Vila Galé Rio De Janeiro

Courteous and kind staff. Beautiful and well maintained grounds and swimming pool, with relaxing music in the background. Beautiful and welcoming lobby. The female breakfast chef (the one who prepares tapioca pancakes and omelettes)

Frontline Staff were polite and kind, however I was hoping that the hotel management team (catering and reception) would be more forthcoming, after I advised them that my holiday companion caught a tummy bug on his first day at the hotel, most probably caused by the liquid yoghurt displayed in jars, in the breakfast buffet. My friend was ill for 3 days, and had to stay in the hotel room all day the first 2 days. He became unwell with severe diarrhea soon after he had breakfast at the hotel. The first day, the room did not get cleaned (just the bathroom), although i had asked reception staff and the housekeepers to clean it. I am surprised that for a hotel of that standard, reception and catering senior staff did not take the matter more seriously. The language barrier was also problematic, as most staff only speak Portuguese. The furnishing and bathrooms need a makeover as it is getting quite old. The grounds and swimming pool are stunning and well maintained. However, the deckchairs need replacing, as again, they look quite old. The restaurant is spacious, very clean, well decorated and has wide bay windows leading to the patio and swimming pool. The hotel is well located, being in the heart of Lapa district, right by the aquaduct and a few minutes away from the old town and Selaron stairs. Being so close to Lapa hippie district, there is a sharp contrast between the opulence of the hotel and the blatant poverty, derelict and filthy local area. There are many homeless and deprived men and women in the neighbourhood, which can shock tourists who are not used to this or those who don't expect this kind of scenes right by their holiday place. I personally did not mind so much, as for me, mingling with the locals is also part of discovering a city/country. I would have given Vila Galé a 8/10 mark if they had dealt with my friend's experience more proactively. Because of our experience, I would only give it a 6/10 mark.

Pool

Food at the restaurant is really bad!