Originally posted by Laguy from LAGuy's Opinionated Guide to the Excellent, the Good, the Bad, and the Grotesquely Ugly (Brazil)

Hotel: I suspect most of the people on this and similar boards who visit Rio stay at a hotel or apartment in the southern part of Copacabana Beach, near Help. On my first trip to Rio I booked an apartment on Copacabana Beach from one of the internet hustlers, and was not happy with the quality and value of the apartment; nor am I happy that I am still getting spam from his outfit despite my request that he take me off his mailing list. But I digress.

Unlike those who swear by Help, I do not consider staying in this area a plus although others might. On my last trip time I stayed at a mid-range hotel, the Atlantico Copacabana Hotel, located at Rua Siqueira Campos, 90, about five blocks up from the beach but north of the area around help. Cost was about $55 U.S. a day including breakfast for a fairly large room, including a small separate entry room with a couch and table. The rate will differ depending on season though with the $55 U.S. a day being a low-season rate.

On the plus side the hotel is across the street from a metro station, giving good access to downtown (including quatro x quatro, and the downtown massage parlors), it was a half block from Luomo, and perhaps four blocks from Monte Carlo. It is also close to the Copacabana massage parlors, and closer to the various strip clubs than if one stayed in the area around Help.

However, while the hotel is within about five blocks of the beach, the surroundings are not that of a resort area; you have to walk about five blocks to the beach for that. In fact, at night the area looks like it has some potential for muggings, although given that it is not a center for foreign tourists, I suspect the area around Help may be more dangerous at night, even though surface appearances may not suggest this.

I had a couple of problems though with the hotel, although both are fixable. First, for the first couple of nights I had trouble sleeping on the mattress because it felt more like a box spring with individual springs protruding. When I mentioned this to one of the managers, he knew the problem and had a softer mattress put on top of the one that was giving me problems. Also, the air conditioning knobs had been removed from the air conditioners apparently because the hotel does not want children playing with them (or so they say); the result is that you either are too cold (air conditioning on) or too hot. I later found out you can ask to have the knobs put back on the air conditioners.

All in all I would say the hotel is around a 3 or 3 1/2-star on a 5-star rating scale. Reasonably comfortable but not real impressive. While I did not bring any garotas back to my hotel, my understanding is that it is guest friendly but they charge a guest fee.

Tripsnips, good report on your hotel if you would e-mail me with the website in private or the name of the hotel you stayed in. I to don't enjoy staying around club help or any of the other whore hang outs either.

KidCisco

I stayed at this hotel last year and will stay there when I return to Rio this week. Here are my experiences:

1. The Hotel is definately guest friendly.

I called in from agencies and had guests I met in termas. No problem. Sometimes they charge other times they don't notice the guest and don;t charge. I've never had a problem or been uncomfortable.

2. The location has advantages and disadvantages.

Its right across the street from the mall that has L'uomo in it and is in easy walking distance to Monte Carlo. Blockbuster with Citibank ATMs is also close by. The beach is less than a 5 minute walk. The staff is friendly.

On the otherhand, there's no beach view so if that's important to you you will want to try somewhere else. The rooms are 3 to 3.5 on a scale of five as reported. The standard rooms are comfortable and satisfactory but not outstanding. I'll try a suite this time and report on its quality.

3. The hotel is a decent value.

Regular rooms are about $45 - $50 per night with breakfast included. Food was pretty good. Staff is very friendly and accomodating. The suite will be $60 -$65/night.

Ix

Ixtoc: Everything you said is in accord with my experience, except the rooms are I believe a bit more than you quote. The regular rooms are now about $55 U.S. plus ten percent (tax, service charge?); the junior suites about $70 plus ten percent. Keep in mind that as the real fluctuates, so too do these rates (which were quoted to me in Reais). Also note that they quoted me these prices when I was in Rio (I walked in and asked about a reservation later the same week) within the last couple of months. If anyone has recently gotten lower quotes, I would appreciate the info as to what they were and how they were secured as I may be back there soon.

Ixtoc: I just re-read your message and noticed that you are staying there next week (sorry I missed it first time). Could you please provide (a private message would be fine) the rates you were quoted and how you obtained them? Thanks.

The rates came from the hotel itself. I have a good friend who stays there regularly and negotiates deals for both of us.

My sense is that if you negotiate hard you can knock $5 - $10/night off the rates you mentioned.

I will confirm my rate in reais and dollars when i'm on the ground.

