Hotel Rio Lancaster

The location is right on the beach, and the staff are friendly. Breakfast was above average. But the hotel seems old and worn throughout, right down to the elevator buttons, and it hasn’t been maintained very well. You get what you pay for.

We had a great two-night stay, and the beach views from our big balcony were awesome. The room was spacious, with a super king-size bed, a large cable TV, a safe you could use for free, and a mini fridge. The view was panoramic, right across Copacabana beach. The hotel is old, and you can see that in the bathroom, which could use updating, but it was clean. The bedroom and the rest of the hotel were clean as well, and our room was cleaned very well during our short stay, so we came back from sightseeing to a fresh room and bed. Breakfast was incredible, much better than I expected, with lots of tasty choices. The main waiter was very nice. From the time we arrived, the staff were very friendly and helpful. The slim guy at reception suggested carrying a passport copy instead of the original, made one for us, and gave us lots of information. You can book plenty of tours at reception, and I wish I’d taken them. Evaldo was super nice with our bags, and showed us the English channels and where to find better food. The location is more than excellent, with restaurants for different budgets nearby and public transport that can take you almost anywhere around Rio. There are lots of things to do in Rio, so the TV’s limited English channels didn’t bother me. For what we paid, the cheapest hotel with a sea view, the old building was a fair trade for the price and service.

For a very reasonable price, I got an awesome balcony view of Copacabana beach. The hotel is old, chipped, and cracked, but it does the job. The staff are really friendly and breakfast is very good. If you book a Rio tour at reception, they can get you a better deal than online.

The apartment was terrible. The view looked into someone else’s backyard, the ceiling had mildew, and the air conditioning had no control beyond plugging it in and unplugging it. Maintenance was awful overall, and the front desk didn’t help. I spent ten minutes booking another hotel. Even though I lost what I’d paid in advance, moving was the better choice. Avoid it at all costs. I wish I could give zero stars.