Porto Bay Rio Internacional Hotel, Rio De Janeiro

We arrived in Rio without a reservation as I was determined to find a room with a balcony and a view of the ocean and I was having a hard time determining this from the Internet listings. I was surprised at how few hotels either along Copacabana or Ipanema had balconies. This hotel has rooms w/ balconies on the side with views of both Corcovado and the ocean. We were even offered an upgrade to a suite, with only ocean view, but preferred the room on the side. We were not familiar with the Golden Tulip chain but the property was stunning, and the staff were all so welcoming (even the housekeeper spoke some English). In fact, we were offered a glass of complimentary champage when we were checking in - a first. The price/night was more than we typically pay but was justified by the view and comfort. We could not afford a hotel of this caliber in any other major city in the world (i.e. Paris, New York, Honolulu). It was hard to leave.