved things from the desk and put all my luggage away, including dirty clothes from the floor inside my suitcase with my other clothes. After searching everything several times, I couldn't find the black pouch. I told the front desk that only my friend, me, and housekeeping had access to the room. Instead of showing concern or apologizing, they blamed me for not looking after my things and criticized me for not putting the jewelry in the safe. Nothing like this had happened during the previous days, so it was strange that my belongings suddenly went missing. They took no responsibility. Housekeeping said nothing had been taken, and I had to file a police report. I still don't know where my jewelry is.