Vila Galé Rio de Janeiro

The hotel has a cool vibe and looks like the Grand Budapest Hotel from the Wes Anderson film. I felt safe there, the people at the desk were lovely, and the pool was really nice. Breakfast and dinner were great, too. The area made me uneasy at night, even though I’m a fairly seasoned traveller. There aren’t many reliable food options nearby, and some felt a bit sketchy. I’d eat closer to Copacabana or Ipanema, then come back to the hotel to sleep.

The staff were so welcoming and kind throughout my five days there, and breakfast was great every morning. Everton and Jessica went above and beyond when I needed help, and I’m truly grateful. I also had an amazing massage with Anna, so don’t hesitate to book the spa. They made my birthday feel special, and I’ll definitely return on my next visit. Obregada to everyone!!

The hotel’s replies to reviews look like sloppy copy-paste, repeated word for word in several cases without even changing the wording. They’re supposedly from a general manager, but it makes me wonder if anyone reads the reviews. What a shame, it feels like the problem starts at the top. I stayed in the traditional room along the pink corridor by the pool. It was lovely, but extremely noisy, with lots of traffic and people constantly passing by. One night was especially bad: the hotel held a private event in the restaurant, and guests stood by the room windows, drinking, smoking and talking without considering the hotel guests. It went on past 10 pm and 11 pm. Children at the event were still running and screaming after 11. I couldn’t sleep at all. Every place has strengths and flaws, but if guests can’t get the sleep they booked a room for, the hotel has failed.

The restaurant staff were lovely, cheerful and always ready to help, and the spa massages were excellent. That’s about where the good parts ended for me. I’ve travelled overseas for more than 35 years and stayed in many 4- and 5-star hotels, but this was my first negative experience, and I hope it’s my last. The service was dire, and neither the manager nor staff followed up on my initial concerns. I wouldn’t recommend Vila Gale. The neighbourhood felt less like a bohemian district and more like Skid Row, with drug addicts, beggars, prostitutes, drunks, vagrants, litter and graffiti along the routes to places of interest. As a photographer travelling alone, I had fewer opportunities than I’d hoped, and my equipment attracted the wrong attention. I felt the area was unsafe for a solo traveller. The hotel tour guide service, using that term loosely, also felt overbearing and unprofessional, with too much familiarity and boundaries crossed. My stay was memorable for all the wrong reasons, starting with a six-hour wait to get a room. Front desk staff were surly and lacked professionalism and people skills. They seemed more receptive to locals and Portuguese-speaking guests, so it wasn’t a warm welcome. There was no visible concierge or offer to help with my luggage. Carrying it up two flights of stairs was no small task for a 60-year-old. The air conditioning didn’t work, so I had to change rooms. The safe needed attention too, and it took two maintenance men to change a battery, which felt uncomfortable as a woman travelling alone. The room was spacious but could have been cleaner. Its dark brown and beige decor felt depressing, and there was none of the advertised artwork theme. Wooden shutters blocked much of the natural light. The guest information was in Portuguese, and staff gave me nothing at check-in to help. The main restaurant felt like a school canteen: a busy, noisy buffet with too few staff to serve people and clear tables. The à la carte section stayed closed throughout my visit, although I could still order from its menu and have the food served in the canteen. What kind of dining experience is that? The pool was crowded and noisy. Outside the pool area, the casual seating smelled unpleasant from cigarette butts and was a haven for smokers. Private events also made the hotel noisy in the evenings. The complex didn’t match the picture on the website. The traditional rooms felt tired, while a modern tower block with more than 200 rooms stood in the centre, overlooked by other tower blocks. It reminded me more of Premier Inn and Butlins, UK hotel and leisure centre brands, than the advertised property. The four-star rating is questionable. Vila Gale might suit families, business travellers or people staying two or three nights. But based on my experience, it fell short of a good standard.