Ix

I always get a room for 50/night, I never get a reservation, just walk in a negotiate. Actualy, I don't negotiate at all, I just tell them " I stayed here last month and I payed 50/night, thats the rate I want this time too". They just look at you and say "ok, no problem".

Also there should not be a guest charge, I have had plenty of women up to the room and was NEVR hit with a fee.

Thumper,

When you are staying at the Alantico Copacabana:
when you invite a girl to your hotel room do you have to sign them in even if there is no guest charges or you just walk them up to your room like it's nothing? Also are the standard singles have a large bed or those tiny beds like the Rio Roiss has. Thanks

Depends Cueball, if the girl looks like she "belongs" in the hotel, she can walk straight in and head to the elevator. Most times the girl will have to sign in with the desk.

They have king size beds and they have double beds that you have to push together. If you are staying in a room with double beds you can request a different room.

I'm not a fan of Bobby (when it comes to apartments), but he gets a good rate at this hotel. He does lots of business with this place. He can get you a "suite" that includes a jacuzzi, queen size bed, 2 tvs (one for each room) and breakfast (for 2) for a little more than $55/night for a "double."

Soccer: As you may have surmised, I am not a fan of Bobby either. I did check his website though and noted that according to the website he is charging $55 for the standard double and $90 for the suite. As to the suite price, this is substantially higher than the quote I just received directly from the hotel. Do you have other information to suggest that it is possible to get the suite from him for $55 notwithstanding the prices on his website? TIA for any additional info.

Prices seem to change constantly, but the last time I used him, I got the suite for 165 reals (when it was 3.6R to a dollar) for the suite, and this was last January, which was peak season. The time before, I got the suite for $180 reals (when it was 2.1 to a dollar) during June. If $90 is his quote now, I wouldn't use him.

Currently, Ipanema.com is quoting for $180 reals for the "junior suite;" I'm not sure the suite I had was called the junior suite, but $90 is way out-of-line. Email ipanema.com to make sure that the junior suite is one of the end (of the hallway) apartmentos with a jacuzzi and sauna. It seems to take them a day or two to answer emails, but they do answer them.

I´m paying 180 reais per night for the suite. My friend is paying 140 reais per night for the standard room.

Ask for the `corporate rate`.

The suite is nice, its a corner room. The main difference is a larger sitting room and bathroom. The bathroom has a jacuzi tub and a dry sauna. The main bedrrom may be a bit larger, but I´m not sure.

I heard great things about the Copacabana Princess from SweetMesquite, who is staying there. Its closer to the beach and Help, is brand new and he says the room is a nice size. He booked the room through ipanema.com and got a good rate, less than the 180/night I´m paying for the suite. May be another option to consider.

Ix

LIke others, the plus for this hotel is that it is minutes walking distance to Monte Carlo and L'Uomo and across the street from the Metro for access to the downtown termas. I don't do Help -- so why stay near there.

Ixtoc, is your friend staying in a suite or in a standard room? The standard rooms are uncomfortably small, too small to stay in for a week. The suites are nice at the Princess but the last heard the rate was 250R/night.

I'm thinking of trying this hotel on my next visit. The neighborhood is busy. I like the fact it's close to the metro and Luomo. Any further suggestions???

After having stayed in the junior suite, I now can recommend it to those who are not on a tight budget. The sauna in the suite is for real, but remember that the jacuzzi is not a hot tub, rather a bath tub with jacuzzi spouts built in. There also is a separate shower, two TVs (one in the bedroom and one in the sitting room.
I originally was quoted (through email) 200 reais a night plust 10 percent for the suite plus breakfast, when I pointed out (again by email) that www.ipanema .com was advertising it for R$180, and that I knew someone who was staying there for that price, I got the lower rate. Still there may be some fluctuation depending on the season.

I went to Ipanema.com to register at Atlantico Copa Hotel. I received e-mail back, but was not confirmed at Atlantico. They suggested other hotels. How do I register at Atlantico if Ipanema.com does not? Will be in Rio soon!!

Check out their website http://www.atlanticocopacabana.com.br/
and then I suggest emailing them using the "speak to us" email address. Alternatively you could use the reservation form, although I'm not sure which of the room types listed there corresponds to the junior suite, if that is what you are interested in. Probably would help if you said a friend got the junior suite for R$180, or if you are just getting the regular room for $R140. I doubt very much that you could get it for less so quoting these prices wouldn't be a bad idea. As I indicated in an earlier post, the rates may vary with the season but you probably have a good shot at the above rates now. Good luck, and let us know whether any of this works.

Laguy: Thanks for your help.

