Basilica de Nossa Senhora Auxiliadora

Great

The very best thing was early check in. The gentleman at the front desk was super friendly and helpful and allowed us to check in at 11:30am (normal is 2pm). I'm sure that is not always possible but after a long flight that arrived inconveniently early, we were grateful. Everything else was good. The location is great with a perfect view of the beautiful Ipanema beach and the incredible foot-volleyball players and people relaxing by the sea. There are a ton of food options within a 5 minute walk (from McDonalds to fancy Brazilian steak). My only negative about the location is that it's about an hour drive from the airport when traffic is bad - and traffic is always bad (except apparently at 2am on Sunday). By the way, we never felt unsafe during our stay other than at the airport itself, where a flock of shady taxi drivers aggressively tried to persuade us that they were "official ubers". Don't fall for it - they will charge many times the correct rate. Go ahead and book this hotel.