Apartamentos Varandas da Rocha

The location is lovely, and once you learn the room's quirks, the stay is okay, but no better than that. The building feels stuck in the 80s and needs updating. Getting in was difficult because there are no signs; we had to call and wait for someone to come down. We also checked in two hours later than expected, while the cleaner was still in the room with things in disarray. They offered us a checkout three hours later, but it didn't fit our travel plans, so we waited in the bedroom for an hour while she finished. Then we found bugs on all the dishes. They initially said dish soap wasn't provided, but after we explained the inconvenience so far, they went to the grocery store next door for soap and a sponge, and brought a whole new set of plates and bowls. The bed was extremely uncomfortable, so I slept on the living room futon instead. The TV was hard to figure out, and had only six antenna channels, no cable. After trying to get through the parking area, I lowered my rating to two stars. The turns are so tight that getting around required repeated seven-point turns. They seem to be trying, but it would take real investment to improve this place, and I don't think that's going to happen.