For us mongers that like to (or need to) hit the Internet each day, the high-speed access, in room, at the Atlantico is excellent. Better than a 1MB download and is priced at R$1 per 4 minutes. So, about 15 R$ per hour, more than the internet cafes but the rate is very attractively priced, considering that you can just fire up you're notebook while your lying in your bed or whatever.

I believe there is an Ethernet port in every room. I didn't specify a room with access and still had it, but to be sure just ask at the desk when you check in, or request when you reserve your room.

All in all, I really like the hotel. Excellent location - as stated above, one minute from the hotel door to the door at Luomo, a quick walk to Monte Carlo. My favorite kilo place, Siqueiro Grill, is a few blocks away, plus Citibank, the Metro, etc.

Very, very guest friendly. They take their names and inspect IDs, but no charges for the girls. Americo, the Portuguese night manager, says its for security more than anything.

The breakfast is large - eggs, a couple of hot meats, quiche, the usual ham, turkey and cheese deli selection, lots of breads, four juices, some cereal and the fruit selection. The pool is nice and the beds are comfortable. I had a standard room and the R$140 was well spent.

How is their internet timed? The time you are plugged in? Any minimum time required?

So you can plug in for 1 minute, download your mail, and then plug out? reminds me of what I did when I had dialup via long distance phone call

R$ 15 per hour is quite hefty if you pick up your mail via hotmail webmail and spend a few hours per day online.

I think their guest charges are only waived if you have their best room.

BS,

There is no guest charge at the Atlantico. The rates for single and double are the same.

The internet is charged the same as in a cafe - you log in with room number and password, and a browser screen is kept open with the time started, duration and current total price. When you're done, you hit "disconnect" and the price gets added to your hotel bill.

US$5 per hour is not bad at all. I probably averaged about an hour a day, which is a lot really. Check out the prices in the Internet cafes - I seem to remember them being about R$10 or so per hour.

I concur with all the positive things said about the Atlantico Copacabana Hotel. I only have two negatives for my taste: firstly, the place is extremely noisy as the hotel sits on a corner that has heavy heavy traffic during the day and plenty of traffic at all hours of the night. Secondly, the place is a smokers heaven, the walls, the air conditioning units, the bathrooms, the bed clothing are impregnated of foul-smelling nicotine smell. It is totally inappropiate for those of us who are not only allergic to, but happen to detest cigarrette stench, specially former nicotine addicts like me. When I stayed there for 3 nights once I ended up with a sinus infection that spoiled a good part of my trip. If you don't mind such smell and all the noise, the place is great for the price you pay.

I had a non-smoking room, and didn't smell a thing. I'm kinda like you - somewhat allergic to cig smoke, especially while eating. I don't know if it's an allergy or it's just that I never have to deal with cig smoke in the US. But, my room at the Atlantico was clean - I smell a smoking room before I even walk through the door!

Yeah, it can be a noise place. Tonolero is fairly quiet, but Siqueiro Campos is a major street, and with the Metro right across the street, the buses do get going early. I just kept the windows close and the AC on and didn't have much of a problem. I was also on the 9th floor, so had some vertical buffer space.

Pictures of the Atlantico Copacabana

they are guest friendly to a point, a dupla is not allowed but a 50 reais note to Americo should get them both in.

You are close to L'Uomo termas, to madam X who introduced lots of girls to me and to Hunterman, and to the metro to cheap downtown massage parlors.

If you are cheap like me, then ask for a Metro Ipanema ticket when you come back from downtown. Then you can take the metro Ipanema bus for free ......

The hotel has a good location. Only problem it is a little far from Help and from my place

R$ 50 tip to get a second girl in? This is probably 2 days salary for the doorman. But it is good to know that this works to get a second girl in

Considering that it's a hotel and they don't charge any fees for the first girl, kicking in R$50 for a second girl isn't too bad of a deal.

Also, it is one girl at a time - you can have multiple girls in on a given day, just bring them in one at a time.

Thy are very guest friendly. They also have a location in Buzios.

Internet cafes are normally around R$7 per hour but you can get an account with 10 hours for R$45 at Fone Rio or R$40 at Rios Best Internet (next to McDonalds down the hall just past Xaviera Silveira and N.S. Copacabana) RBI also has new equipment, very fast connections, is not crowded and they will serve you a beer or soft drink at your work station. NO, I have nothing to do with RBI in any way shape form or fashion. I do know the owner but get nothing for this little plug. Just a new place recently opened I wanted to share with the board. Next door is a good place to get a haircut, manicure etc as well.

