The 'W' of Rio

I stayed at the Orla Copacabana Hotel while in town for a conference. I chose the hotel because it was conveniently located next to the Sofitel, where the conference was held, but it had a much more reasonable price tag. I was not disappointed. The rooms were small but tastefully decorated. The beds were small as well, but extremely comfortable. The employees were in general efficient, knowledgeable (about things like sightseeing and souvenir shopping), and polite. Occasionally over the phone the staff was curt, but in person they were generally very helpful and good natured. The breakfast (included in the room rate) was stellar, including fresh squeezed juices and fresh fruit alongside cooked food and pastries. The dining staff was very friendly and accomodating. The Orla is conveniently located on Copacabana beach, along an expanisve strip of hotels. Its small size and modern decor distinguish it from other hotels. The free WIFI in the lobby was a plus as well. The hotel is full service providing currency exchange with no commission and laundry services for a small fee. Local calls and the advertised room safe also had small fees associated with them, but after a 5-night stay my incidentals bill came up to only US $14. All in all, I had a wonderful experience at the Orla. The only caveat I offer is that potential guests should try to get beach-front rooms. The back rooms face the street and as such get their fair share of city noises. While I stayed there was a bit of construction going on next door as well, which the hotel was unable to do anything about. Other than that, my experience was extremely enjoyable.

Great location and facilities, rude staff!

The Orla's location is perfect-- right between Copacabana and Ipanema. The hotel is also new (2001), which means the facilities are very clean and spruce. We stayed there for a week and found it a good value for money. The only problem we experienced was that the staff was consistenly rude to us and very unhelpful. For instance, one staff member made a big fuss when we asked her to call a museum to find out what the operating hours were; another staff member was very unhelpful when we asked for directions to a nearby currency exchange location. The night before our departure, we asked for a wakeup call early the next morning so as not to miss our early morning flight out of Rio; the staff did not process the wakeup call and we very nearly missed our flight. The staff generally is grim and unsmiling and does not really go out of its way to help its guests. We would probably have stayed there again given that we got a good internet room rate, but I would warn travelers that the staff is quite brusque.

Orla...you just can't go wrong

We stayed in one of the basic rooms for a week - excellent value, we were very pleased. The rooms may be a bit on the small side by north american standards, but they are impecabbly clean, quite comfortable and very modern. In fact, the whole hotel is a truly "boutique" experience: intimate, stylish with really nice touches - the decoration in the small dining lounge is really cool...mounted dishes and mugs are the backdrop for a very decent breakfast. Staff very helpful.

Great location, steps from Copacabana and a short walk to Ipanema...Rio in general is quite compact and easy to get around...

This is a great choice in Rio...

Great stay at the Orla

Ideal position - on Copacabana and 10 minutes from Ipanema. Pay the extra for a sea view and the rooms at the front are bigger too! Staff on Reception were incredibly friendly and helpful. Breakfast was a big plus as it was varied, fresh and well prepared and presented. Staff at breakfast were also very friendly.

Incredibly narrow frontage to the hotel but impressive design features in reception and elsewhere add to the ambience.

Views from the roof are just unbeatable, although the "pool" is a bit of a joke.

Ignore sharks masquerading as taxi drivers immediately outside the hotel - take a yellow cab or the bus (about 45p to go anywhere).

I would definitely recommend this hotel - we stayed for 14 nights! If you are staying this long you might want to negotiate a discounted rate as we did on arrival.

Excellent

great location, pay more and get a sea view if possible, we could see the sugarloaf to the far end of the beach (long.long walk) the fort which is only a short walk and well worth a visit.

Reasonable breakfast

tremendous staff, especially at reception who would help in any way they could, they arranged 2 last minute trips for us, they would explain the tours without pushing you into anything.

in particular i would recommend the trip to the favelas which gave a great insight to the area.

would definately stay there again.

Good Value - Excellent Staff

Rooms probably a little on the small side for American tourists - we had a superior room which was still fairly small. The view was terrible, a wall a few feet opposite with slum building to the side. However, this meant it was very quiet (apart from the air con).

Good shower, no hairdryer - but one supplied for the duration by asking at reception.

Location is good, at one end of Copacabana beach with a very short walk through to Ipanema beach. Although it was a fair walk if you wanted the night spots of Leblon.

We used taxis very late at night, but didn't find walking at night a problem (just be sensible).

The breakfast buffet had a fairly large good selection everyday (it was the same everyday) and was attended to by very friendly waiters. (Try the little cheesy rolls!).

A very nice (and very small) rooftop pool, sauna, sun terrace and exercise room give good views over the beach and to the mountains.

Fast internet in rooms, (cabled and hotspots), two pc's available for those without there own.

Biggest plus were the staff - especially on reception. They couldn't have been more helpful on giving advice, suggestions, organising taxis, trips etc and just generally be very helpful and friendly!

A good value base for exploring Rio

Orla is a good, quiet hotel

Third visit to Rio but first to Orla. Booked due to reputation & free high speed wired internet (need it for business). Staff speaks good English. Room is rather small, but okay for the $128/nite USD (incl tax) rate. Great shower, good Brasilian breakfast included. Great location at the south of Copa. Wish I had more time to enjoy the sites & beach - will next time - I will be back at the Orla! for their web site.

Orla, a nice hotel

The Orla hotel is quite a nice boutique hotel at the end of the strip on Copacabana beach. It's a great location because you will have the best of all the beaches in the area. The room we recieved was very small, but comfortable and the shower was amazing. We weren't in the room that much so it really made no difference. The breakfast was delicious with lots of variety. After the 7th morning we were quite sick of the selection though. The front desk staff really had no interest in being that helpful. That was really the only dissapointment. As well, when you tried to take a taxi, they would always offer you the more expensive ones. Word of warning, ALWAYS take a Metro cab. There is a taxi stand right outside the hotel on the next street over. The hotel is beside some really cute restaurants and is right behing the Zona Sul shopping centre, where you can get bottles of water and coffee for really cheap. Have fun!

Simply the best

Simply one of the best hotels I have stayed in. The room I had was suberb and great value for money. Breakfast lunch or dinner will be a delight.

The staff always on hand to help and always give good tourist advice.

Location is excellent on one of the nicer parts of copacabana beach and with brilliant shops and restaraunts very close by....In general the food was excellent no complaints.

Going back next year and will definatley be staying at this hotel again....

Loved the ORLA COPACABANA HOTEL

We stayed at the Orla Hotel in Rio 7/24-7/30. It is a boutique style hotel with an excellent location between Ipanema and Copacabana beaches. The hotel restaurant serves a delicious buffet style breakfast and a la carte lunches and dinners. We did not get a chance to try the lunch and dinner as the breakfast was filling and appetizing. The hotel also has a rooftop pool with a mini-gym and a steam room. All facilities are clean including the rooms. Very cozy and pleasant atmosphere. The price that we paid included breakfast and it was a great deal that I obtained via the hotels website. We also used the laudry service which was very efficient as well. Overall I highly recommend this hotel for location, quality, staff and cleanliness. Great Hotel.