Name: AP resort praia Barra Ocean Drive
Address: Av. Lúcio Costa, 6900, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, 22795-000, Brazil
Rating: 9

24-hour reception

Smoke-free property

Garden

Express check-in

No elevators

General

Parking

Business center

Meeting and presentation facilities

Conference Hall

Business

Beauty and wellness

Location

At the resort

Barra da Tijuca

Jacarepagua Airport

Tijuca National Park

Leblon Beach

Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden

Maracana Stadium

Christ the Redeemer

Arpoador Beach

Copacabana Fort

RioZoo

Sugarloaf Cable Car

Aterro do Flamengo Park

Selaron Steps

Catedral de Sao Sebastiao do Rio de Janeiro

Arcos da Lapa

AquaRio

National Fine Arts Museum

Museum of Modern Art

Museu do Amanhã

Santos Dumont Airport

Galeao Antonio Carlos Jobim International Airport

AP resort praia Barra Ocean Drive

Rio de Janeiro

child-bed

child-bed-fee

external-private-bathroom

private-bathroom

shared-bathroom

10-beds

11-beds

12-beds

13-beds

14-beds

15-beds

16-beds

17-beds

18-beds

19-beds

2-beds

20-beds

21-beds

22-beds

23-beds

24-beds

25-beds

26-beds

27-beds

28-beds

29-beds

3-beds

30-beds

31-beds

32-beds

33-beds

34-beds

35-beds

36-beds

37-beds

38-beds

39-beds

4-beds

40-beds

5-beds

6-beds

7-beds

8-beds

9-beds

king-bed

queen-bed

limited-time

lounge

treatment

no-window

bay-view

bosphorus-view

canal-view

city-view

courtyard-view

garden-view

golf-view

harbour-view

inland-view

lake-view

land-view

mountain-view

ocean-front

ocean-view

oceanside

panoramic-view

park-view

partial-ocean-view

partial-sea-view

partial-view

pool-view

river-view

sea-front

sea-view

street-view

sunrise-view

sunset-view

water-view

with-view

annex

basement

main-building

1-bedroom

2-bedrooms

3-bedrooms

4-bedrooms

5-bedrooms

6-bedrooms

not-guaranteed

wired-internet-access

smoking

sauna

duplex

safe

mini-bar

breakfast-for-1

breakfast-for-2

pets-allowed

wi-fi

park access

I just got back from a 6 night stay in Rio at Ocean Drive, and I have
to say was l was not very impressed. This was my first time in Rio, and I would NOT recommend this hotel/condo to a first time visitor to Rio, especially a foreigner.  

First of all is the location, which is called Barra de Tijuca, or just plain "Barra".  Be aware that although it is technically still within Rio, it is still a 30-45 min taxi ride (with no traffic, much longer with traffic) to the main attractions in Rio (Impanema, Copacabana, Sugar Loaf, etc).  There is no metro/subway (as of yet) that runs out to Barra), and while there are bus lines, taking the bus would probably double the travel time, and is not a good option for travel at night.  

The setting is very suburban, much like the outer parts of Miami, nothing is really within walking distance, except the beach, which is right across the street. So, if you are without a car as we were, you feel kind of trapped. There were two restaurants next to Ocean Drive which were decent. But no bank (international) and no shopping.
Shopping malls were only a 10 min taxi ride away.

Second, if you do not speak Portuguese, then you will run into trouble at Ocean Drive. Before you write me off as an American snob, who expects everyone to speak English, keep reading. My primary reason for being in Rio was to attend an international conference, at which English was the main language. The conference organizers recommended this hotel, so I expected at least some English would be spoken there. However, no one at the hotel...manager, door person, etc, spoke a work of English. Fortunately, one of the people in our group spoke Portuguese, otherwise, check in would have been a nightmare. It was quite a hassle trying to deal with any issues that came up....broken locks, access to the pool, how to get breakfast, etc. And the staff (especially the people who check you in) were not especially friendly and somewhat impatient with the fact we could not speak Portuguese.

And the final reason I would not recommend this hotel (although the first two were certainly enough), is that it is a bit run down and grungy. The rooms had adequate space and there was a kitchen/balcony/
living room. However, the linens and carpeting were old and ragged and the room had an odor we couldn't get rid of. Although we only saw
a few dead bugs in the room, we were greeted to a big can of bug spray left out in plain view when we got to the room. Lovely.

In fairness, I have to mention the good features of the hotel: a beautiful pool, good security, and easy access to a beautiful and quiet beach. These are good features if you just want to relax and get some sun. However, if you want to explore Rio, be prepared to spend lots of time and money traveling back and forth and don't expect the hotel staff to help you out in your travels, unless you speak Portuguese. Rio is beautiful and unique, and I may go back, but
I will definitely stay in a more central area next time and do more research before I go!

AP resort praia Barra Ocean Drive

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