Toledo Copacabana Hotel, Rio de Janeiro

Let me start by saying that it takes *a lot* for me to write a review - either positive or negative. This is by far my worst experience yet and I am truly sickened by the the staff service and policies of this hotel. My boyfriend and I booked this hotel online as it looked liked we'd be able to get decent amenities for a pretty reasonable price. As sightseeing in Rio can be expensive we thought it would be great to save on lodging. What a mistake. The one thing that this hotel has going for it is that it is located near the beach (no ocean-front), but close enough which is great if you're looking for proximity. After arriving to the hotel, I can't imagine a larger disparity between what is shown online and what we were shown to be our room. I don't know where the rooms are that are pictured on websites, but we didn't see anything like that at all. In our room there was no art on the walls, the bathroom handle was about to fall off and could not be locked, a tv was supplied that was absolutely ancient, the beds looked and felt like they came out of a convent, and chairs were provided that we couldn't sit in because they were about wiggling to the point of breaking. Honestly, this is a hostel at best and I wouldn't have paid a penny over $25 USD/night for the room we were given. Though the hotel claims to have room service - what the means is that they will bring roughly 5 different types of drinks to your room (water, juice, etc.). There is one computer with unreliable internet access inside the hotel. There is a pool deck and brunch is provided each morning (which was basic but just fine). Imagine our delight when we discovered that the toilet didn't work and the hot water wasn't available for 3 of our 4 night stay. Each day the hotel staff told us it would be fixed, but it wasn't until our last day that the problems were addressed. We had to be the ones to ask to change rooms and weren't given this as an option until the last day of our stay. When we consulted with the service desk to discuss a discount we were told the hotel's policy is a whopping 5% refund, but if you pay in advance as we did, then you're completely out of luck. I can't imagine a more deceitful way of doing business. The employees were not friendly and often condescending - they recommended tours for us to take as English speakers which turned out to be solely in Portuguese. Honestly, if you go to Rio I'd recommend staying in Ipanema. It's cleaner, nicer, and safer in my opinion. If you go to Copacabana-- do not stay in this hotel. The experience ruined our time in Rio and there are better options all around.