Sol Ipanema is among the best-placed mid-size hotels in the South Zone. It stands at Avenida Vieira Souto 320, on the beachfront boulevard in Ipanema, and the hotel lists Ipanema Beach as a two-minute walk, with Posto 9, the social heart of the sand, equally close. The hotel has ninety individually furnished rooms in four types: Standard with a city view, Deluxe with a beach view, Superior with a mountain view, and a Family Room with a beach view and two queen beds that sleeps four. Standard, Deluxe and Superior rooms are listed at around 301 square feet, with king or twin beds. Facilities include an outdoor pool with loungers and umbrellas, a rooftop terrace that reviewers say has a pool and bar, a free breakfast buffet, a free daily managers' reception and the Masserini Osteria di Mare restaurant, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. Spa services are offered, and the hotel provides beach towels and umbrellas, twenty-four-hour room service and free wifi. A gym is not listed, and one reviewer calls it basic with limited equipment, so serious trainers may want to run on the promenade instead. The hotel does not offer parking, and check-in starts at two in the afternoon. Guests rate it highly: 9.0 from about a thousand reviews, with location scoring 9.8, staff 9.2 and cleanliness 9.2.
Choosing a room
Pay a little more for a beach-view Deluxe or Family room, which score best with guests, and treat the city-view Standard as the budget option. The Superior room faces the mountain and is cheaper, but reviewers rate it lower. Families should look at the Family Room with two queen beds, which sleeps four, and note that only dogs up to about fifteen pounds are accepted, so check the pet policy.
What the stay is like
Friendly, tidy and well placed. Guests praise the helpful staff, the breakfast and the rooftop views, though one said the pool suits children better than adults and another found the breakfast a little short on variety. A few small gripes surfaced, including English-language television being unavailable and an online check-in form that some found long.
The location is the real prize. You can walk to Rua Farme de Amoedo for restaurants in three minutes, to the lagoon in about eleven, and to the Nossa Senhora da Paz metro station in about eight. Copacabana is about twenty minutes on foot, and Santos Dumont airport is twelve minutes by car.
Who it suits
Couples, families with beach-loving children and anyone who wants to wake up near Ipanema's sand without the price of a luxury address. Compared with the Fasano or the JANEIRO Hotel on this site, it offers a more modest, more social experience, with the same beach and the same sunset ritual at Arpoador a short walk away. The trade-offs are a basic gym, compact rooms and a pool that is not large, but for most visitors the position beats those drawbacks.
Why stay here
- ✓Ipanema beachfront boulevard location
- ✓Free breakfast buffet
- ✓Outdoor pool with loungers
- ✓Rooftop terrace
- ✓Masserini Osteria di Mare restaurant
- ✓Beach towels and umbrellas
- ✓24-hour room service
- ✓Free wifi and air conditioning
Good questions
How close is Sol Ipanema to the beach?+
The hotel is at Avenida Vieira Souto 320 on the Ipanema seafront and lists Ipanema Beach and Posto 9 as about a two-minute walk.
Is breakfast included?+
The hotel lists a free breakfast buffet and a free daily managers' reception.
Does it have parking or a gym?+
No parking is offered, and a gym is not listed; one reviewer calls the gym basic with limited equipment.
