Baixa Deluxe - 2 BR Apartment - RPE 1598

What People are saying

Good price/good location

Xflor on 18/09/2016 02:34

There were good and not so good points. Good points: low price (but you get what you pay for), friendly staff, just a block to the beach and good dining, patio w/ocean views, breakfast was decent, fridge bar had beer and chocolate.
Not so good: a/c only in bedroom, old and dilapidated bldg, furniture/linens/towels were cheap and uncomfortable, tv only in bedroom, shower leaked water onto bathroom floor, our floor had a constant reeking cigarette smell, kitchen ware was limited and pretty much useless.
Overall however, I prob would stay again due to price/location but I would go prepared and ask more questions before booking.

Good location, reasonable price, friendly staff

jjk2004 on 30/06/2014 05:09

Two blocks from the beach... can't beat that. The infrastructure isn't exactly A+ (of the two apartments, one had issues with hot water in the shower), but the apartment was sizable and clean. We could comfortably fit 5 people in one apartment if we needed. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. I'd absolutely stay here again, since the value for the $ was high. Each apartment had a fridge, kitchen, 2 bedrooms, bathroom, balcony, and small sink for handwashing clothes. The pool was occasionally a nice change from the beach.

Much less than you can expect

ValterLara80 on 10/04/2014 11:36

Flat type rooms, looking old and worn out and comun areas (corridors, elevators, garage) looking like a very poor maintained building.... Breakfast is poor and lacks regional treats, as commonly offered by other hotels in the region. If you have other options, go there... Come here as your next to last resort...

Run down. Good area, but only book if you can get it very cheap

skotle on 18/03/2014 03:17

This was a business trip and the hotel we had previously stayed in, Luzeiros, was full so we booked this instead, at the same price.

What a difference in quality. Another reviewer used the word "Dilapidated" in his title and I think that best sums it up.

On arrival, the glass doors were closed and it took a couple of minutes for the doorman to leave the TV and open them. The receptionist didn't speak English and, during my stay, neither did any of the rest of the staff. That's actually ok - I don't expect a hotel in Edinburgh to have all of its staff fluent in Portuguese, but it certainly made the stay more challenging.

The room was a "suite", which was basically a grotty living room, a slightly less grotty bedroom, and a hideous kitchen area that was far from sanitary - most of the surfaces had condensation and (due to that, I'd think) pretty much every piece of metal was rusty.

Only the bedroom had a/c, which meant that it was impossible to use the living room part for work - it was just too stuffy.
On the topic of amenities, there is no other working area - no meeting rooms or separate areas, beyond the foyer. There is a breakfast room but they don't serve lunch or dinner, nor is there a bar. The pool is the size of a rich man's bath and, while there is a bar area beside it, this was completely devoid of stock or staff.

They also don't have any kind of laundry service and it was a few days before I managed to bargain an iron out of them (with the help of a Portuguese-speaking colleague).

This could have been a one star review but I know that I'm viewing it from a business perspective, where we had to meet and work, rather than a vacationer's perspective. It *is* in a very busy area and there are lots of bars and restaurants around so if you only ever intend to sleep here (and the bedroom was clean enough), and you can get it cheap enough, then I'd give it a shot.

If you are here on business, though, or it's the same price as the competition, then this should be at the bottom of your list,

Can be good, but apartments are separately owned

androo235 on 07/09/2012 18:26

We stayed here, again (if you've read other reviews of mine) in a pair of two bed two bath apartments Xmas 2005/06. One was high up another, ours, on the fourth floor or so. I think they were about £30 a night each at the time - probably double that in £'s now, though still very reasonable.

This is an apart-hotel and all the apartments are separately owned (you can probably buy on a similar development being built now if that interests you - we had a look at a few, but didn't buy). Although management is unified and standards are supposed to be uniform. When we stayed both apartments were very good. Air-con in bedrooms, TV and a kitchen you could cook in. Everything worked fine. There was also daily maid service. The common areas were ok then, though service at reception was not very professional. I think maybe that as this is not a hotel as such that without good management the apartments and the housekeeping may have deteriorated. Perhaps some apartments get rented out more than others and so they have deteriorated affecting the reputation of the whole building.

It is unlikely that they will speak English as the Brazilian domestic market is quite big enough for them (I speak Portuguese, my wife is Brazilian). Also, for the most part the Brazilian owners will occupy the apartments at the busiest times of year, although there is a limit on how often the owners can use the apartments themselves without paying as if they were Hotel guests. However, this is Brazil, so maybe it's not so strictly enforced and the management gets by on the "condo" fees paid by the owners and so the Hotel side may have suffered.

Just speculating....

Anyway, when we were there it was modern, clean, reasonably well equipped and comfortable. I would have given it four-stars but for the considerably less enthusiastic more recent review that's here.

It's well located by the way - the beach about 100 metres (a block) away is a major tourist draw and has many places to eat/drink etc on it and by it.. There's also lots going on - I think there are frequent gigs and other events on the beach too.