PortoBay Rio Internacional — Hotel in Região Geográfica Imediata do Rio de Janeiro

I booked a room with a king size bed and they put me in a room with 3 singles. My sink didn’t drain. The toilet seat doesn’t go down. Phone in the room didn’t work. They sorted out 3 of the 4 issues within 24 hours - I didn’t bother to complain about the toilet seat.

There are two passenger lifts in the hotel. They’re very slow. It’s not been uncommon to wait 10 minutes for a lift to go up or down between 9-10am in the morning - as they’re full, stop on many of the 20 floors on their way, and like I said, slowwww. I was staying for 3 nights at this hotel.

The rooms are fine. They’re clean and tidy. The bathrooms are a little dated and showing signs of age. But they’re good. The shower was tricky - I found it very difficult to find a suitable temperature which wasn’t very cold or very hot. Tiny adjustments to the mixer would take about 2 minutes to take effect. So mixer lottery became a frequent adventure few times a day.

The air con in the room worked really well. I like to sleep in a cold room. And after realising after the first night that the air con activation card was the wrong way in (couldn’t get it working at 1am on the first night), I was waking up to an ice box every morning - just the way I like it for a deep sleep. There’s a black out curtain - so it’s night time all the time the curtains are closed. Perfect

Breakfast at the hotel is okay. There’s a decent selection of fruit, pastries, and some hot food, coffee and such. It’s a buffet and there’s no a la carte options. The breakfast is not up to my standard. I have very basic requirements for a hotel breakfast - I want 4-6 fresh eggs, a bowl of hot oats and black coffee. There’s a big bowl of runny scrambled eggs - which look like they have had milk or something added to them - which is not uncommon for me to see at some hotels. I like my eggs poached and cooked fresh without anything added. The only oats available were pre made in little jars with soy milk (if I understood from them correctly), with honey and some seeds and other things. I don’t want honey or pure sugar in any of my meals. Like I said I travel a lot so eating well and working out is part of my life all the time no matter where I am. On the last day the hotel agreed to make me boiled eggs and a pre prepare a bowl of overnight oats without honey.

I fell asleep early with my clothes on on my last night. I woke at 2am to get changed and turn the light out and saw a 4” cockroach run across my room. Now with a working phone I called reception and they did attend within a few minutes to remove him.

The fitness room is made up of about 5 cardio machines, one bench and a handful of dumbbells. I went on my final morning to work out and two guys were using the bench. So I left. It’s a nice view up there on the 20.5th floor overlooking the pool and sea. But I like my fitness room or gym to accommodate more than 2 people for it to be useful. Otherwise it’s just luck of the draw.

The hotel do operate on the beach across the road. There’s some chairs and umbrellas, a food and drinks menu. I ordered steak (which came with chips) yesterday at the beach and it was good. I would have preferred a proper sun lounger bed to lay on. But these are available by the pool on the roof of the hotel.

I then spent 30 minutes zooming up and down Cocabana by the beach on an electric scooter. It’s an obstacle course. I love being outside and riding an electric scooter is fun. But stay alert because there’s a lot of opportunities for it to go very wrong. Dodging walkers, runners, wheelchair users who want to use the dedicate cycle way. And pedestrians crossing. Or just other users in large groups making sudden turns or just stopping. Welcome to real life haha

The hotel is nice. Good location. Very modern on the outside. I believe the outside was recently refurbished. It’s good value for the price. I will also say all the staff are super friendly and accommodating. So they get 5 stars for...

Scenic views, + safe location, + beautiful rooftop, + breakfast included

The Porto Bay is listed as a 4-star hotel but it is hard to say if the quality standard is really fulfilling the rating. I am torn because the service is great but amenities and interior are average if you counter the room rates against it. However, its location and in particular the view from the rooftop is marvelous! Being on the 20th floor you have a great vantage point over Copacabana, towards Sugar Loaf, and Christ the Redeemer.

Staff The staff is very friendly and tries to help with sightseeing ideas, restaurant tips and further requests like best shopping, partying etc. At your arrival you are even greeted with a cold glass of sparkling wine that can be pretty relaxing and cooling after a long flight.

