Casa Mosquito

Casa Mosquito is a cheery and intimate property that offers personalized service in an atmosphere that feels more like a friend's house than a hotel. It's housed in a 1940s colonial mansion surrounded by a tropical garden filled with flowers, fruit trees, fountains, and fish ponds. The lobby  -- which opens to a spacious veranda overlooking Copacabana -- offers a spacious living and dining room area with comfortable sofas, armchairs, bookshelves, cow-skin rugs, and primitive-style art. Note that the hotel caters largely to adults, although children older than 14 are allowed. 

Although most guests to Rio de Janeiro opt to stay in a beach hotel along Avenida Atlantica, the heat, traffic, and noise is just too much for some to handle. Casa Mosquito provides an excellent alternative. It's located on a quiet cobblestone street in Ipanema, close to the favelas of Cantagalo and Pavaozinho. The area is residential with villas, houses, and some low-lying condominiums. Although the area feels quiet, some guests have reported hearing noise from favela weekend parties nearby. 

It's a 10-minute walk downhill to Copacabana and Ipanema, and a pretty steep climb back.  The closest metro station (General Osorio, Ipanema) can be reached in 10 to 15 minutes on foot. There are restaurants, bars, banks, and supermarkets within a 10-minute walk. Key Rio sights such as Sugar Loaf Mountain, the Christ the Redeemer statue, and the Botanical Garden (Jardim Botanico) can be reached within a 20- to 30-minute drive. The Galeao International Airport is 35 to 45 minutes away and the domestic Santos Dumont Airport can be reached by car in 20 to 30 minutes.

The hotel features nine rooms with balconies. A newer hillside annex built in 2014 features three spacious suites and two presidential suites; the rest are in the main building. All suites are spacious, but those in the newer building are larger. Note that all suites come with double beds, and each is individually designed, featuring a mix of tropical, local, and French influences, primitive-style art, and antiques.

Each room comes equipped with a mini-fridge stocked with free soft drinks, a flat-screen TV, a air-conditioning unit, and an iPod dock. Wi-Fi is free in rooms and throughout the property. All rooms come with modern bathrooms featuring high-end toiletries, hairdryers, and bathrobes. The Carioca Suites in the new annex have walk-in showers with glass walls that look out into rooms (they also have privacy curtains).   

The Casa Mosquito offers personalized dining based on guest requests, and a free breakfast is served every morning in the dining room or outside on a garden patio flanked with plants. Room service is available from early morning until late evening. Drinks and snacks are also available at the poolside bar, located on a sparse rooftop patio next to a small square pool. The patio offers gorgeous views of Rio's skyline and out to the beach, but to reach it guests must climb up multiple flights of stairs.

Casa Mosquito also offers in-room massages and beauty treatments and there's a small shop on the ground floor selling souvenirs and basic sundries. There's no on-site parking, but the hotel staff can arrange a safe place to park nearby. There's no concierge desk, but staff can help with travel arrangements and local information as well. Laundry service is also available.