Princess vs Atlantico Report

i love this hotel...the top suite here has a pool with an awesome view of cristo and the mountains, the girls love partying there also. the guys at the front desk during the day are the best, one is named sam and i forget the name of the other one. the old guy who is usually there at night can sometimes be a pain with girls but overall i have always had a good time here.

one interesting story to share. one night a new guy was working and i came in with three girls. he told me he would not let them in unless i paid r150. i asked him what it was for and he said the charge was normal. anyway, i was pissed off but paid him and made him give me a receipt and write out what the charge was for (because i believe he was just going to pocket the money). the next day i went to the front desk with my hand written receipt and showed it to the guys i knew. they said there was no such policy, gave me my money back, and i never saw the other guy at night again.

Damn it. I cancelled this post....Oh well, here goes again...with a few additions (the reason I cancelled it);Admin. Please delete first post.

As mentioned, both places have their plusses and minuses. AC is right across from the metro and stumbling drunk distanct from Luomo. PC is very close to Help, TA and Alcazar.

For two guys traveling together, the 2Br. suite at PC is a good deal.
Large Salon;


One small BR with private bath;


Larger MBR with private bath (and it is 2 beds pushed together);


Whether on the street side or poolside, you have a balcony.

The Jr. Suite or Single suite (depending on how you want to label it) is fine for one person.

Nice LR/DR/Kitchen combo;




Safe in your closet;


Bathroom;


Nice breakfast buffet and the food isn't bad;



PC has a nice large pool and the girls like swimming there;



Small gym;


Sauna;


Steam;


Jacuzzi; (but I doubt you could get away with having a naked girl in there);


Lobby;



For the AC, others have posted photos of the regular rooms. Here are some photos of the Presidencial Suite. Sorry about the girl in the photos. She kept getting in the way of my camera...he he;
Private pool area with a small table for dining. You can sun on the deck or in chairs;

Photos: Presidential Suite 01 02 03

There is a small living room with a dining table (sorry, no pics)
Huge bathroom with a shower that would hold 10 (again, sorry, no pics)

The MBR is huge.

There is a day lounge and ample closet space;

You can see the edge of the queen size bed in this photo (this is a trick photo...he he)
Photo: Presidential Suite 05

The other side of the queen size bed and there are TV/stereo and light controls bedside;
Photo: Presidential Suite 06

Nice comfy sofa;
Photo: Presidential Suite 07

If I recall correctly, this place is about R$460 per night but it is always best to check out the rates as they change frequently.

Both are guest friendly but normally only one at a time. Two guys can have one girl each so if you want a dupla, have your buddy walk one upstairs with you.....Out of the box thinking can solve many policy issues!

Both places are great for short term stays although some people stay there for weeks at a time. Apt's are generally better for longer stays if you are budget conscious but you do give up some amenities.

BTW-(little SPAM here) There will be more photos and vids of Rhunna coming soon to DonGringo.com

Third time is the charm.

Admin. Please delete first two posts....

Wow, Sandman. You could the "feel" of the furniture in just the right way. You should get a job at a furniture marketing company! Hell. I would buy it all, and I'm not that into furniture!

Val

Great photos of the eh hem furniture. The day lounge photo is perfect. Looks very cozy. U can tell she is very comfortable on it. - LB

And WHAT; No comments about SweetMesquites dirty laundry next to his safe??? Hint: There are wine stains on them......

Here are my comments on Atlantico Copacabana:

1. Can't beat the price.
2. Location is great.
3. Staff is SUPER.
4. Beds are too hard.
5. A Frenchman turned me on to the best photo/binocular voyuer opportunity in Rio, the Atlantico Copacabana roof!
6. Girls always have had to sign in, but I have never been charged for them.
7. It is noisy, but I am so wasted by the time I get there, it rarely matters...

best photo/binocular voyuer opportunity in Rio

glad you mentioned that-from my second floor window I could shot a lot of interesting pics of the garotas-

One thing positive I'll add about the Atlantico is they were quite ready to let two girls up with me one evening. Unfortunately one of them (recently featured by DG) did not have documents.

How's the beach area close to AC? Is it as fun as the hooker beach?

The area around Princess is definitely not safe to walk around, esp. those streets around Help. How's the area around AC?

Thanks. As far as I know, PC does not have Internet access inside the room. Correct?

Siquera Campos isn't too bad at night, it's a pretty busy street at all hours. As far as the beach, it's four blocks away, so a small hike.

any up dates on Atlantico Copacabana Hotel?