Amenities The complimentary breakfast is delicious and offers a huge choice of fruits, juices, pastries, some meat and cheeses and warm dishes. The breakfast room faces the beach and most guests are distracted by the beautiful view. The hotel’s highlights are by far the rooftop with the sundeck and pool, and the breakfast room on the 5th floor. The room rates are definitely overpriced but this is common in Rio and happens with other hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops. At least the Porto Bay provides some complimentary flip-flops for their guests and a beach service, including sun chairs, beach towels and umbrellas.

+/- Rooms All superior rooms are facing the side street but still offer a partial view towards the beach. The deluxe rooms and suites have full ocean view but since Avenida Atlantica is very busy 24/7 I highly recommend requesting a high floor. The interior is very but modern but some rooms already are in need of a touch-up after 4 years.

Good to know: The area along the beach is safe during day and you can easily walk up to Ipanema and Leblon along the shore feeling comfortable. From time to time you might be approached from retailers but they leave you alone as soon as you wave them away friendly. During night the atmosphere changes and you should either take a cab or private driver to go out or to dinner. It even can happen that some hookers and their pimps are lining the street. Along Avenida NS Copacabana you will find some shops and supermarkets, such as Zona Sul and Pao de Acucar. The most pleasant area is located between Rua Figueiredo Magalhães up to Rua Bolivar.

From GIG the International airport you can take a radio taxi for Reais 100, one of the yellow cabs using a meter for 60-90 Reais (which might be higher depending on the traffic) or a prearranged cheap shuttle service for Reais 15 per person. The company is called ShuttleRio and only services specific hotels along Copacabana. So the trick is to book a shuttle to Orthon Lancaster Hotel and to walk next door to Porto Bay. This shuttle service’s downside is that it is not very reliable. In terms of a flight delay they might don't check on you and just leave. In this case you either have to call them checking on a later pickup or finally go with the cabs.

If you are irresolute where to stay in Rio I highly recommend the tourist areas at Copacabana, Ipanema or Leblon. Although neighborhoods like Santa Teresa, Lapa or Flamengo are the cool rising stars of Rio you will have a hard time to get a cab during night. Since these neighborhoods are surrounded by favelas it happens that you are even forced to walk or stay at your accommodation since the drivers try to avoid any insecure situation during nights.

By the way prepare yourself for driving experiences similar to computer games. There are no rules in Rio and some cab drivers play kamikaze! So you better buckle up...

I should have paid more attention to the negative reviews, and I’m honestly surprised at the number of 5-star reviews. It makes me wonder if some people have ever stayed in a nice hotel or have standards other than having a place to sleep. Just keep in mind that when you leave overly generous reviews people pay attention to them and will possibly make the wrong choice of hotel and there’s no incentive for management to improve quality. This hotel disappoints on multiple fronts despite a few positives. The staff is pleasant, and the rooftop offers a nice view, but that's about it. The panoramic ocean view from the room is nice, and the lobby's decent, as is the location. However, the negatives overshadow these few positives. The bed is an old box spring and uncomfortably hard, akin to sleeping on a rock, and the linens are rough and clearly aged. They could easily improve on the experience with cotton sheets and not the super rough synthetic material they are using. The pervasive moldy smell in the hallways and rooms is off-putting. The hotel is dirty, evident in moldy showers, dusty rooms, and dirty windows. The outdated and old décor, inconsistent cleaning service, and lack of new toiletries for guests further detract from the experience. Broken amenities like toilet seats and shower head holders add to the disappointment. The bathroom sink was also partially clogged. The pool isn’t heated, which is a shame because you can’t comfortably enjoy the Rio view in the winter from the rooftop pool. The minifridge had expired items. There is no coffee machine, just tea and an electric kettle. While the hotel may attract guests with its location and photos, it fails to deliver on quality. Despite its purported 4-star rating, it falls short in numerous aspects, making it an unsuitable choice for those who value quality and comfort. Consider looking elsewhere for a better experience. It’s a shame because this hotel could be massively improved with just a few small changes like better cleaning, better sheets, and repairing basic amenities. I have stayed in far nicer hotels in South America at this price point and this is simply a...