Villa Laurinda is a hipster hotel in Santa Teresa in Rio de Janeiro. This place has 38 reviews and an average rating of 4.6 of 5. This is a great rating.
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Reviews from visitors:
basic B&B in great, historic building. this is not a full service hotel. very quiet neighborhood in walking distance to Santa Teresa highlights. very sparse amenities, bathroom and room functionality, if working. basic breakfast.
The house in and of itself was alright, but I was shocked at how appalling the service was. My husband and I organize group travel for yoga retreats, and we had brought a group from the UK to this Villa. I am only so happy that they did not speak portuguese, so they were not privy to how the owner and the manager spoke to my husband and myself.
The manager was very argumentative with anything I asked him - although we had arranged everything before hand, we had to fight them to let us use the covered space for our yoga practice. We organized to have some gluten and lactose free options added to the breakfast, and instead of adding them, they took out all of the rest of the breakfast options so the breakfast was so terrible we had to cancel it entirely (the refunded us the cost of breakfast) and take our group out to eat. That's not a good sign at a B&B.
The worst part was the way we were treated whenever we asked the staff to help us. At one point I asked the manager to call the spa nearby for one of the guests. The manager did not call, after I asked three times, and then in front of the guest said that "it isn't a spa." ... which it was. It took about two hours to get him to actually make the phone call.
When my husband asked the owner to help us make a reservation for the group at a restaurant for dinner, the owner actually told my husband that it was "not his problem," and my husband was so shocked he had to ask to owner to speak more respectfully towards him.
This stay was the worst we've ever had in years of working with b&b's and hotels. I would not recommend to anyone this property after how terribly we were treated.
Charming and clean accommodation in a neighborhood which is interesting, fun and feels safe. The staff are lovely and helpful and it is a short walk or taxi ride to a lot of attractions, with many great restaurants just around the corner.
+ Lovely architecture, - outworn lines and towels, - inattentive staff
First of all: if the villa would have been the only place I had stayed in Rio I might have rated it higher but having the comparison to other B&Bs I have to say it is just average. Nothing more or less!
After arriving at Rua Laurinda Santos Lobo in Santa Teresa we were greeted by a lovely architecture with an old world charm from the 1920's. Matching the outside the interior is reduced and underlines the vintage ambiance.
Nevertheless, I was quite astonished running into linens and towels that apparently saw better times and some run down furniture. That left the impression to stay at a place where they try to make fast money without any concessions to their guests.
Another point underlining my impression was next morning’s breakfast. Despite the fact that the tables were full with leftovers from the other guests there was hardly anything left at the buffet for us. After sitting there for 15 minutes we had to ask for refills since no one of the staff paid attention.
Since decoration is not everything and B&B's are living from the owners' commitment and passion the innkeepers should think of some improvements. First of all I would encourage the whole staff (not only the two managers) to be friendly to the guests even if they do not speak the same language. A smile sometimes opens doors!
Furthermore I highly recommend the innkeepers to stay in other B&Bs to experience what kind of personality and service is missing at their place.
Overall my stay was ok since we had the only room off the main tract, where all other rooms seem to be located. Furthermore we were able to store our luggage for the day and could shower before leaving to the airport but I might recommend other places to friends and followers.
Important facts to know when staying here:
The villa is located in the domestic airport’s entry lane. There are some bats that are living in the garden, flying low (!) and many dogs in the neighborhood that bark with every little movement.
And finally it is difficult to get a taxi during night! There is a taxi stand close by but as soon it is getting dark the cabs are gone same applies to the police. It seems that they are afraid of getting in trouble with activities in the close by favela although this part of Santa Teresa is known to be safe. I am not sure about the reason but I was surprised how easy you can get around at Copacabana, Ipanema or Leblon and how difficult it was in Santa Teresa during night!
Address: R. Laurinda Santos Lôbo, 98 - Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, 20240-270 Opening Hours: Monday: Open 24 hoursTuesday: Open 24 hoursWednesday: Open 24 hoursThursday: Open 24 hoursFriday: Open 24 hoursSaturday: Open 24 hoursSunday: Open 24 hours Visit the website
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