In late 2017, I went to Rio de Janeiro for four nights and stayed at the Grand Hyatt Rio de Janeiro, which is located in the Barra da Tijuca area of Rio.
The Grand Hyatt is a new hotel, across the street from the beach, and it is beautiful. The staff couldn’t be nicer and more accommodating. As a Globalist World of Hyatt member, I used a suite upgrade. My Ocean Lagoon Suite with a wraparound balcony offered stunning views of both the Atlantic Ocean and Marapendi Lagoon. This 753 sq foot suite is gorgeous – perhaps my favorite Hyatt suite! Seriously! Everything was just right and also comfortably livable. And the views of both the Ocean and the Lagoon were breathtaking.
I made a video and took lots of photos, so first, here is a video tour of the suite:
I also am sharing my photos of the suite. This is the living room area:
The mini-bar, coffee machine and refrigerator.
The bedroom is a separate room from the living room. Off of the bedroom is the closet/dressing room as well as the bathroom (on the other side of that wall). In front of the bed is yet another sliding glass door to the balcony. I love hotels, such as this, where you wake to an amazing scenic ocean or waterway view.
The closet/changing area is large and easily fit both of our suitcases. There were also robes and fit flops for two as well as a room safe in the closet.
The bathroom was large with double sinks, a separate tub and shower and a separate WC. The Lavender toiletries by Granado were so wonderful that I bought some to bring home (there is a Granado store on the lower level of the hotel and also one duty free at the airport). Behind the sink is a bathtub (which I somehow forgot to take a photo of, but you can see it in the video).
WC:
This is the second bathroom, which is located at the entrance of the suite:
Have I mentioned the view? Gasp!!! THE VIEW! THE VIEW! It is so beautiful it looks like it is out of a storybook. From one side of the suite you can see the Ocean. The rest of the suite looks out on the Lagoon.
Sunset over the Ocean!
The hotel is across the street from the Ocean. We took walks here and I ran here each morning, and we always felt safe.
The pool was great!
The hotel also has a Camp Hyatt for the little ones.
Last but not least, as mentioned above there was a Granado store on the lower level of the hotel. The prices were quite reasonable for “designer” toiletries and we stocked up on the soaps (about $4 each). At this price, it wasn’t even worth it to steal soap from the hotel!
The hotel’s Fitness Center and Spa and the Grand Club are reviewed in separate posts.
Overall, I loved the hotel. My primary complaint is that it is rather far from downtown Rio – there is metro in Barra that does go to central Rio, but even that is a few miles from the hotel. We ended up taking Ubers everywhere, but the hotel really needs to have a free shuttle bus at least to locations such as the metro station and malls and restaurants within the Barra area. I also have a few suggestions with respect to the Grand Club, but those will be addressed in a separate post.
Other than these minor complaints, which can be easily corrected, I really loved the hotel.
A New York frequent flyer who elegantly combines her passions for worldwide travel, running a gazillion marathons all over the globe and staying fit ... without sacrificing her fancy for good wine and food.
Um hotel maravilhoso! I’ll have to put this hotel on my list to visit. And I can use my free Hyatt certificate at this hotel.
How did you get from the airport to the hotel and how much did it cost?
we took an uber.
I asked the hotel before I went, and this was their response:
To your question in regards to transportation from the airport – taking an UBER, or a regular Taxi is the most economical choice. We may, in general, consider this a safe option too and readily available at the airport – approximately BRL 120. If you prefer a car from the Hotel, no doubt that is even more convenient and costs BRL 375.
Why did you choose to stay at this hotel? It seems far from the action?
Thanks for your comment. To answer your question, first, I wanted to checkout the Hyatt. Second, I’d been to Rio before and thought it would be nice to try a new area. I just didn’t realize how isolated Barra was. It did have good qualities though – it was safer than other areas of Rio, the beach area wasn’t as congested and running was nice.